Question (a): I have a 1992 Mitsubishi Eclipse that I
purchased and is registered in Florida. I am
moving to San Diego next month and am
concerned that my vehicle will not pass inspection and
I will not be able to register it? In your opinion do you believe
my car has what it takes to pass the smog
emissions tests?
Question (b): Louisiana Car - I am giving my Honda Accord to
my son in CA. I would like to make
sure it will pass the smog test. Can you
give me the specific technical requirements (CA exhaust
emissions limits) so I can take them to a
place here in Louisiana and let them check the emissions
on my car and do what needs to be done to
bring them up to CA standards.
Question (c): I am moving to
California from North Carolina, and I have an old car,
a
1989 Toyota Camry. Before I spend either lots of
time or money trying to get it out to CA, I am
trying to
determine if it will be able to pass inspections. It is
in good shape and runs well, but
I have no idea if a car
of this age will be able to meet California's more stringent
regulations.
Question (d): My son has a 2002 Infiniti I35 that he will soon
be taking to CA. and registering there.
The car has only 21,000 miles and is still
under it's 4 year Bumper to Bumper Warranty. The car is
like new and has had meticulous care. My
son's 1996 Infiniti G20 with 120,000 miles has passed
the emissions inspection in the Dallas/Ft
Worth area with flying colors. It has tested with a
very,
very low emissions content. We have
owned several Infinitis and know the reliability we have
received. What advice and direction would you
give to his approach one he gets to CA?
Answer: It's true, there is a
difference with California legal and Federal legal emission
requirements.
And, for the most part California is
stricter. However, a USED vehicle which has all the Federal
required emission components, can pass the California smog
inspection process and be legally
registered in this
state. A vehicle which is equipped with the necessary Federal
Emission Components
is eligible for California
registration as long as the vehicle's exhaust emissions fall
within
California's limits.
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Question: The CA DMV sent me my
registration forms last week with indication that a smog
check
was required however I have lost the papers.
Can I get a check w/o the forms and how do I know what
kind of station to go to?
My vehicle is a 2001 Ford Taurus.
Answer: You can call the DMV at
800) 777-0133. They can inform you on the type of smog
check
you'll need once you give them your vehicle's
license plate
number.
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Question: I have purchased a 1995
American General Hummer H1. it is coming from NY state.
It
has a 6.5L diesel non-turbocharged engine.
Does it require a smog certificate? Are the laws for
diesels as strict as for gasoline
engines?
Answer: Vehicles with diesel
engines, vehicles with two-cycle engines, vehicles with
engines smaller
than 50 cubic inches of displacement,
electric vehicles, and motorcycles are exempt from the
California
Smog Check program.
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Question: I have been told that
the 1976 Porsche 914 is smog exempt since they were all built
in 1975.
Is this the case?
Answer: A 1976 vehicle is
not exempt from the California smog check process. Under the
new law...
commenced April 1, 2005, exempt from smog check
requirements are any motor vehicle manufactured
PRIOR TO
the 1976 model-year. All vehicles 1976 and newer vehicles will
be tested according to state
emission law. (This law
repeals the 30-year rolling smog check exemption.)
Additionally, vehicles
with diesel engines, vehicles with
two-cycle engines, vehicles with engines smaller than 50 cubic
inches of displacement, electric vehicles, and motorcycles
are exempt from the Smog Check program.
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Question: I have a friend
who is selling a car in Susanville, CA (where I live) to my
son who lives in
Sacramento, CA. The smog test
requirements are different in the two counties (Lassen and
Sacramento). Is it possible to have my Nissan Sentra smog
tested in Susanville and the DMV paperwork
completed here
before returning to Sacramento? Would another smog
test be required in Sacramento
or would it be required
upon renewal of the license? How do we complete the
paperwork?
Answer: Yes, that's
probably the best way to do it. If you start the registration
process in Sacremento
before getting the smog test, you'll
need to get the type of smog test required in Sacremento which
is "Enhanced".
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Question: DMV told me that I
needed to get my 2001 Honda Civic smogged in order to get it
registered
in the state of CA. I thought,
when researching on the internet, that only certain counties
within the
state are required to smog checks. Del
Norte county was not on that list. I originally bought my
car brand new in CA during Dec. of 2000. I had it
registered within the state for a couple of years
before I
moved to OR. I then obtained OR registration, which did
not require a smog inspection.
Two years after that,
I moved back to CA. Now I am trying to get CA
registration again. I still
have my old plates, just
need new stickers. The car is not that old, it was originally
bought in CA,
previously registered in CA, and since I
purchased it brand new, I have been the only owner. Del
Norte county is not heavily populated and therefore
doesn't have heavy smog pollution. I don't
understand. Based on this information, could you please
tell me if I have to smog my vehicle and if
so, for what
reasons.
Answer: All counties
require smog checks, some ONLY require smog checks during the
initial registration,
time of sale, or when bringing back
from out-of-state. These areas are called "change of
ownership"
counties. Other counties require smog checks
every two years.
