Date: Thu, 8 Dec 2005 03:14:48 EST
Reply-To: Oxroad@AOL.COM
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Jeff Oxroad <Oxroad@AOL.COM>
Subject: Re: Vanagon Zetec Conversion update
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
In a message dated 12/8/2005 12:19:23 AM Pacific Standard Time,
crescentbeachguitar@GMAIL.COM writes:
Do they do a visual
on every car every year in California?
The short answer is: Yup.
I've never had a smog check without having the engine slowly and painfully
checked for all appropriate smag equipment etc. The smog guy even has to take
the gas cap off and check it in a suction hose to make sure the cap doesn't
leak air as part of the test. All these tests are hooked up to a computer
linked to the DMV.
Now of course the smog check guy is responsible for the visual engine check
and typing appropriate answers into the DMV-linked computer. But in my
experience he carefully inspected my engine at each question. My smog guy actually
owns a Vanagon, so at least on my Vanagon I know he knows what he's looking
at. And my guy is at a "Check Only" station. Which is a smog check facility
that does not do repairs or diagonostics--only hooks up to the appropriate
machines and tests the output.
Also, when I first moved to California a DMV official had to physically
check my engine in the DMV parking lot, the Smog information sticker from the
factory needed to be in tact, and then of course the vin number on the vehicle
to register the vehicle. Now I'm still curious to this day if she knew what she
was looking at. How would she know if I had the original 1.9 L or swapped it
for a later Vanagon 2L, or if it was a Ford Zetec. The F-O-R-D printed on
the engine might be the tip off. But do they know how to visually determine
it's the correct 1.9L...I dunno? But I wouldn't want to be the poor Bast*** who
was found out with a FORD engine in my Vanagon and had to wrestle with the
State. Because you can't beat city hall for the most part. And the smog policy
has nothing whatever to do with logic.
As you said, sort of, if the engine blows clean what the difference if it
was manufactured by a different automotive company than the one on the vehicle's
grill emblem? I spoke to one listee a few years back down around San Diego
who had an earlier SA conversion and since the ECU had "made in South Africa"
sticker on it he couldn't register in California. The Referee read the
sticker and said "no go." Apparently it had to be certified for the US and have a
sticker to prove it. A STICKER!!!
Done in by the sticker--who would have thought? And this even though the
engine blew more than acceptable smog numbers. I guess at that point you're
found out and can't just put another sticker over the existing one.
They love enforcing the smog and making the engine swap difficult in
California. I'm not saying enforcing the smog control is a bad thing. But making it
difficult to swap to a more efficient cleaner engine is of course
self-defeating. Top that with no viable public transportation and no plan, compounded by
rapid construction of unaffordable housing, almost no decent public
education, and so on, and you might think we don't know what we're doing.
But then California is a little screwy. There's no safety inspection for
vehicles whatsoever. Here in LA, there's almost no traffic enforcement and yet
unbelievably efficient parking enforcement. I could go on and on. Mostly I'm
frustrated an upgrade like the Zetec is kept from California because of the
cost of working logic into governmental decisions.
The say hell is just like the life we know with the absence of reason.
So, in short, I share your logic. If the emissions are clean, what does it
matter what it looks like under the hood? But in California they are looking
under the hood.
Best,
Jeff
83.5 Westy
LA,CA
