Q. I retired a couple of years ago and only drive my ’06 CTS about twice a month. When I took the car in for the smog test, it failed. The reason was the vehicle was “not ready.” I was in disbelief. The smog man said to drive it 200 miles on the freeway and come back. I can’t believe that I’m being punished for not driving! Your thoughts?

— Daniel Klatte, Lakewood

A. Frustration comes to mind, Daniel.

Honk had the same problem a few years back and had to drive the Honkmobile under a prescribed scenario and return to the smog-test shop.

Like you, all he was trying to do was fulfill a state obligation, get a smog check, pay the bill and tick off a chore — instead, like you, the effort became a pain in the …

The reason the cars weren’t ready for the test is admirable: The readiness monitors are designed to keep someone from clearing the vehicle’s computer memory and check-engine light to get the car to pass a smog test when it should have failed.

The battery might have just lost too much power at one point, wiping clean the on-board computer’s memory. The car needs to know it has driven around a bit, creating a legitimate history.

You may need to reset the car by driving it a long distance at a steady pace over a relatively flat course.

Honk had a friend drive the Honkmobile 80 to 100 steady freeway miles to reset the computer. Two years ago, an expert with the Automobile Club of Southern California told Honk a reader needed to drive a 2000 Pontiac Grand Am about 50 miles “with the gas tank no more than three-fourth’s full and no less (than) one-fourth full.”

Daniel, Honk recommends you call up some Cadillac dealerships and ask their mechanics, and yours if you have a different one, how many miles you should drive, and if there are any procedures you should take. If you have a lot of time before you need the smog test, your regular jaunts might do the trick.

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Q. What’s with the administration buildings on the 241 toll road, south of the 133 toll road? They have big tarps on portions of them, and for a long time have looked like they were either falling down or being dismantled. What’s up?

— Marty Haynes, Placentia

A. In the fall of 2020, the Silverado wildfire swept through the area, gobbling up more than 12,450 acres, destroying three structures and damaging another nine.

Among the casualties were the Tomato Springs Mainline Toll Plaza buildings, Marty.

“Those tarps that were temporarily hung to prevent further damage will soon be removed as repair work commences in the next few months,” said Eugene Fields, a spokesman for Transportation Corridor Agencies, which runs the 241 and the 133.

Once the home to kiosks where motorists could drive up to and pay the toll, the plaza is now to house maintenance operations and some personnel.

In December, toll road officials approved repair work for the buildings and related stuff, such as melted pavement, for an estimated $343,000. Insurance will cover the work, which will include repairing or replacing windows, lettering on at least one building and an insulation system.

If the materials can be rounded up in time, work should be completed this summer, Fields said.

HONKIN’ FACT: There were 270,048 vehicles registered with current Clean Air Decals that allow the drivers to go solo in carpool lanes when the Department of Motor Vehicles grabbed statistics for Honk on a recent day. The largest group had purple stickers, which expire Jan. 1, with 104,040 sets issued. The smallest group, with 17,766, had yellow stickers that expire on Sept. 30, 2025, and could end up being the last decals issued in the program for zero- and low-emission vehicles. (Source: California Air Resources Board.)

To ask Honk questions, reach him at [email protected]. He only answers those that are published. To see Honk online: ocregister.com/tag/honk. Twitter: @OCRegisterHonk