4th Gen DIY heat exchanger bypass solution

Toyota after-sale care, standing behind their product, is notably lacking. I get that there’s a simple workaround, but is this their new “mission statement”:

ignore, dodge and remain silent when there’s an issue, and eventually all the cars involved will fail or rust out.

 

Any Californian knew would this "fix" pass ca smog test?

 

It depends on how nicely you've got it tucked away. The more OEM the look, the better chances it gets overlooked. They're usually looking at the CAT and ensuring it's either CARB certified or OEM.
If hoses are dangling down there with zip-ties, they'll take notice and look harder.

Hope this helps....