Boxster smog test

I brought my 00 S boxster in for a smog test and was told they could not do it. I called the dealer (Stead) and they told me you need a special tool for the tach output and then there is the visual part that requires looking at a sticker on the engine. Stead wants the car all day and $87 later I will have my test done. Is the dealer the only way you can get a smog test done? Does any one know of a smog test place in Walnut Creek or San Francisco that you can just drive in get tested and leave (like normal)?

The former Exxon on Ygnacio Valley (near the Citrus Center) told me they would do mine on the spot. I took it down there and they asked me how to get to the engine. At the time, I wasn't aware of the "through-the-top" method as I had just taken delivery 3 days prior (out of state delivery, trying to get it registered). Anyway, I decided it would be worth the peace of mind to let a knowledgable Porsche guy do it. I took it to Oakland Porsche and they did it within 1 hour. (Make an appointment ahead of time if you go there). I don't remember how much it cost, but it was easy and quick and worth not having to teach someone how to open up my car.

I had mine done last year at my local smog inspection place in San Jose as my '97 was 4 years old. Patrick just had his done on his '98 as it was 4 years old at a place in Sunnyvale.

Sorry, but I do not know a place in your area. The Boxster is OBDII which has been around on all cars since '96 - nothing special about a smog inspection on a Boxster. There is no sticker on the engine. The smog sticker is on the rear trunk lid.

Jeff

they have done two land rovers for me and handled it fine. i trusted the guy to the boxster because he said he had done several and knew the sticker was in the back trunk. he also knew exactly how to lift the car and get at the engine from below.

$35 + $35 extra for the labor of using the lift, and i was outta there for about $75 total. i was fine w/ it. $87 to have the dealer do it might have been worth it. however, carlsen wouldn't do it for me. which is weird, since the car is in there now and getting $3500 of stuff fixed. stead should treat you well, we bought the car from them and were happy with them. just too far from the peninsula to go for service.

good luck,
sdg

Thanks for the responses, I dropped the car off with Stead this morning. Eric Schaeffer the service manager handled it. He seems like a really nice guy, very professional. They had a '98 tip on the rack getting a new motor. So I checked out the new motor, the old one and the empty engine compartment up close. Pretty cool. a very compact engine. It was out of warranty but he said Porsche was picking up the tab anyway. He didn't know what happened internally except that it locked up. I did notice however that the RMS was dry but the area by the oil filler assembly and surrounding motor casting was damp with oil and coated with a layer of dirt. So I would say the oil filler assembly weeps and will require cleaning every year or so.

Thanks!

but back on line today. Did you get your smog done? Also, I was surprised to see in their shop a Hunter balancing machine!

I dropped the car off at 7:30 AM and they told me to pick it up at the end of the day and I would have my cert. But of course I get a call at 4:00PM and the SM tells me the machine is broken so the tech went home. I made some calls and talked to the owner of Contra Costa Smog Test who is also a referee station. He said no problem, done lots of Boxsters. Just plug in the OBD II deal, stick the sensor in the tail pipe and that's it. He also told me I had to go to the DMV FIRST and put the car in Californias smog database. Then they could smog it. So the wife went to the DMV and slugged it out with the DMV brain trust. My Boxster came from Seattle, so it's not on the computer here in Calif. Either way it's $80 Dealer or Referee station. I'll probably go to Stead when their machine is back up. But I am a little pissed about the way they handled it and I found a small paint chip when I got the car back. Nobody else will probably ever notice the chip, but now I know where one is. But the people at Stead have been very friendly, and stuff happens.

Oh well.

Where is the chip? So you think Stead did it... did you mention it to Eric?

Andrew

I didn't notice the chip until I got home. But when I bring it in for the smog test I will mention it. I am afraid that one of the downsides to these environmentally correct water based paints is brittleness. It sounds like a lot of people have chipping problems.

[Tyra Auer]

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