UrS4

Hello All,

I will be moving to the Sacramento area in a couple of months.

I have the mods listed in my sig.

I have tried to find out about the emissions laws and if there are any ways around them. I have been finding conflicting information, so I was hoping for some actual california residents that have modifications to their mustangs to chime in.

Some say that once I live in Cali for 1 mo. I have to have my car registered (get Cali plates) and I will have to have it smog tested. I have also heard I have 1 year to register the car.

I have heard that there is a smog fine for having LTs and aftermarket cats of $250 and I have heard it could cost $1000.

I understand that any change to the cats or exhaust manifolds regardless of CARB certification or that it will actually pass the smog test, it is still illegal.

I have heard that any new car purchased in Cali does not have to be smog tested for 6 years but that any new car titled outside of Cali does. Is this true?

Also, if I never register the car in Cali but have a Cali address what is the penalty?

I am hoping for some real answers and not speculation as I don't want to spend hundreds to return my exhaust that I love back to stock. I don't have the coin to switch out the headers and mid pipe every year for smog testing either.

Please help.

Thanks,

UrS4

daltron

Unfortunately I don't have any real solid information for you, but I can tell you two pieces of information I know:

1) I have a 2005 GT and I haven't had to get it smogged yet. Just the same registration fees the DMV keeps asking for.

2) The smog shop the company takes it's vehicles too doesn't inspect the car outside of the engine bay.


However, I found these two links, hope they help:

http://www.bar.ca.gov/01_ConsumerAct...SmogCheck.html

http://dmv.ca.gov/vr/smogfaq.htm

"Some vehicles are not required to obtain a smog check inspection for registration purposes."

"Vehicles that are six or less model-years old are abated from the biennial smog check inspection requirement. For vehicles with registration renewals due in the 2008 calendar year, the abated years include 2003 through 2008."

mikeysGT

you have 5 years before you have to get the car smogged. mines an 06 so i have til 2011 til i have to go get it done. i'm running longtubes with and o/r x pipe too and will deal with it when the time comes around. i "heard" of places you can go to get around the emissions laws....

UrS4

Thanks for those links.

Since I will be moving to Cali from out of state, it says that I will still have to have a one time smog test at initial registration. After that, I will be exempt until 2012. Which I'm sure I will pass the smog test but not the visual inspection.

Next question, if I transfer the title of the car to my father, it will stay a MN car. Can I then drive it in Cali without issue as if I was to be pulled over and have an illegal mod (LTs and hi flow cats) will I get a fine as the car won't technically be mine?

eolson

If you are living in California for over a month without a registration sticker and a California residence, and they pull you over, they will make you register in California.

My car would have had to have been smogged in 2011, and I bought it in Nov. 06'

Ask a good performance shop and ask them where they take their illegal cars to be smogged, like GTR Performance in Rancho Cuccamungha. Erik

99mustang0

It doesnt matter if you change the title over to your dad, if your driving the car and you show the officer a CA drivers license you will get a ticket. (a fat ticket from what i understand) You can take your chances and see what happens, but lately they are cracking down and pulling people over for BS reasons. I just got pulled over the other day ONLY for having darker tint than legal. (no tint is legal on the front 2 windows here)
Also, if you get pulled over and they look under your car and see no cats your in for a huge ticket. Theres not many ways around it here, personally i try to stay as legal as possible because i dont like to get hassled by the cops for no reason. They are really trying to generate revenue right now...
Good luck!

99mustang0

And yes its true that you have to smog any car coming into CA. I had to smog my brand new 08 truck when i moved here...

Red Beast

its 5 years if it was a car sold in cali, im pretty sure if you import a car from another state it needs to b checked within the firt year. as for the cats, you might b able to pass with those... maybe.... unfortunatley the LT headers are illigeal. worst case senario is u find a totalled gt and take off the headers from that and exhaust and swap it when it comes to. or you could ind a smog shop that may possibly be bribale.....


If you want to know ur exact answers just call the CHP. theyd b the ones to know dude.