Is my Canadian car likely to pass smog? (Columbia: transfer, buying)

[zolck510]

It's a 2004 Ford Freestar minivan with about 110k miles on it. It's registered in British Columbia, which has its own "smog test" type of emissions testing system, called Air Care. The car passes the Air Care test but I'm not sure how the standards compare to CA - I just know that CA has one of the strictest standards.

I'm hoping that since it's not too old, it should be fine passing the smog test. The emission sticker does indicate that it's good to go in USA, which I'm assuming includes CA even though it doesn't specifically say 50-states. What are your thoughts?

[Curmudgeon]

Canadians themselves aren't likely to pass smog! More like gas!

[Spikett]

Check out the DMV rules here at the link, scroll down to the part about cars manufactured in Canada and Mexico. It sounds like it depends on the vehicle. Since your car says it's some US standards, you might have a better chance. But you should know that not only does CA have very strict standards, new cars sold here have to have "California emissions" equipment. There are restrictions on bringing in cars purchased in other states (cars without CA emissions equipment"), so you might want to contact the DMV directly and give them the info on your vehicle to get a better idea.


Before Buying a Vehicle From Out of State - Be Sure You Can Register It in California FFVR 29

[ferretkona]

As long as the van is stock with all original parts it should pass.

[Hemlock140]

Originally Posted by ferretkona

As long as the van is stock with all original parts it should pass.

and all thos eparts are functioning correctly. It is legal in California to buy or sell a used vehicle that meets only federal standards so if the under hood sticker says it meets USA federal EPA standards you should be OK. In CA there are aftermarket parts that meet 49 state smog but not CA so a Canadian vehicle with performance modifications might fail.

[Think4Yourself]

You will likely have to pay some additional licensing fees to transfer an out of state car into state registration but it can be done, sadly, the waver will likely cost you several hundred dollars. The good news is the US and Canada have had a treaty covering harmonization vehicle emissions laws for a while now so it is legal to transfer cars from Canadian provinces to US states (at least at the federal level) or vis versa but individual states can (and in the case of California have) added additional administrative requirements.

The main reason for those additional fees is to prevent people buying cheaper out of state cars which do not have the stricter California emissions equipment installed so while it is possible it will not be inexpensive.