California Will Start Testing for ECU Tunes During Smog Checks Starting Next Week
If you live in California and run an aftermarket tune on your car, you might want to think about flashing your ECU back to stock before heading out for your biennial Smog Check. Starting July 19, 2021, testing stations will begin to check whether cars are running OEM or California Air Resources Board (CARB)-approved tunes. If your car isn’t, it’ll fail the test.
The new policy, first highlighted by Car Bibles on Tuesday, is outlined in the California Bureau of Automotive Repair’s Frequently Asked Questions section. From the webpage:
Beginning July 19, 2021, vehicles with software not provided by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) or approved through a California Air Resources Board (CARB) Executive Order (EO) will fail Smog Check.
Before your vehicle will pass a Smog Check, you must have the vehicle’s software restored to the OEM software version. Once the software