New law is already in effect. Although there are ways for them to test if you are using a Cobb or other device that hides the cel's. So it's not really a free pass, there is still a possibility they could catch you. It's just a matter of how stringent they are.

 

that is an interesting idea, i wonder if you could program a little chip to take the RPM signal, and spit out a recording of known good OBD2 data?

it could work unless the CA computer asks some questions, like haven't we met somewhere before? or what are you wearing?

 

i get that a lot

 

Sob.

 

Its has been in effect. Its up to the test stations to check for aftermarket chips or programmers. Or if you are running something that sticks out lol. I have my smog lic but even before i passed my test i had a cutted cat, wide open pipes and a cobb and still passed on some machines. Its all in the last time the machine was updated and tested.

 

I'm a smog tech in acli and it has nlt taken efdect yet but it what California wants to do problem is I've smogged cars that pass visual have no check engine light all monitors have ran on vehicle and out the tail pipe its a failure overall car fails

 

Sorry but some of what you guys are suggesting won't work.

When the OBDII testing start (around September 2013 last I was told), the smog computer will request the VIN number stored in the Engine computer - it must match or you will fail. This is to prevent smog techs from hooking up a different car just to pass.

Also from what I've been told is they are working with the car manufacturers to get the OEM PCM Engine calibration IDs. If the calibration ID and another checksum don't match - you will fail smog. This is also to find all the non-Carb compliant aftermarket engine tunes/flashes. Remember the diesel market is huge in this - they are looking for aftermarket tunes to the stock PCM that are not legal.

Is there a way around this - sure. Don't have a CAN bus equipped car. But all our RX-8s are CAN bus so no luck for us. And all 1999 and older cars need to go to STAR licensed stations too. So that leaves a window of about 2000-2002 cars or so that don't have CAN networking?

This new testing - along with the STAR system is really trying to remove all the current loop holes of the system. With the STAR standard, the techs are constantly being monitored. If they have too much suspicious activity, they lose the ability to do STAR directed cars and possibly their license - meaning they will lose money. Why would a smog tech take the risks to look the other way anymore?

 

i just went to try to smog a car, yesterday, and my smog tech gave up his test only status. if a couple more go around here we actually won't have a smog station in about a 15 mile radius. maybe they don't make enough money?

anyways, i guess the law passed, but they haven't figured out how to implement it yet so buy a piece of property in another state that is large enough to put a mailbox on, and just register your car in a stat that isn't retarded. Oregon is $42 for TWO years....

 

Can I just rent a P.O box out there?

 

Do you think they would smog test my RX8 if I try to register the car in California this year? I'm moving to California next week but I have to mothball my car in Texas until I can find a way to get it registered there.

 

As soon as you register your car in cali to complete it you need to get it smogged

 

AFIK, P.O. boxes don't work, they think you're trying to avoid smog.

 

well you have options. if the car is stock, and has no CEL's and the cat is fairly new, it should have no problem passing smog.

the second option is to keep the texas plate, legally you're supposed to get California registration if the car is in the state for more than 90 days (actually if you move here, and find out you have a car out of state they want you to pay CA taxes and reg on that too, although they have no legal way to do it). in practice its difficult to prove when the car crossed state lines. in my neighborhood, which is next to a college, i'm about the only one on the block with CA plates, and nobody cares.

the third option is dual registration. you can keep the texas title, registration, and add the CA registration, although you may still have to smog it.

the CA DMV, and state in general is looking for any money they can find, because they have a huge budget shortfall, and can't print money like the feds can. so for a fee they will do just about anything.

 

Option one is out of the question. I am currently running an RB exhaust and an AP cat delete.

I can do option two, because I own a house in Texas, but it means I have to find a way to continue to update the registration tags every year.

Too bad CA is so strict with its emissions laws, but I can't blame them, especially from what I've seen in SoCal with all the smog.

 

i got my car smog tested today (in ca) and they tested the tailpipe emissions, so i guess not all smog test places are following this law yet

 

The OBDII testing doesn't start til maybe September.

 

Just came back from smog test, literally.
Talked to the tech, he said the non-sniffer test won't start until next year.
However, they've renew their smog test system (Star system) staring this month.
Making sure the techs are doing what they are supposed to do instead of cutting corner.
And required to get the new machines for the non-sniffer test (OBD2 only) later this year.

 

the problem is that they are too strict in a way that makes life really complex, IE we need to have a CARB legal cat, so when the rest of the country can buy a legal cat for $300, we're stuck with the OEM for $1300.

there is also that the CARB's only mandate is clean air, and they will poison the water to do it, so the spirit of the rules are fine, but the implementation is cumbersome and inefficient

 

I wish I was in your neighborhood.

Contact The CHP

I was stationed at Miramar and lived off post for 2 years and I can't tell you how many times I received "CHEATERs" notices in the form of "fix it" tickets from traffic enforcement.

I even got one when I was deployed and the car was under a cover in my driveway on jack stands.

Every time I got one, I had to go to either go to court with PCS orders and a current LES showing my "state claimed legal residence" as the state the car is registered in, or I had to send a notarized packet full of the above documents and hope it doesn't get lost in the system. I had one get lost in the system once. It wasn't pretty.

I PCS'd to Los Angeles after San Diego and it got worse. In LA I had to deal with getting pulled over randomly and being lectured by LAPD/SMPD/LASD etc about how its illegal for me to work in CA and drive a car registered in another state... even if I'm Active Duty Military.

It got so bad that I printed out the following link and kept copies in my glove box:
Vehicle Information for Military Personnel in California

And eventually registered my car in CA... just in time to transfer to Oklahoma.

But hey, good luck with your Texas registration in CA.

 

^ I was under the impression Active Military and Students were exempt from the "must reg in state bs" and coould keep their home tags on the vehicle

 

We are exempt as per the 2nd link in the above post, but it doesn't stop people and police officers who don't know that from doing what they perceive their civic or sworn duties (respectively) to be.

The burden of proof is on us, so if we are reported / pulled over / cited, we can't just say we're in the military, flash an ID and be done with it, we have to prove we're active military stationed in CA with the above mentioned documents.

I'm just saying this out of experience, not trying to **** in anyone's Cheerios. I'll be the first to admit that when I go back to CA, I'm holding onto my Arkansas tags. I'm still active military. I don't mind getting pulled over & harassed if it lets me drive my 340 AWHP, definitely-not-C.A.R.B.-compliant Legacy GT wagon in the state where some of the best driving roads in the country exist.

 

my dad got a letter once too. it was a boiler plate "hey you're defrauding the state of CA" letter.

so dad wrote the guy, that the car goes back and forth to oregon (it does), and how do i satisfy both states.

the response from the CHP was dual registration, which meant oregon title, registration and license plate, AND CA reg and license plate.

he did it for a year, i think, and then dropped the oregon reg, because two registrations on one car is dumb.

dad's also gotten letters from the CHP/state wanting him to pay registration on cars he owns that aren't IN CA. so like if you had a car in France, California wants you to pay registration.

a bit greedy that...

 

Absolutely are. My friend moved back to Maine, filled out a "statement of facts" along with a change of address form, and they're letting him re-register his car(s) in CA without a smog. The caveat is that your registered address HAS to be out of state (except Nevada), and that as soon as you re-enter CA, you have to get a smog within a certain amount of time.

(Google "statement of facts" and smog for more info).

 

So.. Did this AB-2289 law actually get implemented?

 

my tags expired in Sept, still haven't smogged the car.