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Since a smog check is required by the DMV for a title transfer, I wanted to make sure that I had something in hand to show that this had been done when I went into the office to complete the process. My experience was somewhat amusing and may be helpful for other Insight owners when the time for a smog check comes.
First of all the Insight, clean as it is, is not exempt from smog checks. The state has a very good site that can answer most questions: CA Smog Check
When the girl I bought the car from went to get the check (it is the seller’s responsibility), the station she went to told her that their equipment didn’t have the ability to test the car and so it didn’t have to be done. If there were any questions I could just call him. Somehow I didn’t think the DMV would take a business card and the instructions to call “Charlie” as a substitute for a certificate. I decided to get a second opinion from another shop. While “Charlie” was correct that the equipment could not test the car, it turns out it needs to be inspected by a Referee. The Referees are located around the state, mostly at Community Colleges. There is a toll free number (1-800-622-7733) that you have to call to set up an appointment at the nearest location. Ask about colleges nearby (using the name of the city the college is in) since I later found out I could have taken it to a place much closer to my home and would have been ticked if I didn’t have to be in the Woodland Hills area already.
The actual inspection process is pretty straightforward. They hooked their computer up to the car’s OBD slot under the dash and pretty much just made sure all the equipment was present and working properly. And since they don’t actually check for tailpipe emissions, all you pay for is the certificate ($8.25 in my case)! The referee said that they had inspected several 5-speeds but this was the first CVT that they had seen. He also concluded that the Insight must be a much better car than the Prius, since he had seen so few Insights yet had inspected quite a few of the Toyotas and that they seemed to be changing hands with very low mileage!
Anyway, I hope this helps.
First of all the Insight, clean as it is, is not exempt from smog checks. The state has a very good site that can answer most questions: CA Smog Check
When the girl I bought the car from went to get the check (it is the seller’s responsibility), the station she went to told her that their equipment didn’t have the ability to test the car and so it didn’t have to be done. If there were any questions I could just call him. Somehow I didn’t think the DMV would take a business card and the instructions to call “Charlie” as a substitute for a certificate. I decided to get a second opinion from another shop. While “Charlie” was correct that the equipment could not test the car, it turns out it needs to be inspected by a Referee. The Referees are located around the state, mostly at Community Colleges. There is a toll free number (1-800-622-7733) that you have to call to set up an appointment at the nearest location. Ask about colleges nearby (using the name of the city the college is in) since I later found out I could have taken it to a place much closer to my home and would have been ticked if I didn’t have to be in the Woodland Hills area already.
The actual inspection process is pretty straightforward. They hooked their computer up to the car’s OBD slot under the dash and pretty much just made sure all the equipment was present and working properly. And since they don’t actually check for tailpipe emissions, all you pay for is the certificate ($8.25 in my case)! The referee said that they had inspected several 5-speeds but this was the first CVT that they had seen. He also concluded that the Insight must be a much better car than the Prius, since he had seen so few Insights yet had inspected quite a few of the Toyotas and that they seemed to be changing hands with very low mileage!
Anyway, I hope this helps.