Crime & Safety

Banning Auto Shop Under Investigation for Faking Smog Tests

Police say the company was swapping out testing vehicles to ensure passing smog test results.

A Banning automotive shop is being investigated for allegedly falsifying smog checks on vehicles, police said Wednesday.

Banning Police Chief Leonard Purvis says his department, along with the Riverside County District Attorney's office, served a search warrant at Desert Junction Automotive Wednesday morning, on San Gorgonio Ave. at Lincoln St.

Following an investigation, it was learned that Desert Junction was performing something called "clean piping" to get vehicles passed on their smog checks, Purvis said.

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"'Clean piping' is an illegal practice in which an operator will replace a vehicle with unacceptable smog emissions with a vehicle known to pass the smog emissions standards," Purvis added.

The search was the culmination of a joint investigation between Banning police, the DA's office and the California Bureau of Automotive Repair, District Attorney Spokesman John Hall said.

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Authorities seized smog testing equipment and turned it over to the Bureau of Automotive Repair during Wednesday's operation.

The Bureau's website provides information on smog test shops like Desert Junction, and as of the writing of this article, no disciplinary actions have been taken against them to date.

Since this is an ongoing investigation, police asked that anyone with information related to this case contact them at (951) 849-1196.


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