Car pollution contributes to about 55% of nitrogen oxide in the air. This pollution can be very harmful to human lungs. As a result, The United States made smog tests along in many states. You need to familiarize yourself with your different consequences, and you may face them if your car won't pass smog tests.
⚠️ If It's Broken, Don't Fix It - Get Paid Cash for Your Vehicle ⚠️
While policies and laws vary between states to state, we expect very common consequences and can share them with you in this article.
Why does my car need to pass a smog test?
Vehicles are the major source of their portion, and without specific control, air contaminations could get out of hand and harm humans.
In general, car emissions mostly cause respiratory issues and especially aggravated asthma symptoms.
Did you know that smog is one of the worst and deadliest causes for more than 8 million deaths in the world?
By testing and making sure that your car passes the smog test, it's not only about making sure we have a healthier environment. It also indicates and provides information about your car's overall health.
For example, your vehicle might not pass the emission test if it has some air-fuel mixture problems. If that's the case, something is happening internally, and you need to take care of it immediately to eliminate any catastrophic results that could happen to your vehicle.
My car won't pass the smog test; what next?
If your vehicle didn't pass the smog test, your local DMV office would not allow you to register this car. If your car is not registered, you can't drive it legally on public drivers.
Are there any possible ways to get my vehicle registered if it didn't pass the smog test?
Luckily, if your vehicle did not pass the smog test, there are a couple of other tests that you can perform to get it registered, even in the strictest state of California. We selected California because it's one of the strictest states for car registrations and twelve other states follow the same standards.
If your vehicle did not pass the smog test and you are interested in having it registered, you can perform three important other tests related to two vehicles' gasoline. These tests include emission control functional tests, emission measurement, and visual tests.
Unfortunately, failing one of these three tests will result in automatic failing to register your car. In general, automotive experts suggest passing the smog test is much easier than passing the other three tests.
Therefore, it's more important and makes more sense to take care of your vehicle's problems preventing it from passing the smog tests rather than trying with the other three tests.
What is the red sticker?
The red sticker is a type of documentation that will be stick to your vehicle's windshield, indicating that this car did not pass the smog test.
After the sticker is put in place, your vehicle will have only one month to perform another smog test and pass it before you're not allowed to drive it in any public driveways.
While in most states, this sticker is usually red, in Massachusetts, a red sticker means that your vehicle failed the safety test, while a black sticker means that your vehicle failed an emission test. You will have up to 60 days in the same state until you get your car re-inspected before you get to be prevented from driving your car in public drivers.
What are my repair options?
Depending on which state you're living in, you will usually need a licensed smog check technician to get your vehicle repaired.
Most repairs related to smog tests should be done in a licensed repair facility. After this technician finishes the required repairs, you should take your vehicle back to the smog check facility and re-inspect it. Usually, vehicle inspection happens at a STAR station, and if you're coming for the second time, you can visit the same station to get your vehicle re-inspected.
What if my car didn't pass the smog test for the second time?
Unfortunately, if your vehicle did not pass the second test, you must keep trying until it passes. Otherwise, your only option would be to get rid of this car and buy a new one.
These restrictions are more related to California. On the other hand, in other states, things are a little easier. For example, if you spent about $958.60 on your car repairs to pass the emission test, you might gain a waiver. Remember that these repairs must be done within 60 days after you first failed the emission test.
Similarly, Vermont might provide you with up to a one-year waiver if you prove that you spent about $200 or more on car repairs to pass the emission test.
It's very important to note that state waivers are granted only one time. As a result, if your vehicle could get a waiver, at some point in time, you must get rid of it and buy a new vehicle because you will not be able to gain another waiver.
Can I sell my car if it didn't pass the smog test?
Answering this question depends heavily on the state that you are living in. For example, California does not allow selling cars that didn't pass the emission test.
In other states, you might be able to sell your card that didn't pass the emission test but, you will be asked to put this information and write it to the buyer and make sure that he signs off it.
Are there any other options?
If you're tired of dealing with the smog test, you can always get rid of this vehicle and sell it as junk to a junk car buyer.
Get in touch with our team, and we will be able to remove your card within one to three days from a quick phone call. We will pay you cash right on the spot and remove your vehicle for free!