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Reading, noting, and then clearing codes to see if they come back is common practice, but only if you have run the correct code diagnostics (in the case of the actuator, read run the electrical test) and found nothing. These cars do throw "ghost codes" that aren't real, but if a shop is regularly just clearing codes without further diagnostics that turn up nothing, they aren't doing their jobs.............

Quote:

Originally Posted by Starter986 (Post 652546)

COAS! $200 to smog? I paid $65 yesterday morning, and I'm in facking Californium.

Why $200? .

Because they’ve already charged $2000 trying to clear the code, unsuccessfully.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Homeoboxter (Post 652552)

Theoretically it`s illegal but there`s no way to prove that. I wouldn`t sell a car like that because it`s just not cool but I`m pretty sure there are a lot of cars out there with CEL coming up intermittently which the seller forgets to mention. Actually there is nothing illegal in just erasing the codes then get the car smogged. When the CEL is on, many shops just erase the codes first and see if it re-occurs. As the owner, you can even naively think they solved the problem, and you are not aware that the same issue comes back, say, 200 miles later after you sold the car.

Been there, tried that. CA smog stations can tell the code has been cleared. The equipment will not pass a car with a cleared code.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JFP in PA (Post 652553)

I’ve had two high porsche shops scan the car and they confirm the cam advance is ‘slow”. The code is correct. But as I said, in terms of measurable pollutants emitted during the smog test, my car runs quite clean (I’ve been told anyway). The smog test checks the exhaust at idle and at specific rpm. But evidently it doesn’t test the rate at which the cam advances.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sfkjeld (Post 652580)

Been there, tried that. CA smog stations can tell the code has been cleared. The equipment will not pass a car with a cleared code.

Of course it won`t pass, because the readiness sensors show up as uncomplete. The codes need to be cleared AND the readiness sensors need to show completion. If these two conditions check out (and the error code won`t return) the car will pass. So the question is how long it takes for the code to return. If it returns immediately the car will obviously fail. If not, it`ll pass. You can monitor that with any generic tester, so you will know in advance.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sfkjeld (Post 652581)

In terms of measurable pollutants malfunction of the variocam system won`t make any (within tolerance) difference. It means the actuator gets stuck in either condition or just shifts slowly between the two, as it is in your case. But, because it affects timing, it also has an effect on performance, and hence, on fuel consumption and emission. So it has to work properly, according to California law. It`s the same with SAI for instance: if you take the car to a smog test and your SAI is shot, there is no way to measure the difference in pollution, because it does not work when the engine is hot. Yet, if you have an SAI error code, you are screwed.