COUGH IT UP; TEST MAY BOOST SMOG-CHECK COSTS.

Byline: David R. Baker Daily News Staff Writer

Come Friday, smog-checking your car could cost more and take longer. And you are more likely to fail.

On May 1, smog stations in Los Angeles and southern Ventura counties must start using new testing equipment to simulate driving conditions and check for a key pollutant not covered in the current test. The equipment is expensive - about $50,000 - which could double the cost of a smog test to about $60, according to several station owners. The state sets no limit on the fee.

Perhaps more important, the new test is potentially tougher than the old one. It allows mechanics to scan exhaust for levels of nitrogen oxide, the pollutant that gives smoggy air its distinctive brown hue.

``The chances the car passes are less,'' said Ali Hashemi, owner of A-Rapid Smog in Reseda.

State officials were reluctant to say whether the test would be more difficult to pass, but said the new method can detect pollution that might have been missed previously.

``This is a more accurate test, period,'' said Paula David//, spokeswoman for the state Department of Consumer Affairs, whose Bureau of Automotive Repair runs the smog-check program.

As much as car owners might fear a more stringent test, environmentalists say California needs it. The new smog laws are expected to reduce the amount of pollution generated by California cars by up to 100 tons a day, according to the Bureau of Automobile Repair.

``It's just extremely difficult to come up with something else that can achieve those kinds of emission reductions,'' said Bonnie Holmes-Gen, senior lobbyist for the Sierra Club.

Using a high-tech treadmill called a dynamometer, the new testing process is designed to give mechanics a better idea of how much pollution a car emits on the road.

Under the old system, in contrast, emissions were checked while a car idled in a shop.

The new test does not apply to all parts of California. Only areas that fail to meet the federal government's ozone requirements must make the switch. That includes all of Los Angeles County and the southern half of Ventura County, among others.

Station owners in those areas were forced to buy the new test kit if they wanted to continue offering smog checks.

Many didn't, which means it will be more difficult to find a smog-check center.

Of the 4,500 affected stations, David said, 3,700 have agreed to purchase the equipment. That's about twice the number of stations the department expected to stick with the program, she said.

Hashemi said he had little choice but to spend $43,000 on the dynamometer and its companion computer.

``Since we are in this business, what are my options?'' he said. ``It's all mandatory. Do I close up shop and start another business?''

Other station owners say they are still trying to learn the system's quirks. Michael Castiel, who owns The Smog Doctor in Encino, said until his mechanics get used to the process of securing a car on the dynamometer and making sure it doesn't fly off, smog tests will take longer than before.

``Eventually, the technicians will get to the point where we can get it down to a half-hour,'' he said. ``Right now, I don't want to push for quick service - I want to push for safety.''

Valley Smog & Repair Center in Van Nuys had the new equipment installed six months ago, serving as a test site for one of the manufacturers. Owner Bill Marano said it is difficult to compare how cars fare under the old and new tests.

``There are some situations where it will pass on the new test and fail on the old, and vice versa,'' he said. ``It's a totally different test.''

Not all cars will have to face the new testing procedure. Cars made before 1974, or during the past four model years, are exempt. And since full-time four-wheel-drive vehicles and all-wheel-drive vehicles don't work on the dynamometer, they will continue to be tested under the old method.

The Details

California's campaign to clear the air is expected to boost the cost of a smog check and make it more difficult to pass.

The new smog check test uses an expensive, high-tech treadmill and searches for a key pollutant not included in the previous test.

In most cases, it will cost more than the current test, with several station operators saying they will charge around $69, as compared to about $30 now.

Of the 4,500 smog check stations effected by the new requirements, only 3,700 have agreed to offer the new test.

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo: (color) Michael Castiel, who owns The Smog Doctor in Encino, checks a car's smog readings.

Michael Owen Baker/ Daily News

Box: The Details (see text)