All,

I have never think that this will give a problem!

I have purchased new z51 from Texas and got delivered to me a week ago.

I went for smog check very next day and shop told me that car is not ready for smog check. He said something about complete the cycle???? And he told me to drive car more. So I have drove 200 miles since then, (mostly freeway miles)I went to the shop this morning after I drove the car some more but still the car is not ready for to get smog check! WTF!!

I am located in Torrance, California, if anyone who done this before, pls point me into the right direction. Now I have a car sitting at my garage without register at CA DMV.

Thanks

 

We have been where you are in January. We purchased a 2015 Stingray in Montana, we live in Redding California. Went through the same BS you are currently going through. Step back, take a deep breath. What you have heard is ALL true. The computer/car need time to make their adjustments. It took until our car accumulated 756 miles. I purchased a OBD2 meter for around $80. It plugs into the connector in the drivers leg area. I checked it every week for four months. FINALLY got a clear code. I then took the car to the smog station where it passed with flying colors. Don't worry about driving your car in CA, you probably have a dealer advertisement in the license plate area, cops won't bother you. Enjoy your new car!

 

From a previous post by RichieRichZ06:

You need to drive the car more, especially on a couple longer drives or it will never clear the monitors. It takes a series of warm up cycles, city driving and some highway miles to clear them. This is not a GM thing, it's a federal and state law thing.

Easiest way to get them to clear would be:

* From a cold start, allow the vehicle to warm up to normal operating temps.

* Drive the car normally for 5-10 miles in town and then 20-25 miles on the highway. During the highway drive, make sure to hover around 55 MPH for a couple miles and also coast down from 65 MPH to a stop without touching the throttle.

* Let the car sit overnight and cool to ambient temps and then repeat the previous steps a second time and that is usually enough driving to get them to pass.

 

beastyz06
One more very important thought. Your gas tank must be half full, plus or minus one fourth. Any time your tank is above 3/4th or below 1/4th, the computer does not recognize the miles driven.
Bob

 

Thank you so much for the reply. I do too have a obd2 scanner, how do I confirm my car is cleared to get smog from the scanner. I am no handyman nor tech guy.
Thanks

 

Thank you all for your replies!!!! I love this forum
.

 

I was in the exact same boat just a week ago. Purchased an out of state, new car and shipped it to CA. I took 680 miles to clear those parameters.

I also used an OBD adapter "ELM327", combined with my Android phone's "Torque" app to monitor the Emission Readiness s.DTC parameters. From the 8 monitored points the Evap and the O2 sensor took forever to complete the required cycles. Google "Emission Drive Cycle for GM" and you get an idea what you're supposed to be doing.

It is a real shame that they make you drive hundreds of aimless miles, polluting the air, wearing machinery and people, just to be allowed to smog test a brand new car. This was not quite as maddening as when I was forced to drive my 34' motor home over 500 useless miles to achieve the same reset after a dead battery over the winter storage.

Good luck, be patient, you'll get there.

 

I thought as long as it's 50 state cert, you don't need smog test.

 

Had similar problem with my Dodge truck. Put new battery in my truck, brought it to be inspected and was told the same thing. Put miles on truck. Nothing new...

 

If you order your car from an out of CA dealer and the dealer places a special CA-only emission order code than no smog test will be required. If you buy an otherwise 50-state legal car off the lot of an out of CA dealer, without the special order code, you will need to pass smog. From what I understand, no difference in the levels of smog equipment exist.

 

Thank you, I guess I need to follow what GM emission tells me to do.

Thank you all

 

Just a heads-up when using a scan tool. Do not use the, "Clear codes," or "turn off check engine light," function of your scan tool. This action also resets all of the IM monitor tests, and you have to start all over with the drive cycles necessary to show the IM tests as completed. A dead battery, or disconnected battery may also clear the IM monitors.

A lot of guys just figure they'll clear any codes that may be stored even if none are showing up, and that will help them get through emissions inspection, but just the opposite is true.

Ed

 

You just don't understand CA requirements. I put up with Cali bs for 58 years before I was smart enough to get the heck out of there. Yes they require a smog check on a brand new car when its bought out of state!

 

Cali is not unique. Many states require smog tests on new cars even though federal laws do not require it. My home state of PA requires it on new cars before sale and every year thereafter, In certain designated counties, based on their local air quality.

Ed

 

Be sure to pay your registration. You can drive the car and if you get stopped, the cop will see that you're all paid up and then you can explain the situation. I'm having the same stupid problem now. I think that CA changed the requirement within the last few years to include the need for all monitors to be ready. IT'S ABSOLUTELY BS that we have to deal with this CRAP! The smog guy said that one of his customers had to wait for over 800 miles before the stupid thing registered as ready. I even found a good article written about it online.

 

http://www.obdautodoctor.com/scantoo...ors-explained/


How to get the monitors “ready”?

1. First, make sure that the MIL (Malfunction Indicator Light) is not commanded on. Having stored or even pending diagnostic trouble codes active may prevent a monitor from running to completion.

2. Second, make sure that you have enough fuel in the car. Some monitors, for instance the EVAP monitor, may require the fuel level to be between 35% and 85% to initiate the diagnostic testing.

3. Third, complete the so called “drive cycle”. About one week of combined city and highway driving is usually enough to allow the monitors to reach complete status. The drive cycle is explained in more details in the next paragraph.

OBD drive cycle

The purpose of the OBD2 drive cycle is to let your car run on-board diagnostics. This, in turn, allows monitors to operate and detect potential malfunctions of your cars’s emission system. The correct drive cycle for your car can vary greatly depending on the car model and manufacturer. Also, the monitor in question affects the required drive cycle.

Today, many vehicle manufacturers include these drive cycles in the vehicle owner’s manual. Typically, a few days of normal driving, both city and highway, will make the monitors ready. The following generic drive cycle can be used as a guideline if a specific drive cycle is not known. It will assist with resetting monitors when a car specific drive cycle is not available. However, it may not work for all cars and monitors.

The drive cycle can be difficult to follow exactly under normal driving conditions. Therefore, it is better to drive it in restricted area!

1. The universal OBD-II drive cycle begins with a cold start (coolant temperature below 50 C /122 F, and the coolant and air temperature sensors within 11 degrees of one another). This condition is easily achieved by letting the car to sit overnight.

2. The ignition key must not be left on prior to the cold start. Otherwise the heated oxygen sensor diagnostic may not run.

3. Start the engine and idle the engine in drive for two and half minutes, with the A/C and rear defroster on if equipped.

4. Turn the A/C and rear defroster off, and accelerate to 90 km/h (55 mph) under moderate, constant acceleration. Hold at a steady speed for three minutes.

5. Decelerate (const down) to 30 km/h (20 mph) without braking or depressing the clutch for manual transmissions.

6. Accelerate back to 90-100 km/h (55-60 mph) at 3/4 throttle. Hold at a steady speed for five minutes.

7. Decelerate (const down) to a stop without braking.

To avoid being rejected in the annual inspection, you can prepare your car for it yourself. Do not wait until the annual inspection with your issues. If the check engine light comes on, read the diagnostic trouble codes and engine status immediately. It could save you a lot of time as well as future repair and fuel costs. You can do all this with OBD Auto Doctor diagnostic software. You can read all the monitors statuses even with the free version.

 

GM Drive Cycle: