Carnerd

Anyone have any experience with smogging a car with OE cats but aftermarket mufflers? Did I hear right that for 2014 they've eliminated the sniff test and are going purely visual now? Thanks guys!

kcheves

What you are referring to is California's new STAR test, which is an option for MY2000 or newer vehicles. The sniff test is replaced by an OBD-2 port scan. Under the old "gold shield" program, a visual inspection of the emissions control components was required, but it's not clear to me if this is still the case if you get a STAR test.

The visual inspection was/is a problem for Boxster or Cayman drivers, because it requires removing the engine cover, which some smog techs refuse to do or cannot be trusted to do.

Spyerx

Mufflers are not part of the emissions system. No problem on several cars. I take my cars to a very small shop that ONLY does smog, in a sorta not great area of town. They don't get porsches too often. Last time they didn't even put my carrera on the rollers, but still did the sniff test. Said it wouldn't fit or something. Visual was looking at the sticker.

Carnerd

Ok, thanks guys

Hatzenbach

the strategy of going to a SMOG only place in a not-so-great-part-of-town seems to work for me everytime