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There are 3 major inspections that take place in CA when a car is smog checked. 1) is a physical inspection of the car to make sure it's got all the major parts required by law and that it is safe to be on the road. ie: All mirrors, doors fenders, glass, buper isn't taped on, etc... 2) is the inspection of the lights, signals, tires, gas cap, etc... 3) is the actual test that checks how much nasty gunk your car is spilling out. This is a lot more complicated to answer, but some of the things I have noticed with may car that affect the pass/fail are: Oil change: I always do this right before I take my car in to get smogged. I'm not sure how much of it really matters, but I figure it never hurts to wear clean filters to the test. Timing: Almost everytime I have FAILED it has taken nothing more than a base timing adjustment to get me back on track. This is a quick and inexpensive fix. $20/20 mins. Exhaust leaks: This system works because all the exhaust is headed in one direction. Once you start getting leaks it throws the whole thing out of wack and then all bets are off. And of course: You didn't have a Catalytic Converter on the car, or you had a shitload of exhaust leaks.

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Q: What would cause a car to fail the emissions smog test?
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