Next Level Auto Brokers
BMW Garage BMW Meets Register Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Go Back   BMW M3 and BMW M4 Forum > BMW F80 M3 / F82 M4 Technical Topics > Engine / Drivetrain / Exhaust / Bolt-ons / Tuning

Post Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
      05-28-2020, 02:08 AM   #1
VF-1J
New Member
8
Rep
5
Posts

Drives: 2015 f80
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: CA

iTrader: (0)

CA Smog Referee

I got flagged driving my F80 and had to make a visit to the CA Referee for emissions and noise test. So here's a little PSA that anyone else going through this can keep in their back pocket.

First, DON'T let them pop your hood. No matter how cool the cop pretends to be!! Don't pop that hood!! They'll ticket you for your intake that isn't CARB legal.

Second, exhaust Max decibel reading is 95 dbA. Stock exhaust measured in at 89 dbA, so even if a modified exhaust can pass smog, it "might" not pass the exhaust noise test.

Third, aftermarket intercooler are completely legal. Passed. Definitely useful and much needed for higher boost and upgraded turbo setups. That said, my BMS intercooler and PS2 passed the visual test, as expected.

Fourth, Before you go, make sure you complete a Drive Cycle so ALL monitors check out.

Last thing, beware of your tuned DME. IF you have a problem with this, you can go through BPM Sport. Mike there really knows his stuff!!! And after you pass, you can ask him to custom tune your car. Anyhow, even though my car would pass a standard smog test, the referee hooks up and reads the DME. I flashed back to stock and the referee still saw that the DME was tampered with. BMW dealership could not reprogram my car and tried to get me to buy a new one for $2,000 plus labor. No thanks! Other places wanted $1000+ to pull out DME, bench it, and reprogram it. Plus, they said it would take a day, maybe two .... BPM Sport took care of it in minutes, they were reasonably priced, and it was done perfectly! So, I completed a Drive Cycle the next morning, went to referee, and passed with flying colors.

Good luck everyone!!

Last edited by VF-1J; 05-28-2020 at 02:13 AM..
Appreciate 3
BPMSport3380.50
guess2098515.00
      05-28-2020, 03:43 AM   #2
nioh_lbbm2
Lieutenant Colonel
nioh_lbbm2's Avatar
1717
Rep
1,899
Posts

Drives: M2
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: California

iTrader: (0)

This reads like an advertisement for that tuner
Appreciate 4
      05-28-2020, 10:27 AM   #3
blockdoc
Lieutenant
United_States
373
Rep
500
Posts

Drives: 2015 M4
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Santa Barbara, CA

iTrader: (0)

Question. How sophisticated is the "referee's" DME eval? If you use BM3, and flash back to stock and lock it...I find it difficult to believe they can see it was "tampered with". Am I wrong
Appreciate 1
      05-28-2020, 12:09 PM   #4
Redacre
6 Cylinders 3 Ways
Redacre's Avatar
364
Rep
453
Posts

Drives: M5, 911, Macan
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: FL

iTrader: (10)

Garage List
Quote:
Originally Posted by nioh_lbbm2 View Post
This reads like an advertisement for that tuner
More like an advertisement to leave California...
Appreciate 8
MJ6962.50
BPMSport3380.50
Mazen189116.00
The_Werm212.00
Danlnyc88440.50
phoenx331.50
Mandi90TT2712.00
      05-28-2020, 12:16 PM   #5
2k1s
why did I modify a f83
194
Rep
121
Posts

Drives: 16 f83
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: silverlake

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by blockdoc View Post
Question. How sophisticated is the "referee's" DME eval? If you use BM3, and flash back to stock and lock it...I find it difficult to believe they can see it was "tampered with". Am I wrong
I think it largely has to do with the referee. Mine failed every test they had other than the smog sniffer.

The issue with the BM3 is that if you go stage 1 it turns off your O2 sensors which would cause it to fail. I've talked to a guy who brought his car into the state tuned and he couldn't get it to pass smog because the sensors would not turn on. He drove almost 1000 miles still weren't on and he had to a dealership to have them turned back on. I don't know if that has changed since then but I am nervous that it will be something I have to deal with in the future.

