It's all going to come down on the paperwork you signed and the repairs that were performed. Did your work order guarantee a passing smog test or was it only to perform obvious repairs that were needed for general engine performance? It's not uncommon for a smog repair station to need to repair obvious faults first, then conduct a second inspection to view the results of the repair. It is quite possible that a vehicle require additional repairs, which originally were not detected due to an obvious malfunction. Once the first repair is made, the vehicle is retested, and if still failing, the smog technician continues his or her diagnosis in to other possible failure reasons. Simple smog failures can be repaired and the vehicle made to pass in one round. Complex problems however, especially if a vehicle has not been regularly maintained, may require a few diagnose/repair cycles.
posted by SmogTips Support
