Date: Wed, 22 Jul 2009 19:46:21 -0700
Reply-To: Robert Fisher <refisher@MCHSI.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Robert Fisher <refisher@MCHSI.COM>
Subject: Re: Smog test failed - here is my plan
In-Reply-To: <6bc66ccf0907221907x55a086c7v1d95454ca0cccea5@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
When I first got to Cali about 20 years ago, I went to visit a friend in LA.
I hadn't been in the basin more than five minutes when my throat started to
close up and my eyes got red and itchy. They stayed that way the whole time
I was there, about three days. I don't have allergies. You basically
couldn't see the surrounding hills from anywhere unless you got right up on
them. The sky was an ugly color and the sun looked dimmed. It stank. The
symptoms didn't go away until I had been back up in the desert for a few
days.
The last several years have been much better when I've gone down there. I
don't feel the physical symptoms, and with a few exceptions, the hills are
visible, the sky is almost normal, etc. There's no denying that whatever
else has come with it, the program has been effective up to this point.
The news has been full of stories of the increasing rates of asthma, lung
cancer and other respiratory issues over the last few decades in that area,
especially among children/young adults that have grown up in that crap.
You can pay cash now, or you can pay in lives later.
Obviously people are playing politics and trying to corrupt the system to
their own ends, but that's true of everything, everywhere.
As for allowing conversions, there just aren't that many people trying to do
that anyway, and many that are, are trying to create street racers that are
anything but cleaner than their original configurations. On the one hand, it
isn't cost effective (and it might not even be legal) to try to tailor a
massive program to a small group, particularly when a large part of that
group is working at odds to the objective. As I understand it, it's not that
onerous to do a legal conversion if you leave the entire emissions package
intact; where that becomes an issue for Vanagons is that the reverse
rear-wheel drive setup makes that particularly difficult because you have to
keep the engine mated to its original tranny. In other words, it's _our_
particular problem. I highly doubt that the legislature is going to make the
effort to grant an exception to a very small subgroup of enthusiasts.
I'm just glad that we don't have to go through those safety inspections that
the list members from back east are always posting about. Every two years
with a properly maintained vehicle is a cakewalk compared to that.
As for the 'cash for clunkers', I believe I read that you had to be the
registered owner of the vehicle for quite a while before you could enter it
into the program? In Cali you have to be the registered owner of a legally
registered vehicle for two consecutive years before you're eligible for the
BAR/CAP programs.
Cya,
Robert
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Don Hanson
Sent: Wednesday, July 22, 2009 7:07 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Smog test failed - here is my plan
Tim,
I don't agree with you. Yes, some old cars are sometime-stinkers,
especially when they are way out of tune or their choke is
malfunctioning....but your generalization that the CARB has saved Kalifornia
from stink...I don't think so. Much of that CARB stuff is in place because
it's been lobbied there. Some of it is downright ludicrous. For instance
them only allowing the Kenedy Engineering Subaru engine swap...Come on, that
is silly. Kennady coughed up the cash to buy the approval but thier Subaru
motor conversions are exactly the same as many others that are
"non-compliant"..But any modern Subie powered van is less polluting than an
older WBX van..
If they were serious and actually 'task-oriented' about reducing emissions
they would put in place something to measure the actual emissions from each
vehicle and go totally on that...But they have all kinds of weird mandates
that have nothing to do with the actual measurable emissions and lots to do
with paperwork and their own little Kingdom...They just make "Royal
Mandates" into law...(actually not law, but they won't pass your vehicle or
even test it)
I am willing to bet that my Vanagon with it's 92 Cabriolet inline four
would be 'rejected, out of hand' as 'non-compliant' by the CARB even though
it gets 25mpg and probably emits 5 times less than a brand new pickup...They
would not even agree to test it, and that sucks! The government should be
working for the people, not telling us to screw off and buy a new car...
Give the CARB a few more "Victories" and they will likely outlaw or
over-tax all but the newest vehicles... Ya think it's less polluting to
take your perfectly good 2-5yr old vehicle, crush it, send it to Japan,
Korea or Germany and make a new one out of the steel then put the new one on
the ship and send it back here again? That's gotta be a huge net-gain in
Carbon emissions and pollution...building a new car...
A little van content: I just saw one offered in the Classifieds with this
ad copy (Paraphrased) "Buy this van if you can afford a new car..You can
use this van to get the 'cash for clunker' rebate thereby saving yourself
some money on your new car" So there it is, already...to some people (those
who can afford to buy a new car right now) a perfectly good van is worth
more in the crusher. They are being sold as 'coupons'..".Take one "old
clunker" (not what we call our Vanagons, but to the CARB and the Gov. they
are that) to the dealer and get 15% off on your next new car".....Too bad
for the family who needs an affordable RV/camping/work/ whatever
vehicle..."It's just business"...
Don Hanson
On Wed, Jul 2 2, 2009 at 12:31 PM, Aristotle Sagan <
killer.jupiter@gmail.com> wrote:
> "He" is an idiot. But a very nice guy.
>
> Ya ever notice what happens to your sense of smell when you follow some
guy
> in a 65 Mustang, Galaxy 500, or even a Beetle around? It stinks.
>
> If there wasn't a CARB in CA, it would all still stink like this.
>
> Get your van fixed and be pleased to live in a state where they care about
> your health (somewhat)
>
> tim in san jose
>
>
>
> On Wed, Jul 22, 2009 at 12:02 PM, Roland <syncronicity1@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Yes, one of our favorite subjects: good old CA smog test, '89 2.1. It
> has
> > passed twice before without needing help, but not this time.
> >
> >
> >
> > I would do those "tune-up" items myself, but by the time I get it done,
> and
> > maybe adjust the AFM (which I've never done), I'd be guessing, and then
> go
> > back to get it checked again, and if it fails, then guess again, and go
> > back. The process stinks, given all the governmental stuff in CA, I am
> > getting sick of this state anyway (sorry for the editorial). Recent
> > reports
> > show the smog test system as useless: now there are so many newer cars
> on
> > the road which don't go bad, that this whole smog test junk is just a
tax
> > on
> > older car owners.
> >
> > Things I learned from the Smog Test station (who is a really good guy):
> > - don't use premium fuel - it will increases the probability of failure.
> > - don't ever buy ARCO gas, he was adamant about this!
> > - California has a CAP program which my Van qualfies. I have to mail in
> an
> > application, then if approved I go to a CAP qualified repair facility,
> and
> > I
> > pay the first $100.00 of smog repairs, then the state pays the next
> > $500.00. But many of these "certified" CAP stations refuse to touch
> > vanagons. Takes about 2 weeks to hear back from the state after you
send
> > the application.
> >
> > Any comments appreciated.
> >
> > Roland
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Where ever you are, there you be. Unless you're driving my van, in which
> case, you ain't got there yet.
>
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