The other fail could also possibly be that the manufacturer issues each car a ID number, it is cross checked in the data base. It's just a pass fail number. My car passed smog sniffer fine.

I have an active autowerkes full exhaust, he told me that the instructions are to test it basically half of red line or where the engine makes max power (his example for that being a s2k because the rev's would be way up there). Mine did a sweeping number which would be louder. I think mine clocked in somewhere around 109 db when the car was warm. I drove about 40 minutes to my station for that reason. I also failed the visual inspection due to the lack of cats in my exhaust. I'm switching to MPE for that reason even though the exhaust is louder. And weirdly because it's made by BMW they should be fine with it since it is OEM equipment. It seems incredibly silly to me.
Appreciate 2
blockdoc373.00
The_Werm212.00
      05-28-2020, 12:21 PM   #6
BzsBimmer
Major General
BzsBimmer's Avatar
3238
Rep
6,708
Posts

Drives: '23 G80 FO M3, M3 & MY Tezzy's
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Nor. Cal

iTrader: (32)

Better PSA - Unless they changed the rules recently, if you rolled through a sniffer checkpoint, you do not need to consent to be checked no matter how cool or how persistent the police is.
Appreciate 0
      05-28-2020, 12:23 PM   #7
dcpatters
Lieutenant
250
Rep
446
Posts

Drives: 2017 BMW M4
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Laguna Hills, CA

iTrader: (2)

RE: the referee referral:

A close friend just went through this. The issue is, when the car is tested and an scanned via OBDII, the system analyzes known ECU / DME calibration IDs, and one is not matched from the manufacturer, you get flagged.

Best advice before testing, flash back to stock, do NOT reset the "Learned adaptives", then drive around a bit. Check for system readiness and go get your once every 2 year test done.

It's not that complicated.
Appreciate 0
      05-28-2020, 12:23 PM   #8
VF-1J
New Member
8
Rep
5
Posts

Drives: 2015 f80
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: CA

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by blockdoc View Post
Question. How sophisticated is the "referee's" DME eval? If you use BM3, and flash back to stock and lock it...I find it difficult to believe they can see it was "tampered with". Am I wrong
That's what I thought too. I flashed back to stock and the referee still saw the CID and CVN didn't match what they have as a stock BMW reading. I honestly can't go much deeper into that, not my domain. But BPM Sport reprogrammed it for me. I just thought I'd put out the good word because I couldn't find any other solutions that didn't break the bank. It was stressful. All because I made the mistake of popping my hood and showing my intake!
Appreciate 1
blockdoc373.00
      05-28-2020, 12:26 PM   #9
BzsBimmer
Major General
BzsBimmer's Avatar
3238
Rep
6,708
Posts

Drives: '23 G80 FO M3, M3 & MY Tezzy's
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Nor. Cal

iTrader: (32)

From my past readings, Mike is one of the few that can unbrick DME’s etc. so it’s no surprise that he was able to help you out. I truly think he’s a DME savant lol.
Appreciate 1
BPMSport3380.50
      05-28-2020, 12:27 PM   #10
BzsBimmer
Major General
BzsBimmer's Avatar
3238
Rep
6,708
Posts

Drives: '23 G80 FO M3, M3 & MY Tezzy's
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Nor. Cal

iTrader: (32)

Any more context as to how you got cherry picked? Was it a pop up sniffing checkpoint, a police pull over etc? Where?
Appreciate 0
      05-28-2020, 03:18 PM   #11
aswy6
Captain
aswy6's Avatar
261
Rep
769
Posts

Drives: 2016 BMW M3
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Austin, TX

iTrader: (1)

This thread makes me question if i want to move to California or not
Appreciate 0
      05-28-2020, 03:42 PM   #12
Chase__M4
Private
Chase__M4's Avatar
United_States
60
Rep
87
Posts

Drives: 2018 BMW M4 DCT
Join Date: May 2020
Location: Orange County

iTrader: (0)

