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We had something called E Check here imposed upon the area by the EPA. It was utterly corrupt. No result was the same. People would drive directly from one E Check station to another and one would fail and one would pass. There were tips to workers and referrals to their buddies' garages. and, the seriously decrepit cars were exempt because of age. There was no conceivable way that what they were doing was of any help to the environment. It was sort of like the TSA airport screenings. Somewhere it was written that the entire process with all of the corrections that occurred was the equivalent of taking one old clunker off the road every week. Millions spent to accomplish that tiny result. It was a pretty painful window into just how bad the Nanny-State can be. Good luck to those living in the godfather of all Nanny-States. Nice place to visit though.
The 4th smog test was done today. As a last little to-do, my BF bought some Gum-Out & poured 1/2 the bottle in his almost empty gas tank, then got more gas. Then, he drove the car around (longer than he did after getting the cat converter yesterday) & left the motor running when he pulled into the testing place.
The cat converter he got installed did it, even though it didn't pass afterwards yesterday.
Thank you ALL for your willingness to help & time posting all your knowledge. My BF thanks you guys too! He feels so relieved.
Wilson513, my BF isn't going to go through that & he doesn't know anyone in those states anyway, but thanks for the tip.
EXCELLENT!!!!
That's seriously great news, very happy for you and your BF. I would have felt terrible if he ended up having to dump it, especially after you posted how he's had it for so long and just got it painted last year. I know how insanely frustrating it is to invest all that time, money and effort in something... nice to hear a happy ending for a change!
So the catalytic converter did it... I remember reading once that they come with some kind of gel coating on the inside from the factory and that it takes awhile to burn off and reach optimal performance. I bet that's why it didn't pass the first time around. He's got a lot of fresh parts on there now, so as long as he keeps up with normal/regular maintenance I bet he'll be fine for next year too. Who knows, maybe by then California will abandon it's ludicrous emissions testing requirements for 25+ year old vehicles? New York has always been the biggest emissions-Nazi state after CA and we finally got rid of them. Never thought I'd see the day...
Anyway, hope he gets plenty more miles out of the truck and enjoys a little less unneeded stress. And of course, remind him how lucky he is to have a GF who took LOTS of time to do some research and help out! This is really confusing stuff, you did a great job
Yes sean, THANK YOU again! Yes, my BF certainly appreciates all I do for him. Today's Sat, we deserve to go out & celebrate! I shudder thinking that he has to go through this EVERY yr, but since he's got new parts, like you said, it should be easier to pass now.
I wish good luck to everyone else who has to do this same kind of thing! It's starting to feel like summer here in CA!
Last edited by Forever Blue; 04-16-2011 at 10:44 AM..
Congratulations, and that's great to see that you're being such a good helper to your boyfriend. My car is 16 years old and I just received my notice of registration renewal from the DMV a couple of weeks ago and I'm due for a smog check (last one was 2 years ago in 2009). If I manage to keep my car long enough, hopefully I'll get to the point where I won't need to have it smogged anymore. I know, wishful thinking on my part, huh?
Get and keep a copy of your passing test, pay attention to how close or not you were to the limit on each of the 3 smog components. When you have to do the test next time, in a year or 2 years or whatever it takes - be sure to change the oil and put in a fresh set of plugs *immediately before* doing the test, as in 1-2 days before. Cheap insurance that it will pass again.Glad to hear that you passed.
Congratulations, and that's great to see that you're being such a good helper to your boyfriend. My car is 16 years old and I just received my notice of registration renewal from the DMV a couple of weeks ago and I'm due for a smog check (last one was 2 years ago in 2009). If I manage to keep my car long enough, hopefully I'll get to the point where I won't need to have it smogged anymore. I know, wishful thinking on my part, huh?
I attended all the hearings in Sacramento and every promise in regards to older cars was later broken...
Originally, the rolling exemption was 25 years, then they said it needed to be tweaked to 30 and later they froze it at 1976...
All of my vehicles but one is 20 or older... two unfortunately are 1976 year models... a BMW and a Triumph... Just have them stored for now... too much trouble.
Last time I took in the triumph... the smog guy didn't have a clue what he was looking at...
California powers that be would be happy if we had to buy new cars every 10 years... and there is a very strong push to get old cars off the roads...
I attended all the hearings in Sacramento and every promise in regards to older cars was later broken...
Originally, the rolling exemption was 25 years, then they said it needed to be tweaked to 30 and later they froze it at 1976...
All of my vehicles but one is 20 or older... two unfortunately are 1976 year models... a BMW and a Triumph... Just have them stored for now... too much trouble.
Last time I took in the triumph... the smog guy didn't have a clue what he was looking at...
California powers that be would be happy if we had to buy new cars every 10 years... and there is a very strong push to get old cars off the roads...
You could easily trade one of these for a 75 or earlier Trabant, or 2-stroke SAAB...
You could seriously advertise the BMW (2002 I guess?) in Roundel and either work out a trade for a 75 or older, or just sell it outright to an enthusiast in another state.
All this crap is just one of about 6 independent stand-alone reasons I would never consider living in CA.
You could easily trade one of these for a 75 or earlier Trabant, or 2-stroke SAAB...
You could seriously advertise the BMW (2002 I guess?) in Roundel and either work out a trade for a 75 or older, or just sell it outright to an enthusiast in another state.
All this crap is just one of about 6 independent stand-alone reasons I would never consider living in CA.
I've thought about that... just wondering what will happen when I bring the car in for a check down the road if the techs don't know what to do now.
I've also noticed the standard to pass for older cars has been tightened...
The last time I took in my 1973 VW Thing... the mechanic said they do not test Kit Cars... he had never seen one. Mine is 100% stock... at least it doesn't require testing anymore.
My 87 Samurai gets driven about 200 miles a year... mostly use it around the homestead... the only time I drive it a lot is when the smog test is due...
I believe the car collector contingent was done a grave disservice when the rolling exemption was eliminated...
Hey, my Uncle was given a Saab Sonnet in great condition... it was in a garage for 30 years covered with blankets... I wanted to get it going and he said the paper work wasn't worth it... he parted it out and did very well...
Two years ago, I went to look at a 56 Thunderbird in Marin County... I had the hood up and this lady in a Volvo slowed down and rolled down her window... I thought she was also looking to buy... she only stopped to tell me how unsafe and bad for the environment old cars are
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