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Comment by eurasiantiger | Hacker News Reader

Can you elaborate?

To get a smog certificate in California, you take the notice that they send you to any of a number of clearly marked smog test centers. They run the test for a small fee. The results are transmitted to the dmv who send you the sticker.

There is no mysterious Chinese bribery involved and the process is easy.

Source: lived in Los Angeles for two decades in predominantly immigrant cities.

What if your car is not in the best condition and will possibly fail the test?

Then it's against the law, and you need to get it off the road.

Sorry, more convenient for me to pay the chinese lady.

Who, when I was trying to smog my 1986 Dodge Aries, would've been a godsend.

Doesn't mean it doesn't happen. I see cars on the road in CA that somehow pass emissions but are in extraordinarily bad mechanical shape since there is no safety inspections. As long as the air is clean I guess.

Since I'm no longer in CA I will readily admit that I've had more than one sideways smog done. Their rules on things like an intake needing a CARB EO is ridiculous. This is the same state that said the Elantra N has too loud exhaust, stock, even though it meets federal limits. Their BAR inspector ran it in "sport" mode instead of "normal" which is against their policy.

I too have lived in California and there is definitely bribery going on with many smog shops.

The article mentioned a Chinese woman producing fake smog certificates, but I must have missed the bribery.

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