Question: What Do I have to have
in order to get my vehicle into the Gross Polluter program? It
needs
a lot of work and I don't have money to but
into it, since I am a retiree on a fixed income.
Answer: The State currently
designates vehicles as Test Only required, based on 3
criteria. In the first case they take a random sample of
vehicles from the vehicle pool. Currently this number is said
to be 3%. Second, if your vehicle has failed the inspection as
a "Gross Polluter" at any point of time in it's smog check
history, you will be required to visit a Test Only station at
that time and subsequent years. And third, if your vehicle
falls under the HEP category, you will be asked to obtain a
smog inspection at a Test only center. HEP stands for High
Emitter Profile. This means, your type (make, model, year) of
vehicle is known to have a high number of smog failures. Based
on this data, the State automatically designates your specific
vehicle as a HEP, regardless of whether your specific vehicle
has passed or failed in the past. How it is that your vehicle
qualified as Test-Only I'm not certain. The bright side of all
this is that it sounds like your vehicle has been in good
shape and kept up so
far so hopefully, like in past years,
your vehicle will pass the smog check without a problem.
------------------------------------
Question: What are the federal
requirements for a 1979 chevy K10 4x4 from oregon? What
components need
to be installed? I have nothing on the
truck right now. 350 Engine and 5700 Model.
Answer: What is the engine size
and exact vehicle weight indicated on the door label?
This vehicle must be equipped with the following components:
PCV, ACL, EGR, EVAP, CAT, and SPARK CONTROL.
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Question: I am upgrading my 1988
Chevrolet G20 van from a 305 cid engine to a 454 to use to tow
my travel trailer, if I use an older engine
how do I
find out what smog equipment I must have to pass in
California? Is it just a smog pump?
Answer: Overview - Engine
changes continue to present problems and challenges to car
owners and technicians. Here are some tips to keep you and
your customers on the straight and narrow. Our recommendation
is to rebuild and reinstall the original engine, transmission,
and emission control configuration. When rebuilding an engine,
it must be rebuilt to the original equipment specifications.
However, if you do decide to change the engine, these
guidelines must be observed to ensure that the vehicle will be
eligible for smog certification or registration. Remember,
these are guidelines for performing engine changes -- not
certification procedures. All exhaust emission controlled
vehicles with engine changes must be inspected by an official
referee station and must have a Bureau of Automotive Repair
(BAR) Vehicle Identification Label affixed to the doorpost.
Remember also, state and federal anti-tampering laws generally
prohibit any modification to the vehicle's original emission
control system configuration as certified by the manufacturer.
And, Section 3362.1 of the California Code of Regulations
prohibits any engine change that degrades the effectiveness of
a vehicle's emission control system.
-------------------------------------
Question: Do trucks converted
to propane still need smog checks?
Answer: Yes, gasoline and
propane vehicles require smog checks. Propane smog checks
can
be completed at State Referee Centers. You can contact them at
(800) 622-7733.
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Question: Yesterday I received
the registration documentation for my pick up truck. I
purchased, last year, a 1989 Toyota 4X4 pick up to use at our
second home in Calaveras County. It is seldom used off
our property. We have an 8 acre property. It is used to
haul stuff from one end to the other on this property and
maybe once a month to the dump 5 miles away. Last year I was
required to provide a smog check for the transfer of
ownership. This year I was given another smog check, but
this time at a "Test-Only" Smog Center. The closest one
to our property is in Lodi, over 30 miles away. The cost
will be over $60 for the smog check. Just last year, the cost
in Oakland was just $40. I would like to know if this will be
required every two years because of the age and that it is
this type of vehicle. It would help me make a decision
whether or not I should keep this truck or not. I rarely use
it at all. It's just not
worth spending $100 and all the time every 2
years to get it legally registered.
Answer: We completely understand
your disappointment. The State currently designates vehicles
as Test Only required, based on 3 criteria. In the first case
they take a random sample of vehicles from the vehicle pool.
