Date: Tue, 17 May 1994 14:05:28 +0800
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: David.Rodenhiser@corp.sun.com (David Rodenhiser)
Subject: Re: CA emissions
> > Quick question. I have an '80 vanagon which recently
> > passed Virginia emissions with flying colors. I am moving
> > to Sacramento, CA in two months. I am assuming I may
> > run into some trouble concerning CA's emissions standards.
> > Are these standards set across the board for the state or are
> > they left up to county, city, etc...? What adjustments/enhancements
> > may I need to make to my exhaust to get my baby to pass?
> > Any help appreciated.
> >
> >
>
> Welcome to my stomping ground Joseph. Are coming here to work or
> go to school. Either way, California is not cheap. The smog require
> ment is now State wide. I don't yet know the differences between
> smog equipment in California and the rest of the Union but I'll look
> them up in the Bently and let ya know what I can determine.
>
> Hope we can do some VW campin' together sometime. Also, I suspect
> Martha Rubin on this mailing list might be able to give you some
> tips on the smog deal as well. She also has an '80 I believe.
>
The way I understand the smog rules is this: I don't believe that it matters
if your vehicle passes the smog test. If you have an out-of-state car you
must pay a $300 ($350 ?) smog abatement fee. YOU HAVE TO DO THIS EVEN IF YOUR
CAR HAS CALIFORNIA LEVEL EMMISSIONS!! They check the VIN to find out if your
car was built to Cal specs. If it wasn't built to those specs, you pay the
fee. Essentially here, they really aren't doing anything for the environment,
it is just a way to make money for the state. Also, if you register an
out of state car here, then move to another state (say, arizona), register your
car there (arizona) then move back to california and re-register the car here,
you must pay the fee AGAIN. Don't bother to do anything - leave it as it is.
Dave.
PS - I know this sounds very un-environmentally correct, please understand
that I believe that your car should be well-tuned and not belching garbage
into the air. I think we should all do our part to help keep the air clean.
However, it pisses me off that this state uses the environment as an excuse
to squeeze big bucks out of people. A car that meets federal (not calif)
standards is cleaner than a california truck. Car pays, truck does'nt.
This issue is not about the air, it is about revenue-enhancement.
+-----------------------+-------------------------------------------+
| David Rodenhiser | Sun Microsystems |
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| these opinions belong | Yesterday upon the stair, I saw a man who |
| to me and my cat and | wasn't there. He wasn't there again |
| Nobody else!!! | today, I think he's from the CIA. |
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|