STAR Smog Check Program - What station owners should know.

Beginning January 2013 the State of California will be revolutionizing the smog check industry once again with the implementation of the new STAR Smog Station program. The STAR program aims to restrict smog check centers with low performance scores from inspecting "directed" vehicles. Directed vehicles are those which the state has recognized as gross polluters and/or vehicles which fall under the HEP (High Emitter Profile) group, and which currently make-up approximately 18 percent of vehicles on California roadways.

In the past, in order to smog test a "directed" a smog station owner would either have to be certified by the state of California as a Test Only center or a Gold Shield smog station. Under the new STAR program, neither certification will matter. The only smog test facilities which will be eligible to smog check "directed" vehicles, or for that matter, even be referred "directed" vehicles, will be the new STAR smog check stations. Either test & repair or test-only stations may apply and be eligible to participate in the new STAR program if they pass the stringent requirements set by the BAR (Bureau of Automotive Repairs).

The State will start accepting applications for the STAR program on July 1st, 2012. The STAR smog station program will be implemented January 1st, 2013, on which date smog stations which applied in 2012 will learn whether they have been accepted into the program or not. If you are a station owner, the lead time in finding out whether your station was accepted into the program or not is not great, in fact it's zero (0) days. However, in the unfortunate event you are not accepted into the STAR program due to FPR scores, the State will re-evaluate your performance once a month.

What are the STAR Smog Station Program requirements?

First and foremost, your station could not have received a citation within one year from the effective date of its last citation. In the event your station has received a citation within the last 12 months we can only encourage you to be extra careful during your inspections. Second, the BAR wants and needs smog stations to perform accurate smog inspections, and in their own words "If a vehicle should fail, let it fail". The scoring criteria is very complex. The jist of it is this: if a particular year, make, model of vehicle has a tendency of failing throughout California yet these vehicles repeatedly pass at your station, your smog station and smog technician(s) will receive a low FPR (Fail/Pass Rate) score. Score less than 0.4 and you won't be eligible for the STAR program. The FPR score rating system is zero to one (0 to 1). One (1) being the highest score a smog station or smog technician can receive.

A few more criteria go into developing your FPR score, such as the number of aborted smog tests, incomplete tests, smog tests which required OBD II but were not administered, test where EVAP was required and not administered, missing ignition timing inspections when a vehicle did not have electronic timing, gear shift incidents, and so on. The serious concern here is in the passing of vehicles which the State says should not have passed, or at least not as often as they did at your smog station.

The Dilemma - As a business owner you don't want to upset your customers. In a perfect world you would not mind seeing every vehicle pass. The expert advice here is to perform smog checks as accurately as possible. Be extremely cautious to avoid, pre-conditioning the engine, over-conditioning the catalytic converter, using incorrect gear during ASM, ect. and you will automatically score high.

If my station is not accepted into the STAR Program what do I do?

If your smog station or smog technician has a low FPR score and does not get accepted into the STAR program you may continue to operate your smog check business but will not be allowed to smog test or be referred "directed" vehicles. The State will re-evaluate your FPR score each month for re-consideration. Regular test & repair stations which are accepted into the STAR program will be allowed to smog check & repair directed vehicles, very similar to current Gold Shield Smog Stations (which will be phased out Jan 1st, 2013).

What should I do to insure I become a STAR smog check center?

It is in the best interest of every smog technician and smog station owner to evaluate their business practice now. Smog stations which solely rely on Directed Vehicles, such as test only centers, will need to absolutely insure they are accepted into STAR program in order to stay profitable.

Experts recommend now is the time to tidy up skills and increase performance. At all expense avoid citations, and inform each customer prior to the smog check that the State has never been stricter when dealing with smog checks. For the most part, this explanation should prepare them for their vehicle's smog inspection results.

We've summed up the new STAR program the best we can without getting complicated. We will continue adding information to this page as it becomes available.

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