Is my vehicle smog-free enough for California?

[magentawave]

Quote:
You’ll have to buy a California specific cat with a special serial number (that will be verified!) and will cost hundreds of dollars.

Hundreds? good luck! think tousends, as high as 3K, not on all but some.

Yup, possibly thousands for an FJ Cruiser cat. Last time I went through the California cat hell was quite a few years ago with an old Toyota Corolla. Off the shelf cat was cheap. The cheapest price I could find for my “special” CA cat was $400.00 plus installation. Aargh. The crazy thing too is that thieves LOVE em.

 

[magentawave]

There is a problem with that theory, the cops here (socal) target "furin" license plates and they been doing so forever, easy pray. they pull you over with a bogus charge and then the fishing expedition starts, IMO not advisable from experience.

That’s entirely possible. A friend and wife and several of their kids and spouses (10 vehicles) have been driving with MT plates in California for years and have never been stopped by cops.

 

[tzagi]

Depends where I guess, my experience is in the LA basin. last year I drove in with WV plates, It only took half an hour before I was pulled over, once I switched to CA plates ...no more monkey business.

 

[WinneNomad]

By the way, there’s a good chance that the crappy mex gas has ruined your catalytic converter which means it won’t pass smog here. You might think you’d be ok buying a cheapo $50 cat converter on eBay, but nooooo. You’ll have to buy a California specific cat with a special serial number (that will be verified!) and will cost hundreds of dollars.

A new California compliant catalytic converter for a e350 RV here is now over $1300.

 

[Anon]

Okay I'm not going to California.

 

[user 32232]

Like most replies have already stated, do what you can to avoid registering your vehicle in California. Even my 1977 motorcycle costs $136/year. My 2011 Tacoma is around $400/year.
But if you DO have to, hopefully you'll register it in a rural county like the one I live in (Siskiyou). You have to pass the smog test only once - when you buy (or sell) the car.
Maybe Imperial county is similar? Usually less populated areas are less regulated - even in California.

 

[user 32232]

Okay I'm not going to California.

Good plan. Visit, but don't be a resident. Unless you're really rich or really really poor.

 

[tzagi]

One more thing regarding registration, if you have a truck or a van its a commercial vehicle and you pay by wight, a half ton is like $400, 3/4 ton $500 ect. there is a procedure to convert from commercial to privet, I'll be doing it later in the month as the reg cost is just plain nuts here.

 

[user 32232]

One more thing regarding registration, if you have a truck or a van its a commercial vehicle and you pay by wight, a half ton is like $400, 3/4 ton $500 ect. there is a procedure to convert from commercial to privet, I'll be doing it later in the month as the reg cost is just plain nuts here.

I'd like to see that.
One thing I've found out is that truck campers won't qualify as private. In the eyes of the CA DMV, the camper can be removed and the truck used for "commercial purposes."

 

[AmargosaWayne]

You can go to California, just don't put any roots down or make a nest.

 

[tzagi]

I'd like to see that.
One thing I've found out is that truck campers won't qualify as private. In the eyes of the CA DMV, the camper can be removed and the truck used for "commercial purposes."

You are seeing it in real time, just had it done today.
Yes, The pignorant bureaucrats refused at first by denying me the conversion certificate (claiming that I must have a sink and a toilet) little they know that they brought a knife to a gun fight. I went to CHP and had the certificate in 15 minutes, with a stroke of a pen the truck got reborn as a station wagon, registration cost got reduced by %40, $150 in my case. The caveat, you don't want to get caught with the shell off.

 

[user 32232]

You are seeing it in real time, just had it done today.
Yes, The pignorant bureaucrats refused at first by denying me the conversion certificate (claiming that I must have a sink and a toilet) little they know that they brought a knife to a gun fight. I went to CHP and had the certificate in 15 minutes, with a stroke of a pen the truck got reborn as a station wagon, registration cost got reduced by %40, $150 in my case. The caveat, you don't want to get caught with the shell off.

Nice job on the $$$ reduction.
I wanna 40% reduction too! So I guess I'll need to get CHP to sign off on it before turning back into DMV.
Cool. My next door neighbor (you guessed it).... CHP.
I'll ask him.
Thanks alot tzagi

 

[tzagi]

There should be no need for CHP, The idiots should know their jobs, I tried to explain to the "examiner" that the rules are clear and there is no room for his interpretation but the they are drunk on their own perceived power trip ( a formal complaint is to be filed with both Sacramento and the manager of the branch).
We need to pay attention to the verbiage: 1. the camper/shell needs to be permanently attached, that means bolted down. 2. it needs to be used for human habitation OR camping key word "or" If I say I use it for camping...it all it takes as there is no evidence that I don't.

 

[tzagi]

BTW, the %40 figure is purely incidental, the story goes like this: The truck is 8800lb gross, when I had it registered in WV (they are not good with numbers there) somehow they registered it as a 1/2 ton with 5300 gross, so apples to apples my commercial CA registration should have been around $500 so the conversion savings would have been more like %60-%65 by eliminating the weight fees.

 

[wanderlust]

Helping the next guy reading this: CHP == California Highway Patrol == https://www.chp.ca.gov/

@tzagi - neat trick to save money!