CARB, love em or hate em?

[Guest Kitskaboodle]

I took my 90 to a smog shop today. He took one look under the car and said, "your cat is illegal, so I cannot test your car". I had put on a new aftermarket cat back in 2006 when I first bought the car and it had always passed. The problem is that CARB decided that all California residents, as of Jan 1st, 2009 have to buy a special California-certified cat and it must have a certain code number stamped on the body of the cat. You can't even go to a muffler shop and have them install a "49 state" cat on your California car. They won't do it! They even look up the OE number on your cat to make sure its California certified AND that it's the "correct" cat for your car. I'm basically forced to buy a California cat at a significally higher price . Even at Amazon a Walker or Magnaflow cat is $150 plus. I wish I could get a factory cat off of a junkyard a Reatta but they are not allowed to sell them! So, it could be worse for YOU. You could be living here.

Kit

[padgett]

Have always considered carbs to be "poorly controlled", sounds like yours is also.

My last Florida inspection was in 1972. They closed all the inspection stations. Every day we get clean air from 3,000 miles of Atlantic ocean and the effluvia is "GTT".

[wws944]

Have always considered carbs to be "poorly controlled", sounds like yours is also.

Our CARB is definitely "poorly controlled". They are basically a rogue agency.

One of the more entertaining, but expensive, episodes was the MTBE fiasco. They mandated the refineries spend billions of dollars to put the "stuff" in everyones gas tanks. Then they found out that after it came out of the tailpipes, it didn't deteriorate and was polluting the ground water. Took another couple of years of in-fighting between the air guys and the water guys before they finally removed the MTBE from the gas. Of course the costs were all bourne, eventually, by the consumers.

My last Florida inspection was in 1972. They closed all the inspection stations. Every day we get clean air from 3,000 miles of Atlantic ocean and the effluvia is "GTT".

And if you want to light up your beach front property during turtle season?

Kit - wasn't your car originally from Texas? If so, it is a 49-state car.

[Guest Kitskaboodle]

Doesn't matter where the car was originally sold. If you are going to bring in an out of state car to Ca it must comply with our emmision requirements. When I first registered it back in 2006 this law was not in effect . I only needed to bring it to the DMV for a physical VIN check.

[Bushwack]

In California especially, it's all about unions and special interest. I've done business with both local and state governments (in Cali, Colorado and Texas) and it has always cost me a bit extra to get a permit, variance or conditional use permit that legally, I was entitled to (in California). Contribute a few dollars to a campaign fund, 'save the ocean from oil drilling platforms' or some BS cause that I don't care of one way or another,...its usually about furthering a politician's cau$e.

CARB is no different. Very little that the state has mandated the past 35 years relating to cars/transportation has benefited Joe Consumer.

OK...I'm getting riled. Must hold back my anger.

[buickguy62]

I really like the new CARB spill proof gas cans--not!

[wws944]

My point is that when a 49-state car is brought into Cal it does have to have a smog check. But they can't require you to install additional equipment. For example, Cal required heated O2 sensors a couple of years prior to the 49-state cars. They can't require you to retrofit to a car that didn't originally have it. (Though I think they did do that with PCV vents back in the 1960s.)

Not how sure any of this applies to aftermarket cats. But it seems to me that you should be grandfathered in.

[padgett]

Anyone who would build a megopolis in the "Valley of Smoke" is liable to legislate anything.