California Smog Testing Process (Question for CA Residents)

[wingnutt]

That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard. California Fail.

dumb, maybe…but it DOES say right there on the sticker “not for sale in California emissions states”

dumber than that has been my contention, that if a car passes the sniffer it shouldn’t matter two chits what’s under the hood

then the latest dumb and dumber…cant pass smog with a tune, unless of course your company pays the bribe…I mean fee, to get the CARB blessing

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[LR170Shelby350R]

dumb, maybe…but it DOES say right there on the sticker “not for sale in California emissions states”

dumber than that has been my contention, that if a car passes the sniffer it shouldn’t matter two chits what’s under the hood

then the latest dumb and dumber…cant pass smog with a tune, unless of course your company pays the bribe…I mean fee, to get the CARB blessing

100% Agree on all those points...

 

[joez3]

Maybe things have changed since I moved here, but your car needs to pass smog for where it was originally sold. Unless you have a 'new' car a new car is cal is anything newer then 2 years or less then 7500 miles. Start here this might answer a lot of your questions: How To 9 Register a Vehicle From Out of State (ca.gov)

 

[OutWest]

Maybe things have changed since I moved here, but your car needs to pass smog for where it was originally sold. Unless you have a 'new' car a new car is cal is anything newer then 2 years or less then 7500 miles. Start here this might answer a lot of your questions: How To 9 Register a Vehicle From Out of State (ca.gov)

Read the regulations again, starting with the word “unless.” They all require smog test once in CA. The part that you misread is the “unless…certified for CA” That means if it was certified (born) for CA, you can bring it new (or used) but you still need to smog test before registering it. That is why the DMV wants to inspect the emissions label. The part you explained is for a car that was not originally certified for CA (49 state car). Then you can still register it if it meets the used car requirements

 

[ICU812]

You are correct, I need to register my car in CA, which requires a "vehicle inspection", which is additional to the smog test. On the vehicle inspection form, there is a section for the inspector to verify engine VIN, vin tag rivet type, smog decals, etc. Do they actually do this? I'm not concerned about passing because my car is unaltered, but I am concerned with some random person crawling under and in my car or under the hood to check VINs and stickers.

Is the form considered more of a formality that they just look at the VIN through the windshield and sign, or do they really investigate VIN rivets and engine VINs? This is what I'm really trying to determine so I know what I'm walking into.

To the other point - If the Smog Test is just an OBDII Scan, that's usually no big deal and can be conducted pretty quickly.

Thanks for the info!

Yes they really check, chop shops are a thing and a problem.

 

[blitzburgh]

Don't you only need to smog if car is older than 6 years?

 

[OutWest]

Don't you only need to smog if car is older than 6 years?

We are talking about cars that were not originally bought in CA and brought into CA later. For those cars, even if already compliant with CA smog regs, the DMV needs to verify the smog tag. Don’t know why also needs a smog test. What you are talking are for cars sold new in CA
Trust me. I already done this twice; once a new Mini Cooper from Utah and recently a Porsche from Illinois. Just made sure the dealer took a pic of the compliant tag befor I signed the sales contract.

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