Smog exep

[SoCAL]

hello

i have a questions

how old those a Z car has to be SMOG EXEP on the state of CALIFORNIA

if any one could HELP me out

THANKS

[Arne]

Call DMV and ask them?

I think 1975 and older are exempt in California, but if it were me I'd want to confirm that from an official source, not an internet forum...

[motorman7]

Call DMV and ask them?

I think 1975 and older are exempt in California, but if it were me I'd want to confirm that from an official source, not an internet forum...

I believe you are correct with that. I know my 1970 thru 1973 are exempt. I remember a guy offering me his 1975 Z telling me that is was the best Z to have because it was FI and was smog exempt.

[SteveJ]

Just keep in mind that exempt applies to testing. You technically must have all required smog equipment on the car in functional order. You can also be subject to random roadside tests. If you don't have equipment or the emissions are too high, guess what? You'll be testing again, and again, and again.

[motorman7]

Just keep in mind that exempt applies to testing. You technically must have all required smog equipment on the car in functional order. You can also be subject to random roadside tests. If you don't have equipment or the emissions are too high, guess what? You'll be testing again, and again, and again.

I don't think that is correct for California. Registered my Z's at the DMV and didn't even have to pop the hood for the inspector. Seems they just check to make sure the cost you specify on title transfer of your car is legit for the car, i.e no $500 Ferari's. They also check the S/N which is visible through windshield

[LeonV]

Call DMV and ask them?

I think 1975 and older are exempt in California, but if it were me I'd want to confirm that from an official source, not an internet forum...

I believe you are correct with that. I know my 1970 thru 1973 are exempt. I remember a guy offering me his 1975 Z telling me that is was the best Z to have because it was FI and was smog exempt.

I don't think that is correct for California. Registered my Z's at the DMV and didn't even have to pop the hood for the inspector. Seems they just check to make sure the cost you specify on title transfer of your car is legit for the car, i.e no $500 Ferari's. They also check the S/N which is visible through windshield

Wrong, wrong, wrong.

Steve has it right.

Your car is not smog exempt unless it was made in 1965 (or '63, don't remember exactly) or earlier. In California, cars that are 1975 and older are exempt from biannual smog testing, not from compliance. That's why motorman7 can register his cars without having to test it. Sure, you're probably unlikely to get caught running a non-compliant pre-'75, but if you do, there may be repercussions based on how nice you are to the officer and how they're feeling that day. Legally, all Z's must have all emissions systems installed and operational.

[esprist]

In general, Production date 3/1976 is the last ones in California. So look at driver's door jam for prodution date.

[Healey Z]

Pretty straight forward. Look at your pink slip. If the model year is 1975 or older, it is exempt from smog inspections.

http://dmv.ca.gov/online/vrir/faqsmog.htm

Edited April 28, 2011 by Healey Z
fix link

[conedodger]

For sure, if a vehicle is registered as a 1975 or earlier it is exempt from smog testing. If it has a production date of 3/76 or earlier that is true as well but there is enough stupidity at CA DMV that I wouldn't count on being exempt with those fools. It is also correct that you are only exempt from testing. You must still be in compliance with State and Federal law as it regards smog equipment being in place and smog testing. There has been a rash of CARB roadside sniff testing going on in Northern California. You just drive along and they can sniff your exhaust as you drive by. If you light up their lights, they pull you over up ahead and put you on roadside rollers and do the full test. A nice set of Webers on a '75 and you're toast...

[John Coffey]

1975 model year and earlier cars are exempt from smog testing (under BAR regulations) but not exempt from compliance with all applicable smog laws under the California Motor Vehicle Code (27156). Here's what happens:

1. You get pulled over for some reason.

2. Officer asks you to open the hood.

3. Officer sees something wrong or you refuse to open the hood.

4. Officer cites under 27156.

5. 27156 says its a violation of the law to operate the vehicle (except to get it home or to a repair facility) until proof of correction is provided to the court.

6. The courts currently only accept proof of correction from a BAR certified smog referee (not a smog station or a smog tech).

http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/90059-more-california-smog-info

Edited April 28, 2011 by John Coffey

[John Coffey]

duplicate

[chaztg]

scary stuff....I'll confirm that 1975 and prior model years DO NOT require you to obtain a smog cert to register the vehicle. The 1975 I just bought last year confirms this--I have the new title in my name, no smog was needed to get it. The possibility of "roadside sniffers" is a real one though and there has been talk about these for a while now (more so around when about 1997-98 CA expempted everything 73 & earlier, which was great for me back then, because my 73 had been deemed a gross polluter due a dumb $^!# mechanic who didn't adjust the carbs before the smog test and I couldn't register or drive it). But then the expemption happened & I walked right in to DMV & got my stickers and have never needed a smog since. Neither my 73 or 75 would pass muster anyway, visually or otherwise...that's why I fear the "sniffers", but I don't think about it too much. My 73 has a cam (nuff said), and the 75 will be running non-OEM FI and they would never pass smog, even at the required levels for their repsective mfg dates. I think it's a Big-Brother government tactic on the face of it and wholly unnecessary when it comes to old cars. Most old cars will be off the roads very soon due to attrition. All the others, like my 2 cars & I'm sure a lot of my Z brethren here take really good care of their vehicles and they run as clean as, well...as they can make them! And I'm sure they're in better tune than most cars out there. Just don't be a jerk and drive your oil-burning & smoking ride down the freeway la-dee-da thinking "hey, I'm smog exempt! Who cares?" Because you'll ruin it for the rest of us. People can report an old car that is obviously an air quality hazard. The rule is: if you flaunt the law, you'll get caught and be called to the carpet. I think it's great to have this miraculous loophole in the vehicle code of a state that seems to hate anybody's right to own a cool old mechanical thing and not be hassled by the laws that apply to everything else--it's a rational way to handle the presence of old vehicles because the normal rules just don't apply. Who in their right mind anyway would think that the emissions control equipment would still be functioning on these vehicles to the point it would actually make a difference given the amount of mileage driven on them compared to all other modern vehicles? From an engineering standpoint, most of the vacuum gizmos, valves, switches, sensors were stop-gap remedies developed by the vehicle makers for CA models in their efforts to keep up with the ever-tightening restrictions...until electronic fuel injection became relatively standard in most vehicles, all else that came before fell short of living up to this "compliance utopia" that California seems to be aiming for. We can't be expected to have our old outmoded cars fit that requirement, it's not possible and not reasonable. Hopefully at the law enforcement, legislative and common-sense level, everybody will continue to realize that.