Question: I was wondering if I could qualify
for the Consumer Assistance Program if I have made
more than $16,391 for the year but now I am in a commission
only job where I make nothing currently. Do they
base the qualification on how much you made for
the year or how much you make per month? Thanks for your
help.
Answer:
This question can best be
answered by someone at the CAP department. Call (800) 952-5210.
They
will be able to tell you exactly if you qualify.
Consider this also... If your vehicle was required to get
smog
tested
at a Test Only Center, you automatically
qualify.
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Question:
If I
apply under the economic hardship and request a two year no-smog
registration and my repairs
cost more than $250, what happens if I
am still not able to bring the car up to smog
standards after the two
years. How much do I have to spend
each year to try.
Answer:
Economic Hardship Extension: a vehicle owner may
be eligible for if they have spent at least
$450.00
at a Certified Smog Repair station and their vehicle
is still failing OR if the vehicle requires emissions
related
repairs over $250.00 and the vehicle owner
is low-income and can not afford the repair/s. Eligible
consumers
will receive a two-year extension
to complete necessary emissions-related repairs. The State of California
will
allow Income Eligible applicants the
opportunity to register their vehicles through the DMV and
receive
registration tags/stickers for
two consecutive years, WITHOUT passing the smog inspection. This
program
is designed to allow
Income Eligible applicants ample time to repair their failing
vehicles.
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Question:
If my 94 Astro Van will not pass and
the cost is estimated at 750.00 to repair, I can’t afford
that
much. Is there a cap on the repair
cost?
Answer:
Unfortunately there is
no limit on bringing a car to passing emissions. However, California can
help
you repair your vehicle. You
may receive up to $500.00 dollars in FREE smog diagnosis and repairs
through
the Consumer Assistance Program (CAP). The
CAP Repair Assistance program is designed to help consumers bring their
vehicles into compliance with California emission standards. Through the CAP program the
State
will pay the CAP repair shop you
choose up to $500.00 dollars for repair work performed on your vehicle.
You
may contact the BAR at (800) 952-5210 for an
application.
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Question:
My car failed it's smog test at
a test only facility. I took my car to a
test and repair facility, and
after $300. worth of work they told me
that the car still would not pass the smog test
and that I needed a
new catalytic converter. I was told that I have
to take the car to a muffler shop to have
this done. Is the cost
of
having the catalytic converter replaced at a muffler shop reimbursable
under the CAP program??? Where
else in Long Beach, CA would I go
to have this repair performed?
Answer:
CAP only reimburses only when repairs are
made through the CAP process. Meaning, an
applicant
must first file a
CAP application and wait for approval before getting any
work done. At this point if you
haven't
filed yet, we recommend you do. Download an
application atwww.smogcheck.ca.gov.
If and once
your approved, you will have a list of CAP
approved smog repair centers you can choose
from.
Your vehicle will
have to be re-inspected by this station and once
determined that in fact a CAT is
required
to get the vehicle
to pass, they will conduct the repair and the
state of California will pay the CAP
station
directly(the state will
not pay the vehicle owner under any
circumstance).
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Question:
I applied for CAP assistance because my vehicle was sent to a
Test-Only facility and failed the
smog check
and it will be 3-4 weeks before I get a response back regarding
the application. In the meantime,
my renewal is due the end of the month; should I
wait until the repair before sending in my renewal or can I go
ahead and get my tags?
Answer:
Here's what you can do. Go ahead and pay the registration
fees and get your "half way papers" (Not
valid registration, but an attempt to show responsibility plus not be
charged late fees). You may then explain to
the DMV agent your vehicle's repair situation and ask for at
least a 30 day Temporary Registration Tag (Not
actual
Sticker Tags). You can post this on your vehicle's rear window,
and drive your vehicle legally for 30 days
or more,
depending on the Temporary Tags you are given.
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Question:
I've taken my car to a
repair tech. He found the codes, he went through and
"erased" them. I drove
the car for 15 mins., the "check engine" light
came back on. He went on to say that the
"PO 305, #5 cylinder
was misfiring." I don't understand
what this all means but should I get this repaired
before running the smog
(test only required) or afterwards. He stated
that once the smog tech runs a check, that will
send the alert as
to the actual misfires. Would you
recommend this to be done first solely for the purpose
of qualifying for the
"State repair
assistance program? Pls advise.
Answer:
In order to qualify for the CAP
repair assistance program, yes, you must first FAIL the smog test. Regardless of
the misfires, the fact that the Check Engine
light is on, your vehicle will fail the smog
check.
You may
then apply for CAP. Also the smog test
will give the smog technician emissions results in the
form
of HC,CO and
NOx data. This information will help in determining
if in fact there is a misfire. Although it
will
NOT guide the
technician directly to the cylinder responsible for the
misfire, it will give a good overall engine performance
report.