Very helpful thread, does anyone know the rules for bi-annual smog checks in California for newer cars? I thought there was a grace period of around 7 years on a new car...? I purchased a 2018 last month, does that mean I have 5 years until my next smog? Just wondering because I took my cats off a week ago
__________________
2018 BMW M4 DCT
Appreciate 0
      05-28-2020, 03:49 PM   #13
Walmart Parking Lot
Cart Attendant
Walmart Parking Lot's Avatar
United_States
104
Rep
365
Posts

Drives: Shopping Cart Comp
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Southern California

iTrader: (1)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chase__M4 View Post
Very helpful thread, does anyone know the rules for bi-annual smog checks in California for newer cars? I thought there was a grace period of around 7 years on a new car...? I purchased a 2018 last month, does that mean I have 5 years until my next smog? Just wondering because I took my cats off a week ago
Smog is every 8 years now
Appreciate 0
      05-28-2020, 03:57 PM   #14
Redacre
6 Cylinders 3 Ways
Redacre's Avatar
364
Rep
453
Posts

Drives: M5, 911, Macan
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: FL

iTrader: (10)

Garage List
Quote:
Originally Posted by aswy6 View Post
This thread makes me question if i want to move to California or not
There will be an exodus out of CA this year, at least for Northern California. So many of my colleagues are shifting to full remote work and packing up. Both my office and my wife's office don't expect to open back up this year.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chase__M4 View Post
Very helpful thread, does anyone know the rules for bi-annual smog checks in California for newer cars? I thought there was a grace period of around 7 years on a new car...? I purchased a 2018 last month, does that mean I have 5 years until my next smog? Just wondering because I took my cats off a week ago
Yes, you are correct about the smog abatement fee program, but your car is still non-compliant so if you get pulled over for noise or whatever they can mess your day up as this thread proves. Here's the link to the chart that shows when you need to get smogged again: https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/wcm/co...=AJPERES&CVID=

I'm also catless and it's just a calculated risk :|
Appreciate 0
      05-28-2020, 04:18 PM   #15
VF-1J
New Member
8
Rep
5
Posts

Drives: 2015 f80
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: CA

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by BzsBimmer View Post
Any more context as to how you got cherry picked? Was it a pop up sniffing checkpoint, a police pull over etc? Where?
Pulled me over because of my exhaust tips, saying I have modified exhaust (which I had). But I wasn't speeding it revving. I saw the cop as I crossed by an intersection and he rolled up on me. Chatted like he was interested in the car, being cool about it, then asked to pop the hood, and that was it.... yes, I fell for it! That's why I posted this.

This was in Riverside County, daytime.
Appreciate 0
      05-28-2020, 07:01 PM   #16
Jbonly21
Captain
Jbonly21's Avatar
United_States
1044
Rep
876
Posts

Drives: Bmw 15 F80, 2011 X5 35i, E46 M
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: Los Angeles

iTrader: (2)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Walmart Parking Lot View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chase__M4 View Post
Very helpful thread, does anyone know the rules for bi-annual smog checks in California for newer cars? I thought there was a grace period of around 7 years on a new car...? I purchased a 2018 last month, does that mean I have 5 years until my next smog? Just wondering because I took my cats off a week ago
Smog is every 8 years now
Quote:
Originally Posted by Walmart Parking Lot View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chase__M4 View Post
Very helpful thread, does anyone know the rules for bi-annual smog checks in California for newer cars? I thought there was a grace period of around 7 years on a new car...? I purchased a 2018 last month, does that mean I have 5 years until my next smog? Just wondering because I took my cats off a week ago
Smog is every 8 years now
I had to smog my 15 this year. I believe is 5 years.
__________________
https://youtube.com/user/Jbonly21
Appreciate 0
      05-28-2020, 07:28 PM   #17
Walmart Parking Lot
Cart Attendant
Walmart Parking Lot's Avatar
United_States
104
Rep
365
Posts

Drives: Shopping Cart Comp
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Southern California

iTrader: (1)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jbonly21 View Post
I had to smog my 15 this year. I believe is 5 years.
https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/vr/smogfaq

