Grey Market smog help in CA!

[Turbo-@]

Sooo I imported my Turbo-A from Japan and went to the DMV to register. They told me to go see the referee to smog it... Ok cool no prob. Saw the ref and he says go get it smogged at a special lab (about $2500) and gave me a list of 4 authorized places to do it in CA. Well that $2500 price tag sucks but I've come this far so fine I got a credit card for rainy days. Call the labs and 2 of them no longer do smogs for grey market vehicles, 1 only does high end European cars and Ferraris and wont smog my car and the last one goes to some old lady's answering machine (definitley not a smog lab). Soooooo I call the referee supervisor to let him know all this and he tells me "sorry then you just cant register your car in CA?!" This is bull sh*t! I cant register my car in CA because they have no facilities to administer the special smog check that they require!

Anyways does anyone have any recommendations on what I should do? My temp registration expires on the 30th and I'm stuck. I'm gonna try to make a trip to Arizona this weekend before my registration expires to see if I can somehow register it there? But this is f*cking bull sh*t California. DMV and referee straight up told me that CA purposely set up there registration of grey market vehicles the way they did to make it impossible to register them in CA.

http://apps.dmv.ca.gov/vehindustry/vin_memos/vin2014/14vin14.pdf

 

[suprarx7nut]

California is awful for owning a specialty, imported, modified car. I've turned down job interviews there because of the car laws. Mine is nowhere near CA legal.

My perception is that those who own cars like that do one of two things in California.
1. Bribe an official to get it "passed"
2. Reinstall necessary components to pass it, then reinstall everything after, hoping a cop never notices later at a traffic stop.

In your case sounds like you need to bribe a ref station or move.

The smog laws have lessened pollution, but they also leave the car scene little option other than to lie and cheat the system. Given the number of modified cars in CA I'd say there's rampant corruption in that system.

Sent from my Moto X.

 

[jetjock]

I'd have thought most people would look into this prior to importation. If you do not qualify for any of the exemptions on Form 256F you're SOL. Look on the bright side: you saved $2500...

 

[hvyman]

Also your never going to pass with a hks bov. Needs to be stock and have cats. and since your car doesnt have egr thats another thing it might fail for. It will forsure on the inspection.

If you have family in arizona would prolly be much easier to register out there, but i wouldnt daily it out here and eventually you will get stopped and they will ask why you dont have cali plates.

 

[3p141592654]

How did that car make it past the docks? I thought importing alone was near impossible to any state.

...has been certified under a federal Environmental Protection Agency Certificate of Conformity and has been issued an approval letter from the federal Department of Transportation....

 

[Turbo-@]

It made it past the docks just fine because it's 25 years old. I have the OEM hookup instead of the HKS bov in a box and it has a cat on it. I did look into it but I had no idea that all the authorized labs to do the smog where no longer doing it or wouldn't look at my car because its not "high end" enough. I'm gonna try the Arizona thing. If they stop me I can always just say I'm in the military that's why it has AZ plates. Hopefully I can get it registered there though.

 

[Turbo-@]

I'd have thought most people would look into this prior to importation. If you do not qualify for any of the exemptions on Form 256F you're SOL. Look on the bright side: you saved $2500...

Thanks.... That helps...

 

[themadhatter]

That really sucks, so do all cars imported into Cali have to meet smog requirements, what if they never sold a US equivalent?

 

[suprarx7nut]

Here are some pages with semi-helpful info regarding the 25 year rule. Still sounds like CA can say you're SOL. All the more reason to move. Even in CO, however, you need to get it "ok'd" by an official who may tell you that you need EGR equipment, etc... Other states don't have those restrictions.

http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/import/faq site/pages/page2.html#Anchor-28852

http://www.motoiq.com/MagazineArtic...ation-Understanding-the-25-Year-Old-Rule.aspx

http://aircarecolorado.com/about-the-test/1981-and-older/exemptions/

 

[hvyman]

Colorado doesn't have beaches filled with chicks tho.


Only way to register it in Arizona is if you have a place of residence there. Can't just walk in and register.

 

[atmperformance]

Beaches filled with chicks is great when you're not in a dick magnet car

 

[Turbo-@]

Colorado doesn't have beaches filled with chicks tho.


Only way to register it in Arizona is if you have a place of residence there. Can't just walk in and register.

I have a friend who lives there. I'm gonna attempt to say I just moved to AZ using his address. Hopefully it works.

 

[Turbo-@]

Beaches filled with chicks is great when you're not in a dick magnet car

LMAO yeah I get a lot more dicks crowding around my car then chicks! Lol if these silly girls only knew what they where looking at!

 

[JDMMA70]

Weird I was talking to another guy who has a turboA in San Diego he got it registered just fine.

 

[hvyman]

Ca dmv are the laziest people in the world so...

 

[Turbo-@]

Weird I was talking to another guy who has a turboA in San Diego he got it registered just fine.

Must have been the other Turbo-A that came over same time as mine. I saw it when I went to pick up my car. Do you have his contact info? I would like to contact him to find out how he did it.

 

[atmperformance]

Ca dmv are the laziest people in the world so...

and dumbest. I once had to return to the DMV 3 times before i found someone able to replace my drivers licence, the problem was i had a motorcycle permit no one knew how to deal with.