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smog rejected

Ridebjj

Autocross Champion
Location
lasVegas
Just took my year old car in for its first smog check.

I got rejected on the following three things:

obd fuel
obd catalyst
oxy snsr

I've got Stage 1 and have done various vcds mods. I've used vcds to clear codes, but I could swear the last time I did it was at least 100 miles ago, if not way more. Hard to know for sure because recently the last few months I've hardly driven at all. An average day is 3 miles.

How long is the readiness cycle on this car again?

Also, can vcds tell me if everything is hunky dory so that I don't waste $23 again, and get the stink eye and rude treatment from the smog shack wanker who kept saying "So, when did you disconnect the battery? Did someone work on it recently?" and then talked right over me before I could say anything.

That's all this can be right? Lack of readiness?

Registration expires in 10 days.

Thanks.
 

GTI Jake

Autocross Champion
Location
Charlotte, NC
Just took my year old car in for its first smog check.

I got rejected on the following three things:

obd fuel
obd catalyst
oxy snsr

I've got Stage 1 and have done various vcds mods. I've used vcds to clear codes, but I could swear the last time I did it was at least 100 miles ago, if not way more. Hard to know for sure because recently the last few months I've hardly driven at all. An average day is 3 miles.

How long is the readiness cycle on this car again?

Also, can vcds tell me if everything is hunky dory so that I don't waste $23 again, and get the stink eye and rude treatment from the smog shack wanker who kept saying "So, when did you disconnect the battery? Did someone work on it recently?" and then talked right over me before I could say anything.

That's all this can be right? Lack of readiness?

Registration expires in 10 days.

Thanks.

It can take up to 150 miles IIRC, and yes you can check via obd11 or vcds
 

cb1111

Newbie
Location
Virginia, USA
Just took my year old car in for its first smog check.

I got rejected on the following three things:

obd fuel
obd catalyst
oxy snsr

I've got Stage 1 and have done various vcds mods. I've used vcds to clear codes, but I could swear the last time I did it was at least 100 miles ago, if not way more. Hard to know for sure because recently the last few months I've hardly driven at all. An average day is 3 miles.

How long is the readiness cycle on this car again?

Also, can vcds tell me if everything is hunky dory so that I don't waste $23 again, and get the stink eye and rude treatment from the smog shack wanker who kept saying "So, when did you disconnect the battery? Did someone work on it recently?" and then talked right over me before I could say anything.

That's all this can be right? Lack of readiness?

Registration expires in 10 days.

Thanks.
There's your problem. Clear codes. Fill it up with top tier premium octane fuel and take it for a two hour highway drive. Get it nice and warm before you go to the testing station.
 

Ridebjj

Autocross Champion
Location
lasVegas
There's your problem. Clear codes. Fill it up with top tier premium octane fuel and take it for a two hour highway drive. Get it nice and warm before you go to the testing station.

I've had a few 10 or 15 mile highway drives. Probably more than a few. Plus the various short trips. I could swear the last time I cleared codes was long enough ago - but I guess not.

As it happens, I start a new job monday thats a 20 mile highway commute each way. I'm guessing that should get it done by end of week.

I found the readiness checker in vcds just now and yup - all 3 the smog dick found are there.

SIGH
 

Toothless

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
West Texas
Mine failed too in February. I had to flash to stock and then drive about 100 miles before it passed. Fortunately, the guy checked it for codes about 50 miles after the initial fail and told me it wasn't going to pass again, so another 50 miles.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
 

Ridebjj

Autocross Champion
Location
lasVegas
Mine failed too in February. I had to flash to stock and then drive about 100 miles before it passed. Fortunately, the guy checked it for codes about 50 miles after the initial fail and told me it wasn't going to pass again, so another 50 miles.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

Flash your tune back to stock you mean?
 

Ridebjj

Autocross Champion
Location
lasVegas
Yes...and I have Unitronic too [emoji848]

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

I've been doing some searching and found another thread from a few years back where several people all with uni stage 1 tunes had to go back to stock to pass. One of them had the exact same 3 codes I do.

That seems pretty strong evidence of the problem. I was going to give it another 75 miles or so before trying a reflash, but now I'm thinking not to bother.

I could swear uni's advertising says there's no problem with stage 1 and smog. Maybe not?

Shrug
 

Toothless

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
West Texas
Yea, just keep it stock for smog check. Makes me wonder what I would have to do when I put in a downpipe...

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
 

GIACUser

Master Wallet Mechanic
Location
USA
Car(s)
MK 6 GolfR
If you have Ross-Tech VCDS cable you can avoid all the driving etc and use a routine that can be run in your driveway. It takes a fairly long time to run but be patient. It simulates all the driving and you will know if you are going to pass before you go down.

With VAGCOM you can run readiness routine that will reset anything that previously received a DTC. (Clearing codes does not reset for emissions but this will)
1. Clear all regular engine codes if any.
2. Run Engine / Readiness routine - this will put ODB into readiness
3. It should return "passed" in all categories.
4. The routine takes a bit but it should work fine for you since you have stock TBE.
5. I have done this and passsed first time.
6. A fellow member had the same problem you did. I advised him to do the above and he passed.

Link to post with original info

Link there to VAGCOM full instructions on test and outcome.

 
Last edited:

7umberjackZac

Go Kart Newbie
Location
Pittsburgh, PA
Car(s)
Gti
You can't find someone who you pay extra to just pass you for smog?

You can run like a gallon of denatured alcohol with an empty tank of gas (1 gallon) and pass every time. Burns cleaner than anything

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
 

GIACUser

Master Wallet Mechanic
Location
USA
Car(s)
MK 6 GolfR
You can't find someone who you pay extra to just pass you for smog?

You can run like a gallon of denatured alcohol with an empty tank of gas (1 gallon) and pass every time. Burns cleaner than anything

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

That won't do anything for a California test as they no longer do a tail pipe sniffer test.

Calif is pretty strict and most of the smog shops don't want to endanger their whole business as there is a lot of oversight of shops looking for shady operators.
 

Ridebjj

Autocross Champion
Location
lasVegas
You can't find someone who you pay extra to just pass you for smog?

You can run like a gallon of denatured alcohol with an empty tank of gas (1 gallon) and pass every time. Burns cleaner than anything

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

That seems like more of a hassle than just reflashing and driving it to achieve readiness. Maybe if I ever go dp and stage 2. Even then, not sure how that's possible with everything done automatically by computer. They don't sniff here, just the obd check.

I already flashed back to stock last night. I then went for a 15 mile drive and one of the 3 rejected settings is now ready. So, two more to go.

Weirdly, it's a little hard to tell the difference between stock and stage 1 power now.
 
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