1. INTRODUCTION TO THE CALIFORNIA'S AUTO REPAIR ACT
AUTO REPAIR AND SMOG CHECK STATION LICENSING REQUIREMENTS

California's Auto Repair Act covers all auto repairs performed on consumer's vehicles. All auto repair shops must be registered/licensed by the Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR). The Bureau of Automotive Repair is part of the California Department of Consumer Affairs and is responsible for the licensing, regulation, and discipline of auto repair shops as well as those that operate as licensed Smog Check Stations.

We will cover a customer's rights while having their car repaired and when the vehicle is being tested/repair by a Smog Check Station. We will cover the California Smog Check Program in some detail since this affects almost every vehicle owner in California.

One of the objectives of The Auto Repair Act is to make sure that customers are fully informed about the repairs they being charged for and seeing that only work that has been authorized by the customer has been done. Another goal is to insure that work performed meets certain minimum standards.

LICENSING REQUIREMENTS: A general auto repair shop doesn't have any significant licensing requirments other than to pay the annual registration fee. But a Licensed Smog Station has to meet stringent requirements to be licensed to perform Biennial Smog Inspections.

SMOG CHECK STATIONS AND SMOG TECHNICIANS: must have certain diagnostic and repair equipment and only employ Licensed Smog Technicians to do Smog Inspections and Repairs. Licensed Smog Techicians must receive extensive training and must have passed certain certification tests PRIOR to taking the Licensed Smog Technician Examination.