Could someone please confirm this SMOG sticker is OK for CA?

[tdskip]

Looking at a cough, cough, 1987 928s4 and want to make sure it is OK to bring into California. Not sure what year Porsche went to 50 state compliance vs having separate emissions for CA. I think it was before 1987 but need to make sure.

Side note - screw photobucket


gif uploading site

[ossiblue]

AFIK, unless the label specifically states the vehicle complies with California emission standards, it is not considered compliant. The label you show does not include a statement that the vehicle meets California standards. Unless there is another label somewhere, I would assume the car does not meet the standards and you are taking a huge risk. Note the second paragraph in the small box on the label. It says the engine meets all federal standards, but does not mention California.

Refer to the page in the link, below, and note the different descriptions of a 49 state compliant label and a 50 state label.

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/?1dmy&urile=wcmath:/dmv_content_en/dmv/pubs/brochures/fast_facts/ffvr29

[tdskip]

Good morning and thank you for the note back. That was my take on it as well but I don't consider myself an authority on these stickers

[proporsche]

hi,.... i think you have to have this kind of sticker like this from my car

Ivan

[matthepcat]

My 911 only has a sticker that says catalyst on the driver door and passed in CA. Since it's OBD1, it just has to pass the sniffer, looks stock and have a cat & O2 sensor.

[tdskip]

Thanks for the responses and discussion.

It appears there are CA specific vs 49 State cars until sometime in the last 1990s or early 2000s.

The open question is if a 49 State (non-California car) can be brought into the state now if it will pass the Federal standards it was built to. I called a couple local SMOG test only centers and two said "no problem" and one said "no way".

[proporsche]

Hi Call my friends in Chequered Flag in Marina del Rey...they deal with this all the time....
310 827 8665 ask for Neil

Ivan

[ossiblue]

Originally Posted by tdskip

Thanks for the responses and discussion.

It appears there are CA specific vs 49 State cars until sometime in the last 1990s or early 2000s.

The open question is if a 49 State (non-California car) can be brought into the state now if it will pass the Federal standards it was built to. I called a couple local SMOG test only centers and two said "no problem" and one said "no way".

Any vehicle can be brought into the state, but it may not be allowed to be registered and, thus, driven on the roads. It's one thing to pass the federal standards, but a completely different thing to be allowed to be registered in California. Unless the vehicle is certified that it meets California emission standards by the manufacturer, you cannot process the registration. California standards are tougher than fed.

If the car is yours and you owned and registered it in another state for the last two years, you can bring it with you and register it. Once registered, it can be sold to someone else in California, but if it leaves and is registered in another state, it cannot be re-registered in Ca. by an new Ca. buyer.

[Trackrash]

Originally Posted by ossiblue

If the car is yours and you owned and registered it in another state for the last two years, you can bring it with you and register it. Once registered, it can be sold to someone else in California, but if it leaves and is registered in another state, it cannot be re-registered in Ca. by an new Ca. buyer.

Typical Kalifornia nonsense.

[proporsche]

I did have plenty of clients in LA registered their cars in Vegas;-)

[boyt911sc]

Originally Posted by ossiblue

Any vehicle can be brought into the state, but it may not be allowed to be registered and, thus, driven on the roads. It's one thing to pass the federal standards, but a completely different thing to be allowed to be registered in California. Unless the vehicle is certified that it meets California emission standards by the manufacturer, you cannot process the registration. California standards are tougher than fed.

If the car is yours and you owned and registered it in another state for the last two years, you can bring it with you and register it. Once registered, it can be sold to someone else in California, but if it leaves and is registered in another state, it cannot be re-registered in Ca. by an new Ca. buyer.

I took my stock '87 Carrera 3.2 registered in PA to Carmel, CA 5 years ago. The first thing I did was have the car smog tested and it passed. Brought it to DMV the following for inspection and subsequently got registered. The lady who looked and inspected the car did not even bother to look underneath the engine. The key is finding a shop to do the emission test prior to registration and pass the requirement.

Tony

[911obgyn]

The california sticker is for cars sold new in california, it is ok to bring a used car into california as long as it has not been modified from original equipment. My 85 carrera had a broken air box latch and i had to replace it to smog it this year. I should have used black tape to hold it together they might not have noticed.

[proporsche]

well..my 911 is a euro model which i bought in California...to make it easier for me i bought this sticker and never ever had a problem with smog testing;-)
Ivan

[McLovin]

You might be able to get it by smog places, but for out of state cars brought into California, you also have to get it inspected and passed by the DMV.

That's where you can potentially have a problem. The DMV has a checklist where they basically look for 2 things:

1) VIN numbers (to make sure they match, etc.)

2) The EPA sticker specifically saying the car is California emissions certified.

[tdskip]

Originally Posted by McLovin

You might be able to get it by smog places, but for out of state cars brought into California, you also have to get it inspected and passed by the DMV.

That's where you can potentially have a problem. The DMV has a checklist where they basically look for 2 things:

1) VIN numbers (to make sure they match, etc.)

2) The EPA sticker specifically saying the car is California emissions certified.

Oh crud.

Cripes this is like watching a tennis match!

[ossiblue]

Originally Posted by 911obgyn

The california sticker is for cars sold new in california, it is ok to bring a used car into california as long as it has not been modified from original equipment. My 85 carrera had a broken air box latch and i had to replace it to smog it this year. I should have used black tape to hold it together they might not have noticed.

Yes, this is correct^^, but not only must the equipment be OG, the vehicle must pass the test at the levels for California, not just the levels for the Fed.

"However, a used vehicle which is equipped with the necessary Federal Emission components is eligible for California registration as long as the vehicle's exhaust emissions fall within California's limits. It's true, in some cases Federal cars have different emission components but this does not ban them from being registered in California."
Purchasing or Bringing Out of State Vehicle into California

[McLovin]

Originally Posted by ossiblue

Yes, this is correct^^, but not only must the equipment be OG, the vehicle must pass the test at the levels for California, not just the levels for the Fed.

"However, a used vehicle which is equipped with the necessary Federal Emission components is eligible for California registration as long as the vehicle's exhaust emissions fall within California's limits. It's true, in some cases Federal cars have different emission components but this does not ban them from being registered in California."
Purchasing or Bringing Out of State Vehicle into California

I wouldn't trust a link to some random non-official webpage (which contains wrong info), like the one above.

Go straight to the official DMV Webpage:

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/wcm/connect/4a6b05aa-1e88-4e31-ac02-453e3a71c7c7/ffvr29.pdf?MOD=AJPERES

[McLovin]

or if you're too lazy, see it here

The "California certified" label is needed. Read the part that says "Check the Label."

[McLovin]

As you can see, there are a few exceptions, but they don't apply to 99% of Californians who are looking to buy and out of state car and bring it into California.

Without the label specifically saying "California certified," as set forth above, you run a YUGE risk of buying a car that you can't register here. Maybe you'd sneak it by, but that would be the exception, not the rule. The DMV minions may not know much, but they do know how to go down a checklist and check labels. I wouldn't take that risk.

[McLovin]

Originally Posted by tdskip

Oh crud.

Cripes this is like watching a tennis match!

Game, set, match!