Smog Check Fail Explainer with Next Steps

Turns the inspector's fail results into a clear, calm explanation the customer can understand, with a list of next steps.

Smog checkAuto and Transport✓ Checkedv1.0

Before and after

BEFORE · what the owner typed

Customer is Deborah Hale, 2009 Honda Accord, white, 148,200 miles. Station is Quarrybrook Smog Check, 6143 Owlbrook Rd, Southbank, phone 206-555-0160. Inspector Dean Gordon ran it today. Results: FAIL. Tailpipe test, NOx high at 2500 rpm, reading 1120 ppm. HC and CO ok. Visual: EGR valve found carboned up, stuck. Functional: check engine light on, code P0401 EGR flow insufficient. Gas cap tested ok. Also noted front brake pads thin, about 3mm, and a small oil seep at the valve cover gasket. Retest is free within 30 days if the retest is done here. Customer says her registration is due end of next month, I don't have the exact date. We don't do the EGR repair in house, but we can send her to Reedbrook Auto Repair, I don't have their number.

AFTER · what the skill produced

Hi Deborah,

Thank you for bringing in your white 2009 Honda Accord today. I'm sorry to say it did not pass the smog inspection. It failed the tailpipe test, the visual check, and the check engine light check. Here is what our inspector, Dean Gordon, found.

What failed

Tailpipe test, nitrogen oxides (NOx): The reading was 1120 ppm at 2500 rpm, which was high. NOx is one of the pollutants the test measures. Your hydrocarbon (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO) readings were ok.
Visual check, EGR valve: The EGR valve was carboned up and stuck. This valve is part of your emissions system.
Check engine light: The light is on, with code P0401, which means EGR flow insufficient. This matches the stuck EGR valve Dean found.
Gas cap: Tested ok.

Our recommendations

Recommended now

EGR valve repair, for the failed NOx reading, the check engine light, and the smog failure. We recommend having the EGR system diagnosed and repaired. We can't say for sure that this alone will fix the NOx reading, and the retest will show the result.

Also recommended

Front brake pads measured about 3mm. We recommend having them looked at and replaced.
A small oil seep at the valve cover gasket. We recommend having it looked at and repaired.

Next steps

Have the EGR system diagnosed and repaired. We don't do this repair in house, but we can send you to Reedbrook Auto Repair.
Bring the Accord back to us for a retest. The retest is free within 30 days if it is done here.
Before you go, please check your registration due date and confirm any deadline or retest rules with the DMV or your state smog authority, since rules differ by location. You mentioned it is due at the end of next month.

If you have any questions about these results, call us at 206-555-0160. We're at 6143 Owlbrook Rd in Southbank.

Quarrybrook Smog Check

Questions for the owner

What is the exact registration due date for Deborah's Accord?
What is the phone number for Reedbrook Auto Repair?
What is the allowed NOx limit for this test, if you want it included next to the 1120 ppm reading?
Do you want to include a repair estimate for the brake pads or the valve cover gasket seep?

What it does

Turns the inspector's fail results into a clear, calm explanation the customer can understand, with a list of next steps. It covers what failed, what it means in plain English, and what the customer can do next.

Use it when: Use when a smog check station needs to explain a failed smog inspection to a customer and lay out next steps, such as "explain this fail to the customer," "write up the smog failure," or "what do I tell them about the fail."