Currently this number is said to be 3%. Second, if your
vehicle has failed the inspection as a "Gross Polluter" at any
point of time in it's smog check history, you will be required
to visit a Test Only station at that time and subsequent
years. And third, if your vehicle falls under the HEP
category, you will be asked to obtain a smog inspection at a
Test only center. HEP stands for High Emitter Profile. This
means, your type (make, model, year) of vehicle is known to
have a high number of smog failures. Based on this data, the
State automatically designates your specific vehicle as a HEP,
regardless of whether your specific vehicle has passed or
failed in the past. How it is that your vehicle qualified as
Test-Only I'm not certain. The bright side of all this is that
it sounds like your vehicle has been in good shape and kept up
so far... so hopefully, like in past years, your vehicle will
pass the smog check without a problem.Vehicle normally require
smog checks every two years, unless your vehicle on a
previous smog test failed as a gross polluter. In this case
your vehicle will require a second inspection the following
year, to insure the vehicle is not polluting. From this point
the... the year following becomes the year in which the
vehicle equires it's regular biennial inspection and you'll
need one more smog test. So
technically you end up smogging our car
three years in a row.
-------------------------------------
Question: Is the Visual portion
of the Smog Inspection included as part of a California
inspection or is it considered a separate inspection only done
on an as need basis? The estimate I was quoted for my
car was $45. for
the smog inspection.
Later the service station called and said the visual portion
would be an additional $195.
Answer: If this situation is
exactly as you have described... no, it is not common. The
California smog tests consists of three portions. The
visual, functional and emissions, all of which are included in
the smog test. Now this is not to say your particular vehicle
doesn't cost more to inspect. It is possible your
vehicle's
overall smog cost is higher due to extra labor which might be
required in the process of smog checking your vehicle. This
extra lobar is common with RVs/Motor homes, trucks , vans, and
late model vehicles.
------------------------------------
Question: The certified smog
repair station I took my car after it failed the smog test,
has insisted I pay $80 to replace the car's thermostat in
addition to $108 for repairs. They said the state demanded the
thermostat be replaced in order to approve the smog test and
that I have to pay for this myself in addition to the
$108.25. I provided them with the original CAP letter,
my drivers license and registration renewal notices from the
DMV. They refused to make a copy of my driver's license,
despite the explicit language in your letter that they do so,
and demanded that I find a commercial copy center to copy my
license and then bring this copy to them. When I questioned
both the excess thermostat charge and their refusal to make a
copy of my license they refused to give me my car back
and they still have it! I am incredibly upset and deeply
inconvenienced by this. I had applied for and been granted CAP
assistance and I gave them this form which they kept. The
repair shop is M & R Automotive, 1281 El Camino Real,
Menlo Park, CA . I am very upset and unable to get to work
without my car. My daughter needed to return to school
in SF last night and was unable to get back without our car.
In addition critical personal materials were in the car when
they locked
it up Friday afternoon and we have been
unable to reach anyone to get our car and materials since
then.
Answer: I recommend you contact
the BAR's CAP department regarding this matter. You can reach
them at (800) 952-5210. they will explain the repair procedure
and why you may have to in fact pay for the thermostat repair
yourself, including the $100.00 co-payment to begin the CAP
repairs on your vehicle. A thermostat replacement is not
considered an emissions related repair, which means CAP will
not pay for it. And, if the CAP station has determined the
thermostat must be replaced because its
defective, and causing overheating, it will have to be
changed.
-----------------------------------
Question: Do motorcycles need
smog checks on change of ownership?
Answer: No, motorcycles as of
yet do not need smog checks.
-----------------------------------
Question:
I
don't know what to do with my old truck. I'm in
California. A few months ago, I bought an old 1975
Ford F350 4-wheel drive pickup from my
tree-trimming guy, on his way out of the U.S. to Mexico. He
said it
had passed the smog check in October
(evidently true)and he didn't have time to get it smogged
before leaving.
I paid him $1000 for the truck, but when I
went to register it, I couldn't because they wanted a new smog
check.
I took it in, and it failed, due to one
cylinder's blow-by. This rattle-trap is certainly not worth a
new engine, so
what are my options? Do I just run it off a
cliff?
Answer: Since you’re the
vehicle's new owner there aren't much options but to repair
the vehicle. Non of the state consumer assistance programs are
available to new vehicle owners
so unfortunately it will be
completely up to you to repair this truck. You may consider
junking it.
-----------------------------------
Question: I have a mid 80's 1
ton gas truck that the engine. I would like to have a 90's
diesel engine install to replace the gas engine. I read on
your site about diesel to gas engine change however I would
like to know what do I need to do to get my truck register
since it will run on diesel and smog checks are
not done on them.
Answer: Diesel Engine conversion
can be done. You must contact the Referee's Office at
(800)622-7733. Once you complete the engine change your
vehicle will have to be inspected by the State referee's
office and
an official decal placed on your vehicle's chassis, exempting it
from further smog checks.
