Find some shop off the beaten path and take a chance that there is no check for the “fix” to the system that switches on the emissions controls when the car is checked?
It used to be that the small counties (population) did not have the sophisticated and costly equipment to check tailpipe emissions. But, Travis County does. I have a new Toyota and it passed last time. Once before though, several years back, I flunked an inspection and was looking at $800.00 to fix it.
Fortunately then I lived in a small county so I just took the vehicle to them and since they had no equipment to check it, and as a small county were not legally obligated to, I was able to get my sticker.
These days too Texas has done away with “windshield” stickers. Now they give you a computer generated letter that you put in your glove compartment.