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Jerry Esmay of Auto Service Systems in Fresno CA contributed this article.

There has been a substantial increase in vehicles being sent to the BAR-OIS referee when a sufficient number of monitors do not complete. The referee is seeing six times as many vehicles sent to them for monitor issues since the reduction took place in May.

Test only stations should never refer a customer to the referee for monitors – if a vehicle fails for monitors tell the customer they should have it looked at by a smog check repair station.

Repair stations need to do a diagnosis.

This diagnosis should start with checking for TSB’s on the particular vehicle. Many times there are tips from the manufacturer on how to complete monitors for an I/M emissions test. Some vehicles may require a re-flash of the PCM. If you determine there are no TSBs, or special instructions for the monitors to complete, there are situations where it might work to have the customer participate by driving the vehicle for a few days or a week; especially when the customer or CAP does not want to pay you to do it.

In this situation you can use the "IMready” from Drew Tech and available from AESwave. 

You program it based on the year and fuel type (gas or diesel) of the vehicle by using the configuration switches on the bottom of the unit, and then plug it in the OBDII port.

Have the customer drive the vehicle until the “Green” light comes on indicating the vehicle would pass with the right number of monitors completed. It works for both gasoline and diesel vehicles. The amber light indicates the vehicle does not have enough monitors run. Red indicates a fault code may be present.

Of course you will want to get a deposit or some guarantee they won’t drive off and never return!

This is easy for the customer to watch for the green light; then they can return knowing the vehicle would pass for monitors.

Caution: Make sure the vehicle has failed a properly performed smog inspection before attempting to fix monitors. We have seen several instances where a vehicle has monitors incomplete and the BAR 97 or BAR/OIS will ignore them. This is most common on Federal vehicles and vehicles that are on the Appendix J list. You will have a very unhappy customer if you wasted a lot of time and money unnecessarily. If the customer drives the vehicle with the IMready plugged in for a few days of driving and the light is still amber, then a diagnosis and an OEM drive cycle must be performed. When the customer spends over the cost limit of $650 trying to repair the vehicle for the monitors, then it could be sent to the referee for a waiver. Be sure to supply them with documentation of your efforts and charges.

Most of the times the vehicle will be sent away with instructions to the customer that they need to have the vehicle diagnosed or a proper drive cycle performed.
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for a waiver. Be sure to supply them with documentation of your efforts and charges.

Jerry Esmay is the owner and trainer at Auto Service Systems in Fresno CA.

Jerry has been in the Automotive field for 45 years.  The first 21 years was in the industry as a technician (mechanic in the golden days) and as an automotive repair business owner for 12 years.  He has held a Smog Check license since 1974.  For 24 years he was a Program Representative with the Bureau of Automotive Repair with a focus on the Smog Check Program.  So one could say he knows the Smog Check program from the inside out.  As a BAR certified instructor since 2001, he has been active in teaching state certified instruction to technicians and BAR representatives all over the central valley.  As an ASE certified Master Technician, BAR EO/EI smog technician, BAR certified Lamp/Brake adjuster, and former BAR Representative, Jerry has a lot to offer to the new technician wanting to get into the business and to the experienced technician wanting to know more.