Yes, this may in fact be correct. The catalytic converter must be properly
warmed up in order for your Toyota to pass the smog check specially if the
weather was cold during the smog test and the smog check as taken in during
the morning. It all depends on how badly your Toyota failed the smog test.
If the emissions results were border line then maybe warming up the car
prior to the next test will do the trick. If your Toyota failed the test
with well above the maximum requirements, then more then likely an emissions
problem exists and simply warming up your car more will not help it pass. In
fact, depending on which emissions it failed for, warming up the car more
then necessary may worsen the emissions results. NOx emissions in particular
are increased when engine temperature is high.
You may want to have one of our smog technicians take a look at your
Toyota's vehicle inspection report (VIR). Following the link below...
http://www.smogtips.com/smog_evaluations.cfm
