After just smogging my old Subaru, I learned a few things that perked my interest. First, since it is all wheel drive, they were not able to do the new dyno test CA has rolled-out. They did the "old" two speed test... I did know this beforehand.

After chatting with the fella for a while, he said that cars with LSD are having difficulty with that test also. The computer tells them if the car can be tested or not, but apparently they are coming to realize that LSD is problematic for this new, and supposedly better test. They will "fix" the computers to reflect that cars with factory LSDs also might not be able to take this test, be exempt, and do the 2-speed test instead...

I did some probing and asked what about the guys who add aftermkt LSD. He was not sure, but said that it would be a judgement call, and that it might need to go the BAR for a decision - if it will be allowed to take the old test...

Well, I called the BAR. First, I didn't mention our beloved car by name. He basically said that if the computer says that your car should be able to take the test, and it cannot because of a change you made, then you made it illegal. I said because many of us will want better traction and with that safety, we have made our cars illegal? He paused for a while, didn't really say much, then said those are the rules, I just work here kind of thing, and even said that he is not convinced of the merits of this new test...

While my old Subaru passed the old test in flying colors, I did need to pay the new price of 70 or so bucks, even though I didn't use the dyno. You see, they are amortizing the equipment Then with the news I got from BAR regarding LSD, it was not exactly a pleasant day. I hope Arnold will come to the rescue!

So, if anyone of you in CA have upgraded to an LSD, and went in for a smog check, please share your experiences!