ericshun

ugh so farrr

slightly2ned

Been here & his family is really polite - does good service from my experience. I even had troubles at first with getting the car started after messing with something on the Neo & they didnt trip - even let me borrow tools

Im all the way in SJ & I think its worth the drive.

VDMPhoto

Thanks JP! =) Good to know we're good people.

Quick Silver

It's on the news and they are saying that the way some of them got busted is that
they were substituting other vehicles test results for a different models which cught
the attention of Sacramento. It's called "clean piping"...
Check out the story for yourself, below.

City zeroes in on smog cheats
By: Tamara Barak Aparton
Examiner Staff Writer
April 20, 2009 They are cheating the system and dirtying the air at the same time.
They are scofflaws who fake smog checks for polluting cars.

One example is Ivan Arturo Mendoza, 26, who issued illegal smog certificates at
his San Francisco station for vehicles that had not been tested. The scam,
called “clean piping,” uses the acceptable emissions of one car to issue a smog
certificate for other vehicles.

Mendoza advertised his smog checks on the Internet for $300, which is two to
three times the price of a regular smog check, District Attorney Kamala Harris
said.

Prosecutors said consumers were complicit in the scam, and there are ongoing
investigations into more cases.
“We think it’s happening more often than you think,” Harris said.

Vehicle pollution contributes heavily to lung ailments, said Kristin Triepke, deputy
chief of the Field Operations and Enforcement Division of the state Bureau of
Automotive Repair.

“When someone cheats, they are responsible for adding more pollution to our air
and the resulting health effects, such as asthma,” she said. “Consumers shouldn’t
let them get away with it, and should file a complaint if a smog check technician is
trying to cheat.”

Mendoza, who was arrested July 8 as the result of a state sting operation, faced
felony charges related to six instances of clean piping.
In a deal last month, he entered a guilty plea to two counts of knowingly accessing
a computer system with the intent to defraud. He was sentenced Monday to 90
days in jail and five years probation.

As part of his sentence, Mendoza surrendered his smog-check license and was
slapped with a five-year ban on reapplying. His two smog-testing machines, worth
between $8,000 and $12,000 each, will be donated to school vocational programs.

Harris said she expects to see a renewed focus on combating environmental crime
on the federal level as well.

“I think priorities have shifted regarding crimes against our environment,” she said.

How clean piping works:
A guaranteed clean smog test is advertised, often at a higher price than those
offered by reputable businesses

Technician tests a clean car and the polluting car is never tested
Data from the clean test is submitted to the state, misrepresenting the smog status
of the untested car.

So Now You Know!

AirWick219

nice ... ima find you next time if i need to smog ....
can i have ur number so i can save it on my phone ??
also who do i look for .

VDMPhoto

I'll pm you my number.
Just call it and I'll be at the shop shortly

BrianZ

I fixed that for you..

BrianZ

I'm going to have to disagree with you on this.

When you get your smog license (after several classes and a very controlled test) you are well aware of what will happen when you falsify information. I'm sure they are visited several times a year by a BAR rep to verify everything is being done right and legit. They knowingly "clean piped" cars, the worst thing you could do! California has been a world leader in controlling and restricting emissions.

Go to a similarly populated area that has no car smog laws and look around and you'll be glad those laws are there.

VDMPhoto

Very true.

animal

I'm from the midwest, and there are federal smog laws like you need to have a cat.. but in MN, you just sign something when you transfer the title that says you have not tampered with the cat, and there is no hassle of having to goto smog shops and all that mess.. and the air is just as good and lotsa times better than the rest of the country. So no, Cali smog laws don't make me glad those laws are there.. they make it a pain in the arse for my life and my car's.

I'll be checking your place out VDM soon, pm'd ya