Tech said car will not PASS smog...

agl1911 · 07-24-2018, 10:06 PM

Hi everyone, could use some input. After fixing an emissions issue P0020 (Vanos Solenoid) and clearing out the codes I took my car to get smogged so i can get it registered under my name. Back story i just recently bought an e90 M3 with some issues and have fixed them all.

The tech said that i have to drive the car a few hundred miles after I cleared the codes OR after the Battery was replaced (which it did get replaced recently). I can recall what monitor needs to be cleared but I think its the HTD Catalyst monitor needs to go from N/A to OK... i think. No codes or CELs are being thrown right now. so i dont know if i just need to go to a new smog place or if i just need to keep driving this. So my questions are:

1) is this guy full of crap?

2) HTD Catalyst supposed to be N/A or OK? I see this on I/M monitors section of my OBDII scanner.

By the way this is in california, car was originally from Minnesota.

m3jala · 07-24-2018, 10:39 PM

I do not have this experience on the m3 (just haven't dealt with it yet) but it definitely was the case on my old 330ci.

Had the car sitting while out on some business trips, and when came back had to get Virginia smog done and it all failed with the same errors you have.

There is a sequence you need to follow to get it to reset. The car looks for several conditions. The unknowing tech will tell you "drive 200 miles" because they don't know any better and figure within 200 miles you will hit the requirements, but you can do it over a 30 minute drive following some instructions. Quick search on internet gives you this.

https://www.instructables.com/id/How...or-Smog-Check/

I believe it is the same for m3, but have a look around. It's real. Sensors reset after some time of no activity.

agl1911 · 07-25-2018, 01:19 AM

Thanks I will take a look, my buddy has a TT 911 and told me after resetting an emissions issue he had to do some sort of combination of driving behavior to get it to smog. I guess the the BMWs need to do the same.

SYT_Shadow · 07-25-2018, 09:25 AM

just follow the drive cycle and you'll be fine

https://www.instructables.com/id/How...or-Smog-Check/

agl1911 · 07-25-2018, 06:19 PM

Thanks everyone, annoying but at least I have an answer.

agl1911 · 07-31-2018, 12:13 AM

OK, so about to test this... safe to assume that these dont necessarily have to happen within a certain amount of time between each other? I am going to do all of these in one sitting but for example Step 1 is a cold start, Step 2 IDLE, Step 3 is accelerate... i assume its ok for me to drive to a location where can do this safely after the IDLE Step. I can't imagine they expect a cold start on the freeway.

07-24-2018, 10:06 PM	#1
agl1911 Enlisted Member 3 Rep 32 Posts Drives: 2008 E90 M3, NC miata Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Socal iTrader: (0)	Tech said car will not PASS smog... Hi everyone, could use some input. After fixing an emissions issue P0020 (Vanos Solenoid) and clearing out the codes I took my car to get smogged so i can get it registered under my name. Back story i just recently bought an e90 M3 with some issues and have fixed them all. The tech said that i have to drive the car a few hundred miles after I cleared the codes OR after the Battery was replaced (which it did get replaced recently). I can recall what monitor needs to be cleared but I think its the HTD Catalyst monitor needs to go from N/A to OK... i think. No codes or CELs are being thrown right now. so i dont know if i just need to go to a new smog place or if i just need to keep driving this. So my questions are: 1) is this guy full of crap? 2) HTD Catalyst supposed to be N/A or OK? I see this on I/M monitors section of my OBDII scanner. By the way this is in california, car was originally from Minnesota. Last edited by agl1911; 07-24-2018 at 10:07 PM.. Reason: add more context
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07-24-2018, 10:39 PM	#2
m3jala Captain 544 Rep 765 Posts Drives: Jet Black 2013 BMW M3 Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Tysons Corner, VA iTrader: (0)	I do not have this experience on the m3 (just haven't dealt with it yet) but it definitely was the case on my old 330ci. Had the car sitting while out on some business trips, and when came back had to get Virginia smog done and it all failed with the same errors you have. There is a sequence you need to follow to get it to reset. The car looks for several conditions. The unknowing tech will tell you "drive 200 miles" because they don't know any better and figure within 200 miles you will hit the requirements, but you can do it over a 30 minute drive following some instructions. Quick search on internet gives you this. https://www.instructables.com/id/How...or-Smog-Check/ I believe it is the same for m3, but have a look around. It's real. Sensors reset after some time of no activity.
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07-25-2018, 01:19 AM	#3
agl1911 Enlisted Member 3 Rep 32 Posts Drives: 2008 E90 M3, NC miata Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Socal iTrader: (0)	Thanks I will take a look, my buddy has a TT 911 and told me after resetting an emissions issue he had to do some sort of combination of driving behavior to get it to smog. I guess the the BMWs need to do the same.
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07-25-2018, 09:25 AM	#4
SYT_Shadow ///M Powered for Life 11469 Rep 10,328 Posts Drives: E90M/E92M/M4GTS/M4GT4/X5M Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Greenwich, CT iTrader: (2)	just follow the drive cycle and you'll be fine https://www.instructables.com/id/How...or-Smog-Check/ __________________ DIY: S65 Rod Bearings E9X PFC Z54 BBK on F8X BK harness bar + seats: fit 6 tires in an M3 do88 Cooling Goodies GTS Twins: GTMore project
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07-25-2018, 06:19 PM	#5
agl1911 Enlisted Member 3 Rep 32 Posts Drives: 2008 E90 M3, NC miata Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Socal iTrader: (0)	Thanks everyone, annoying but at least I have an answer.
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07-31-2018, 12:13 AM	#6
agl1911 Enlisted Member 3 Rep 32 Posts Drives: 2008 E90 M3, NC miata Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Socal iTrader: (0)	OK, so about to test this... safe to assume that these dont necessarily have to happen within a certain amount of time between each other? I am going to do all of these in one sitting but for example Step 1 is a cold start, Step 2 IDLE, Step 3 is accelerate... i assume its ok for me to drive to a location where can do this safely after the IDLE Step. I can't imagine they expect a cold start on the freeway.
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