My tech revved the crap out of my truck for almost a minute becaue it was "close". He was running the engine up and down the tach so hard that the truck stalled.

Did you check with your shop that the KC would pass? My shop said if it doesn't say GARRETT on the housing it will need a CARB O.E. cert number or it will fail. Maybe yours doesn't know as much (or care) like mine does.

My shop has changed techs around in the last couple of years so what passed last time (Turbomaster wastegate controller and red/green line delete) did not this time around. I've got16 months to find another shop.

 

I would absolutely choke an idiot if they did that to my truck.

 

me and you both, homeboy.

 

Yeah, that would have stopped really quick-like if my usual guy had tried that with my truck.

Stewart

 

I almost did. I was sitting where I could see him through the glass window. He looked over when it stalled and saw me watching him rev it like a racecar. It was a long crank (10 seconds or so) to get it to fire and I was livid. When it stalled I knew the motor was upset but the long crank let me know it was p-i-s-s-e-d! When he called me out he told me it was "close" but passed. I don't know how close it really was (I wasn't in a good vantage point to see the plume) but I never saw a cloud in the garage during his excessive Snap Test so I don't know if it really was close or he was trying to justify trying to blow up my motor. I could see in his eyes that he knew he screwed up and I think he was trying to dismiss what happened.

I had already failed and this was my second pass (I replaced my spider, red/green lines, and wastegate controller) so didn't want to test the waters with getting the cetificate (I was already 2 months past my registration date and driving around on expired tags). I had a pseudo-civilized discussion about it being a truck and not a racecar and that the manual has a range of 2-3K RPM for a reason to perform the test.

I wouldn't say I was backed into a corner but there were items that he didn't hit me on that a quick vindictive visual re-inspection would have been a hard fail (EBPV deleted, no AIH, Hydra, Hutch mod with Racor, boost fooler, and I was dripping coolant all over the shop floor). I begrudgingly made the choice to take the silent victory of a passing smog certificate over verbally throttling the technician and having words with the shop manager of a respected family-owned buisiness. Plus the fact that if I failed again after sinking more time and money into the truck that I would be lucky to sleep in the housethat night (or the next few).

I have been going to this shop since this started in 2010 but we'll see who is working there at the end of next year. My dad recently purchased a Chevy SSR and has found a shop that he likes now that he's hot-rodding again. I may go with his guy next time.

 

What turbo do you have now? I forgot. 38R? I've had nothing but troubles here. Then when I pulled the chip, I unscrewed the wrong component, put it back then the chip. Anyway the light is now on. Got two weeks to figure it out. Have grand kids starting tonight, then three days working with my son next week so it will be tight. Haven't been to pismo and years. It should be cold at night this time of year. Really liked it when the whole area was open. Had a maco 400 back in the day. Now still have the Banshee's and other things. Looking for a used tow hauler up date. Around 35 foot. Miss the days at Andy's. That was fun and lots of work got done.
Oh report back on the KC38R. Really wanted to go that way but the T4 is looking better all the time. Just has to pass smog. Brads works really well with his 200/80.
Chet

 

Glad you didn't just let the incident go. But with you being a little bit behind the 8 ball, I think you balanced your reaction with your emotion, quite well.

Stewart

 

I still regret not letting off a little steam but I still feel that discretion was the better part of valor for the situation. If my truck was squeaky clean and I knew it would stand up to an angry re-inspection with a fine-toothed comb I would have let him have it.

It would have been nice if he would have known what he missed as I was driving away, but for all I know he did and decided to overlook it. In the end I have my certificate and tags. A win is a win whether it's by 1 point or 100 points.

I had never seen this guy before and I got him with the luck of the draw. The frustrating part is that I had a good relationship with the shop and they have been more than favorable for 8 years (and my dad for 20 years). The test before this the tech told me the truck ran great. As he was finishing the paperwork he said it felt really strong for almost 300K miles and asked me if I had a tune on it. "Nope" I told him. I just take really good care of it.

 

Reps sent to both of you for having the ability to read my mind!

I couldn't send reps to you for keeping it cool because I am in jail.

