california guys: cost and difficulty of smogging an out of state 930

[Nachtfalter]

What is involved, and what would it cost?

Thanks in advance.

[The cap'n]

If it's a 49 state car it will have a federal sticker. If it's a privately imported car, there will be a different (and larger) federal compliance sticker. As long as it meets the tailpipe emissions standards and has ALL the ORIGINAL emissions equipment for the market in which it as first sold, and it all works, you're good. You do not have to bring it up to CA equipment specs. If you're missing components, or have components that either don't work or have been in some way disabled, you'll have to repair or replace those pieces. The cost of doing so is determined by the cost of the parts and the labor to make it right. That answer your question? BTW, I'm fairly local to you and am emissions savvy.

The Cap'n

[panos]

+1 on what The Cap'n had to say

If there were any adjustments to the engine or exhaust you may have an uphill battle to change everything back to stock. If it's stock then you should be good to go!

[WANNA930]

I am also fairly new to CA and just to clarify to us that are a bit slow at this,

49 State car has one sticker and privately imported car that has the persons name on the sticker are both ok?

Meets the emissions for which market? I am lost here as are you saying the State it was imported into or Country it is from?

So basically if a gray market car is imported legally and federalized even outside of CA and it still retains all of the emissions equip it is CA legal???

Then where does the big premium BAR sticker cars come in play with non modified cars?

I was looking at a federalized in FL 928 gray market car and was told no way?

Thanks and do not mean to take over post just trying to clarify.

[The cap'n]

49 state cars have to meet the specifications and equipment rules for the state in which they were sold. Grey market cars have their own sticker, the one with the name of the person that imported the car, and must meet the federal specs and the specs of the state into which they were originally imported. Unfortunately, some of the equipment which was installed on grey market cars in the 80s is NLA, and things like the Lambda control boxes often fail with no replacements available. Besides all that, a lot of those cars were converted by people with a distinct lack of ethics and a hunger for the quick buck, and the burden of compliance rests with the current owner. I once had to bring a 500SL into compliance just to pass the emissions test, and spent weeks chasing down a throttle body with enough ports to operate the EGR and decel systems. Personally, I wouldn't own a grey market car because of the general condition, the corrosion, and the difficulty in keeping them legal. Each to his own, though ...............

The "big premium BAR sticker"? Not sure what you mean. I suspect you mean the sticker applied to CA registered grey cars and modified cars. Not only did CA grey market cars have to be federalized, they had to meet CA emissions standards, too. I suspect similar cars from other states would have to go to a referee and go through the same inspection, possibly to a different (49 state) standard. If I get by the referee in the next week or so, I'll ask him.

The Cap'n

[gsjohnson]

It's all about the tailpipe emissions and the appearance that the motor is stock. You will also need a VIN verification as well.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by The cap'n

If it's a 49 state car it will have a federal sticker. .............. As long as it meets the tailpipe emissions standards and has ALL the ORIGINAL emissions equipment for the market in which it as first sold, and it all works, you're good. ...............You do not have to bring it up to CA equipment specs. BTW, I'm fairly local to you and am emissions savvy.

The Cap'n

Thanks. I never knew this. Had a mental picture of "49 state" cars not allowed in CA.

Essentially, smuggling is perfectly ok - without mods and everything is working correctly.

Edit: Jeebus - I read the title incorrectly. Not smuggling, smogging. Senior moment.

[realgren]

Originally Posted by gsjohnson

It's all about the tailpipe emissions and the appearance that the motor is stock. You will also need a VIN verification as well.

Agree with you.

First thing: get the car smogged. If it doesn't pass, talk to some people here. They may be able to help. Once you have the smog papers, make an appointment at the DMV for an inspection.

At the DMV, you merely need to point out where the VINs are located for the inspection.
Then the inspector kind of looks at the engine to make sure everything "looks" in place. Most of them have NO IDEA what's they're looking at when it comes to 911's. As long at the smog is ok, and the car "looks" like it has a cat, and doesn't look overly modified, you should be good.

I imported a 2 stroke scooter and a car from NY to CA. I didn't have any issues.

[The cap'n]

OK. I called the referee just now, and we talked about Grey Market cars. This post does NOT address 49 state cars being registered in CA. Here's some important information. When the car is/was federalized, the shop doing the work is required to produce a folder with exacting details of the conversion, including pictures, copies of lab test results, lists of parts and labor, and probably a lot more. This folder is called a "Test and Modify" report. The car's owner gets a copy, the EPA gets a copy, and the DOT gets a copy. The shop doing the conversion is also required to keep a copy. Without that, you CANNOT register the vehicle in CA. The referee I spoke with is a practical guy, and he's been doing this since long before I met him in the mid-'90s. He said having that report and passing at a CA referee station pretty much assures you can register the car here, but NOT ALWAYS. In other words, it can be a crapshoot. Buying an out of state privately imported vehicle is a risk you have to ponder, and you should ALWAYS put your own eyes on the car, have an extensive PPI, and walk away if the paperwork is missing or incomplete. No folder, no sale. He also said there is a statutory cutoff date that pertains to cars imported directly into CA, but we didn't have the time to go into that. The rules differ for cars before/after the date, which was sometime in the mid-'80s. This doesn't apply to cars imported into other states.

Keep in mind there was little followup on conversion cars, and many were returned (by their owners) to perceived European specifications after they were certified. You don't EVEN want to go there. You run it by the referee, he sees that it's been modified in ways other than what the test and modify report says, and he's pretty likely to call the EPA. You are then fully and professional grade screwed. If you're lucky, they'll require a substantial bond and give you a couple of weeks to bring the car into full compliance. If you, as the owner, can't do that, they'll crush the car. I have PERSONALLY seen this happen. If you're unlucky, they might just seize the car. They don't play nice, nor will they break the law and let you off. You have to be a giant corporation to get a chance at that .............................. Hey, Bill Gates pissed them off over a 959 and they beat him!

The Cap'n

[Nachtfalter]

I think I have enough risk in my day job. I'll pass on an out of state grey market car. Thank you all for your replies.

[The cap'n]

Smart move.

The Cap'n

[zaman fu]

i can't believe there is a federal bureaucracy that still gives a ***** about these old cars. what a f*cking racket.