RodneyIE

Yes, CA is very strict. Thank you.

Hi Logan, I'm in San Diego, California. If you know of a shop in my area to bring it to I would appreciate it. I don't know the technical terms, but the DTC, or other codes indicated a possible vacuum leak, and displayed some other unknown numbers that were way off according to the mechanics. I grabbed the two attached photos from a YouTube video, to try and point out approximately where the problem may be coming from, indicated by the red arrows. The green circle where the exhaust connects would be easy to remove, but according to the mechanic, removing the other side of the exhaust

I will take it back to the dealer or Certified mechanic, and try and get a written diagnosis/estimate. Neither of them mentioned DTC, but I just Googled it, and it makes sense. Thank you.

No. I think on most cars, the repair would be routine, but the mechanics are saying the reason it is so expensive is because of the difficulty getting to the issue. They said they would have to remove the transmission, or some other major component to have access. The mechanics also thought it could be vacuum leak related. They already replaced the 02 sensor, but that didn't help.

I've brought my vehicle to a local mechanic and a Cadillac dealer to determine why it won't pass smog, but neither could give me an answer. There is some minor lower damage from scrapping on speed bumps. Both mechanics estimated it would be about $4K to be able to get to the area and diagnosis it, does that seem right/fair? Thanks