"Owners of vehicles eight or less model years old will pay an annual smog abatement fee for the first eight registration years instead of being required to provide a biennial smog certification."
Appreciate 0
      05-28-2020, 10:17 PM   #18
BPMSport
BPMSport's Avatar
United_States
3381
Rep
7,539
Posts

Drives: Harrop M3 / F10 M5 / F82 M4
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: SoCal

iTrader: (9)

Garage List
2000 BMW M5  [0.00]
1990 BMW 735i Turbo  [0.00]
2008 BMW M3  [7.50]
2015 BMW M3  [0.00]
2015 BMW M5  [0.00]
Quote:
Originally Posted by dcpatters View Post
RE: the referee referral:

A close friend just went through this. The issue is, when the car is tested and an scanned via OBDII, the system analyzes known ECU / DME calibration IDs, and one is not matched from the manufacturer, you get flagged.

Best advice before testing, flash back to stock, do NOT reset the "Learned adaptives", then drive around a bit. Check for system readiness and go get your once every 2 year test done.

It's not that complicated.
Learned adaptive values really have no relevance here.

Thanks OP for the good words, glad we were able to solve this for you easily and quickly!

We've done quite a lot of development on the new checks being performed. All BPM customers should have no issues passing after loading the stock software. Any non customers that have DME issues are free to reach out to us for expert help!
__________________

-----| Like us on Facebook | Instagram || Tuning Information | Remote Coding |-----
----Visit us at www.BPMSport.com - Emotion. Driven. | Toll Free: (888) 557-5133----
Appreciate 1
      05-29-2020, 02:28 AM   #19
Mazen189
Private First Class
Mazen189's Avatar
116
Rep
122
Posts

Drives: 2015 BMW M4
Join Date: May 2018
Location: Houston

iTrader: (0)

California is stupid
Appreciate 4
      05-29-2020, 08:45 AM   #20
robbieracer
Private First Class
21
Rep
101
Posts

Drives: 2011 335i Coupe
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Sacramento, CA

iTrader: (1)

California is ridiculous...
I stumbled on this post and now I'm a little worried. I have a 335i that I installed the MHD tune on two years ago, it's due for SMOG in August. I didn't know about the DME check, just the drive cycle test which is fine. Also, my wife's 535d warranty finally ends next month and I was planning on putting a Malone tune on it. Maybe the piggyback (Race chip or other) is a better approach in Cali?...
Appreciate 0
      05-29-2020, 09:29 AM   #21
Detoxified
Second Lieutenant
203
Rep
269
Posts

Drives: M2C HS
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: SoCal

iTrader: (1)

Quote:
Originally Posted by BzsBimmer View Post
Better PSA - Unless they changed the rules recently, if you rolled through a sniffer checkpoint, you do not need to consent to be checked no matter how cool or how persistent the police is.
What's a sniffer checkpoint. Could you elaborate more on this please as I am interested. Thanks!
Appreciate 0
      05-29-2020, 11:17 AM   #22
BzsBimmer
Major General
BzsBimmer's Avatar
3238
Rep
6,708
Posts

Drives: '23 G80 FO M3, M3 & MY Tezzy's
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Nor. Cal

iTrader: (32)

Smog check is different than going to a state referee station.

If just a smog check, as long as your tune doesn’t defeat the DME from showing ready states, and visual smog defeat devices are in place you should be fine. Get a reader and check your ready states. In CA you’re only allowed up to 2 incomplete monitors.

Sniffer checkpoints are set up randomly along roads. As you drive thru, the sniffers will check for excess emissions. If you get flagged, it should be optional for you to have your car further inspected.

More info here
https://www.bar.ca.gov/Consumer/Road...n_Program.aspx
Appreciate 0
Post Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:46 PM.




f80post
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
1Addicts.com, BIMMERPOST.com, E90Post.com, F30Post.com, M3Post.com, ZPost.com, 5Post.com, 6Post.com, 7Post.com, XBimmers.com logo and trademark are properties of BIMMERPOST