Federal Emissions vs. California Emissions
 

I live in Massachusetts, and through the Mazda website, found the exact car I am looking for and it is in New Hampshire. The salesman told me that this car only has the Federal Emissions, not the California Emissions on it. He told me that Massachusetts, New York and California require the California Emissions level on new cars registered in those states.

Is this BS? I thought all the RX8 cars had California Emissions levels.........

email- rx8orders@mazdausa.com

When I moved to CA with my Miata, I was hit with a $300 "clean air" surtax because my car didn't have the CA emissions sticker. It infuriated me because I knew that the Miata for all 50 states were exactly the same mechanically and emissions-wise. To top it off I ended up behind some smoky old Beetle on the way home who was probably paying about $20 per year to register their ancient vehicle. A couple of years ago the Fed courts finally found that the charge was unconstitutional, and the state paid the money back with interest. The CA bureaunazis wanted to take it to the Supreme Court but Gray Davis, to his credit, ordered them to accept the ruling.

Um.... what was my point... Oh yeah. You may find that RX8 for all 50 states is identical, only difference being the certification sticker.

I was reimbursed for this fee too. It was on two different cars I had to pay. Lame as lame can be. I had a number of mods on my MR2 and fortunately I had a retail license to resell car parts so I was able to get a hold of enough stickers from the manufacturers showing that these mods passed CA. emissions standards or I would have had to take them off.

Is this emissions sticker the one that is under the car's hood? I had to have my hood replaced (due to a meteor of road debris crashing into it) and when I got the car back, the new hood had no sticker. I live in CA, so am I going to get grief when I go to get the car smogged?

Re: Federal Emissions vs. California Emissions
 

Sounds like they're just trying to screw you over here..maybe they just don't want the hassle of dealing with selling a car to someone in a different state.

Aratinga,

Yes that is where the sticker goes. I would recommend you notify Mazda and have them try to get one for you. It is even more important if you have aftermarket parts such as a CAI, obviously different than stock plug wires, and any engine parts or wiring that is aftermarket. I had quite a few including ignition upgrade and other things. Would have been a pain in the ass to put on and take off for smog checks.

My understanding is EPA2 is full California level. The EPA2 thing is what caused us to loose the HP. Do a search on the net. There should be lots to read, as this topic gets lots of people stirred up.

Here's the reply I got from Mazda:

In regards to your inquiry, your vehicle does not require California
Emissions for use in any other state than CA. If you will provide the
VIN# of the vehicle that you are inquiring about, I'll happily
reference it to confirm the emission level information.

Even better, if you're in the market for an RX-8, Mazda's Friend @
Mazda Team can help get you behind the wheel and might be able to help
you to locate another one like the one you want in your area. Contact
our team directly at (800) 639-1000 or friendatmazda@mazdausa.com. This
is a totally free, totally friendly service! Give them a call...
they're always happy to help.

Again, thank you for contacting Mazda. It has been my pleasure to
assist you. Please feel free to reply to this message with any further
questions or comments.

The good news is I found the car I want at another dealer so I won't have to deal with this salesman jerk.