I learned the hard way a few times that keeping a cool head can put you in control of the situation. I learned this lesson as a young enlisted member and mouthing off to senior enlisted.

I too would be looking for another shop.

 

A hard lesson I learned as well. Had an E-6 evaluation that said "best E-5 in the division". Unfortunately the lesson I learned was that it takes 13 years to make E-7 that way. That's about 3 years later than the "average" for my community (MOS to you guys ).

 

Well, I'll say out loud that you are both better men than me. I have a very easy going nature and long fuse.....until the fuse is up....and idiocy burns that fuse quickly when my hard earned work is getting thrown int he shi**er by someone else's lack of brain space. Good on you for keeping cool. Personally, I wouldn't have cared what the smog deal was at that point. All he would have heard is a bellowing madman going "what in the entire F%$# do you think you're doing??!!" LOL!!!

I am putting my "CAT" back on my truck this week when I do the CNC HPOP lines. Everything else should be good? It's all stock except for the AFE intake and my TS **** sitting on the little part pf the dash just above our knee. Should I hide that?

 

I would, only because I want to remove ANYTHING that makes them want to become curious. The more stock I look, the less harder they look.

Stewart

 

Brian 42... Several times you mentioned that a previous smog check about 2 1/2 years ago was easier to pass than the most recent smog inspection you just endured (and initially failed). You may have attributed the change to the shop you were using... new tech, or same tech with a different attitude, something to that effect.

However, it may be helpful to understand that California changed the smog inspection rules effective March 9, 2015.

There can sometimes be an educational latency between bureaucratic rule changes and the actual implementation of said changes by the shops conducting the inspections. Just ask Mohammad Farajii, who passed a 1999 F-250 7.3L diesel using the BAR-97 Emission Inspection System, which was perfectly acceptable to do when diesel engines 1998 and newer that are under 14K GVWR first became required to be tested biennially back in 2010. But the rules changed in 2015, enforcing the inspection procedures published in 2013, that require that inspectors utilize the BAR-OIS (Onboard Diagnostics Inspection System) to test 1998 and newer model year diesels. This in and of itself can be confusing to techs, since the first line in the regulation requiring the BAR-OIS method states that it is applicable to 2000 and newer gasoline powered vehicles, and the vehicle that Mohammad was cited for was a 1999 diesel that actually doesn't have the full implementation of the OBDII diagnostics system anyway.

Yet, regulation clearly states that 1998 and newer diesels are now subject to BAR-OIS, and what is more interesting about Mohammad's citation, issued in 2015, is that two years later, a judge upheld the prosecution's assertion that ignorance or misunderstanding, or even the lack of effective communication by the CARB about the regulations, or the absence of "perfect" procedural authority by the CARB as an agencey to alter regulations beyond what was originally established in the legislative intent.... is no excuse for non-compliance with the changes. That was a precedent setting court decision made in 2017. This effectively should make every smog tech vary wary of disciplinary actions against their license.

Indeed, some 30 enforcement actions per month are levied against smog tech license holders up and down California, and the bulk of the disciplinary actions happen to be in the So Cal area for whatever reason. With this in mind, should the blame really be placed on the smog shop? Consider the threats hanging over their heads with every customer who pulls a vehicle into their shop. They are just one mistake away from being charged with a violation of the Health and Safety Code, that is uneraseable from their record. I wouldn't want my name to be Mohammad Farajii, or the 30 new names per month that are added to the public records for being responsible for causing environmental damage... just because some customer drifts in with a modded rig and they miss inspect it.

Sometimes, it helps to look at situations from the other person's point of view.

 

Government overreach in my opinion.

The preponderance of doubt must be backed up by at least a reasonable suspicion to prove intent to defraud by the tech at the very least, in my opinion, for any kind of administrative fines to be levied.

Stewart

 

I think by now, we all understand that the PRK (Kalifornia), does not adhere to any kind of common sense administrative law that we would understand. They want every and all non standard or Modded vehicles of any kind in their state messing up the atmosphere to go away. If you don't drive something with a windmill sticking out the back, you are not welcome......

And Moonbeam is now saying that they are going to put up their own Satellites to track all you evildoers.....You have been warned!