Part of maintaining order and fairness is developing reasonable boundaries. Construction sites use plywood and steel barricades to keep the public out of dangerous work sites. Secure fencing around a house can protect children and pets.
And guardrails are designed to keep cars and trucks on the road. In law, defense lawyers create boundaries for their clients to protect them from the prosecuting attorney. It’s our life’s work to help Smog technicians and auto shop owners vulnerable to the threat of a Bureau of Automotive Repair citation. Some of the most common things Smog testing professionals are accused of are;
- Missing a step in the On-Board Diagnosis (OBD) process.
- Using the wrong testing equipment for a new or older vehicle.
- Documentation mistakes such as missing required testing records and failing to keep written estimates.
- Modifying or taking off mandatory emissions parts on a customer’s vehicle.
- Failing to follow the full Smog Check Program requirements.
These cases may be common to our legal team, but unfamiliar to a Smog expert who’s received their first Bureau of Automotive Repair citation. And without a lawyer who defends SMOG shops and SMOG technicians, the outcome can turn out to be disastrous for a smog testing shop.
Give them an inch, and they’ll take a yard.
If a smog shop owner doesn’t want to fight a Bureau of Automotive Repair citation, they might pay the violation charge and move on. Then the BAR will move on too, right? Wrong! If a shop owner believes they are innocent but takes the road of least resistance, it can become a bigger problem later. Accepting a ‘small citation’ is akin to accepting blame. And once your Smog testing shop is on the BAR radar, they might come back in the form of an undercover car. Now the Bureau of Automotive Repair is actively testing your Smog technicians for the tiniest wrong move! And it doesn’t matter if you own a STAR-certified smog shop, either.
STAR smog shops have earned their credentials by reaching the highest rung in quality and performance. Technicians have trained to meet the most stringent state emissions standards. In turn, they scrutinize vehicles the DMV has flagged for higher emissions. Scorecards must be pristine and the testing equipment too, or that STAR certification could be removed. This means every Bureau of Automotive Repair citation must be addressed quickly and fought to maintain a shop’s Smog STAR reputation.
A BAR-focused defense attorney is the guardrail needed. Our firm defends smog shops in both Northern and Southern California. We specialize in knowing what a BAR attorney is going to say in court and we prepare accordingly. If a shop is being threatened with a STAR suspension, we are ready to fight for them. It’s estimated the Bureau of Automotive Repair sends out more than 1,000 STAR certificate invalidations annually. Your STAR certification doesn’t have to be on that list. We are here to make sure your Smog testing shop stays away from that cliff!