California smog check failed

[Sean D]

Has anyone experienced smog check failure due the onboard computer's data being erased after replacing the battery?! I was told that is exactly what happened to my 01 Boxster S and now the local dealer want to charge up to 3 hours of labor @ $149 per hour to reload the data.

Any input will be appreciated!

[Bladecutter]

Just drive your car normally for about 30 minutes, and everything should be fine after that.

BC.

[blinkwatt]

I'd run from that dealer in a heart beat.

Where in CA are you?

[Sean D]

I changed the battery a few months ago and driven the car at least a couple thousand miles but the failure happened just last week. I'm in Palo Alto, CA.

[sd_boxster]

Wow, how do you reload a drive cycle? That sounds like BS to me, but I have no expertise at all in Porsche emissions.

Here's a RennTech thread:
http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=19983

Many cars (like my old Tiburon) have an emissions readiness drive cycle you can follow to ensure the car is ready for smogging.

Your OBD-II scanner should also tell you if your car is ready for an emissions test - that will save you repeated trips to the smog station...

Good luck!

[spine911]

[QUOTE=Sean D]Has anyone experienced smog check failure due the onboard computer's data being erased after replacing the battery?! QUOTE]

Sounds like this is a $tealership you went to, not a dealership..LOL.
Replacing the battery should/have absolutely no effect(after effect) on the emission system of the vehicle...Even if what they claim is true-which i doubt (computer data erasure), your car should still pass the smog test.....Most dealers have jokers as "Service Representative", i would demand to speak with the Mechanic who "tested" your vehicle...Also, what "data" are they talking about they they need to "re-load"????LOL
BTW, most smog failures are due to emission related component failures NOT battery.

[Sean D]

Thank you all for your respnses. I also found some articles on Renntech and I think I've figured it out. Just need to drive the car a couple of weeks as my commuter to reset the OBD II. It was in hibration during the winter (past 4 months) untill I had to smog it for registration.

[Blue-S]

When trying to get monitors to run, remember that it's how you drive, not how long you drive that matters. Based on my experience with other (non-Porsche) vehicles, the once-per-trip monitors will not run at highway speeds. You could drive at 75 mph from LA to San Francisco and most likely no monitors will run. I don't have the Porsche factory service manuals, so I don't know if those documents even explain the parameters (road speed, load, engine rpm, etc) under which each monitor will run.

[blinkfan]

I'm a Smog Tech for California.... changing your battery will erase the monitor.... I encounter this all the time.... just drive it a bit and good luck