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Forum > Failed Smog Test > Question

Can a smog testing facility charge full price for an aborted test ?

My brother in law is disabled and on a fixed income took his 1983 Datsun/Nissian 720 pickup truck in to be tested. The man took his information and proceeded to run the smog test. My brother in law went in to the bathroom and came out and the smog tech had aborted the test. Then printed out a blank certificate and charged him $49.75 for the job. I checked at the BAR web site for vehicle history and an "aborted" was entered. as of May 14, 2010. Can he do this ? ..... We suspect the the shop is allegedly running under a license of a tech that allegedly quit.
Answer:

Yes, a smog check station can charge for an aborted test though this is not good business practice in our opinion. We would be concerned as to why the test was aborted. If due to the smog technician's error surely the smog station should not charge for the aborted test, and/or simply retest the vehicle. If the test was aborted due to a problem with your Nissan or Datsun we recommend finding out what the problem is, fixing it and then asking the smog station if they would offer you a free re-test. As far as the smog test center operating under a smog technician's license who no longer works there, you'd have to look over your aborted test results and look at the technician's name who inspected your Nissan. The technician's name which appears on the test results must match the technician who inspected your vehicle. It is illegal for a smog station to conduct smog inspections using a smog technician's license who is not actually performing the test. The smog station is actually licensed separately then the smog technician. The smog test is technically not conducted by the smog station, it's conducted by the smog technician. If you find that a technician's license was used other then the person who inspected your Nissan please report the incident to the BAR (Bureau of Automotive Repairs) at (800) 952-5210. posted by SmogTips Support

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