HJ60 in California - Page 2

jcolvin · 04-05-07, 01:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jan-78FJ40

Here is the information I gathered after 5 trips to the DMV (with pictures of the ID plates) and numerous calls to the California Air resources Board:
VIN numbers with BJ in them can be registered, since Toyota supplied a letter at some point declaring that the B and 3B engines follow US emission requirements.
Diesels are smog excempt, but that does only mean that they do not need to undergo a smog test. It does not exclude them from having to follow CA emission requirements.
VIN numbers with HJ in them cannot be titled, unless they have a letter from toyota with them, stating they follow CA emission requiremnts.
A IF plate from a registered importer in the door jam can be interpreted as such, but it seems to depend on the inspector.

This is what I gathered the last weeks, it is not necessarily true, just experience.
I wonder if there are any HJ60s in California, the owners should be able to tell how they got them in!
thanks for all the comments!

Does anyone know anything about this "letter" that Toyota provided certifying BJ "B" series engines as meeting US EPA requirements? I have a friend who is having serious difficulties registering her BJ41 in California.

Jan-78FJ40 · 04-05-07, 09:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcolvin

Does anyone know anything about this "letter" that Toyota provided certifying BJ "B" series engines as meeting US EPA requirements? I have a friend who is having serious difficulties registering her BJ41 in California.

you revived a really old thread.
most of the information is covered in the long importation thread that has been stickied.
best,
jan

jcolvin · 04-05-07, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jan-78FJ40

you revived a really old thread.
most of the information is covered in the long importation thread that has been stickied.
best,
jan

Most of that info concerns canadian-spec vehicles, not JDM ones. There is a brief mention of a letter from Toyota certifying all B-series motors, but no elaboration. The sticky does not elaborate on whether a solution has ever been found for Japanese-spec B-series vehicles. If such a letter exists, obviously that is a solution. Hoping someone has more info on this, it is a "hanging thread" on that matter.

82-40 · 04-10-07, 10:57 PM

Jcolvin I think some one on this thread spoke of a # on the door plate that will validate it. Or are you asking for the wording of the letter per datum to throw in their face? keep the rest of the late comers posted with the results from your friends import.

bagh33ra · 05-04-07, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcolvin

Does anyone know anything about this "letter" that Toyota provided certifying BJ "B" series engines as meeting US EPA requirements? I have a friend who is having serious difficulties registering her BJ41 in California.

I'd be interested in hearing more about this letter as well, I talked to an RI locally who started in about "conforming" costs on the truck I am in the middle of buying.

Anyone else that brought in non-canadian vehicles to CA run into that?

polarweasel · 05-04-07, 04:58 PM

Have you read the sticky thread on importing in this forum? Most (or all) of these questions have been addressed a time or three.

And if your RI can't answer these questions, get a new RI. They're in that sticky, too.

bagh33ra · 05-04-07, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by polarweasel

Have you read the sticky thread on importing in this forum? Most (or all) of these questions have been addressed a time or three.

And if your RI can't answer these questions, get a new RI. They're in that sticky, too.

Yes I have, I have read every one of them multiple times. Not a single one covers bringing in a non-Canadian over 25 year old BJ-42 into California which was imported through customs without an RI and has a current US VIN and registration in another state.

I did contact an RI whole is local to me (or close to) and he started talking about having to "conform" the vehicle at a minimum cost of $2500 or so - yet the vehicle is already registered in the state of GA and all I am looking for is the dumb emissions label that California is going to want to see when I have the VIN inspection done at the dmv. $2500 seems to be a great deal of money for a sticker.

Nobody in any of the threads I read mentioned that they were charged that much money - or that any conformation modifications needed to be done to their BJ.

Sorry to sound frustrated - but I've read the stickies. Repeatedly. Hell I was ghosting these boards for over a year before I even registered an account. Subsequently I keep getting told by the automated system here that I haven't posted in a while - why is that, it's because I know how to use search and try not to ask stupid questions.

Fact is that the stickies aren't covering my potential situation. :(

Actually there is this sticky:

http://forum.ih8mud.com/diesel-tech-24-volts-systems/46292-where-find-independent-commercial-importer-california.html

Which basically has 0 information regarding where to find an RI/ICI at all - despite the title.

Correction, it HAD 0 information in it on locating an RI/ICI until I added links to the lists of them

Jcolvin,

This "letter" is vaporware. I called Toyota in Torrance twice this afternoon and got the same answer - they cannot access any information regarding non-US models at all. Period. They did try to find contact information for Toyota of Australia for me, but then gave up and refering me to the international website.

The phone number is 310-468-4000 in case anyone else would like to try.

brownbear · 05-04-07, 06:53 PM

This thread is now added to the FAQ for importing....good find. I missed this one on the cull for threads.

Anybody knows of more please PM the url.

kiwiwonder · 05-06-07, 12:51 PM

I was wondering about bringing in a 25 + year old cruiser to cali from New Zealand. This is what I discovered after reading the CA health and safety standards. The CA ARB gets its power from this code. If your vehicle engine is not EPA certified (the toyota letter or a EPA sticker) then the EPA rule that lets you import a vehicle that is older than (20 or 25 yrs I always get the DOT and EPA dates mixed up) does not apply to California only the rest of the U.S. The exemption date for CA is 1968. If it is newer than 1968 then you have to show epa conformity through a sticker, a toyota letter or through testing. The testing involved is quite expensive and extensive (over $2500) and only 3 or 4 places in CA do it. There is one way around this and that is to show that you have owned and had the vehicle registered in another state in which you can prove residency for 2 years. Then they will let you bring it into california. I know of many people that have been able to register their diesel cruiser in CA. I believe that lots of people get their cruiser registered because the DMV misses a lot of them. I can probably find the exact part of the CA code that talks about this if anyone wants to e-mail me or send me a PM.

04-10-07, 10:57 PM	#34
82-40 IH8MUD Junior Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Palmdale, CA Posts: 129	Jcolvin I think some one on this thread spoke of a # on the door plate that will validate it. Or are you asking for the wording of the letter per datum to throw in their face? keep the rest of the late comers posted with the results from your friends import. __________________ Why do they call it an asteroid when it's outside the hemisphere, but call it a hemorrhoid when it's in the ass? -1 (40) = +1 (80)

05-04-07, 04:58 PM	#36
polarweasel Where's mah cruzah? Join Date: May 2004 Location: Boulder, Colorado TLCA# 17558 Posts: 788	Have you read the sticky thread on importing in this forum? Most (or all) of these questions have been addressed a time or three. And if your RI can't answer these questions, get a new RI. They're in that sticky, too. __________________ 84 FJ60, locked and lifted and dismantled with Mercedes diesel 1982 BJ42 loud and slow daily driver on 33s Horsetooth 4-Wheelers

05-04-07, 06:53 PM	#38
brownbear Mod in Hibernation Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Where diesels purr and turbos whine TLCA# 15584 Posts: 6,183	This thread is now added to the FAQ for importing....good find. I missed this one on the cull for threads. Anybody knows of more please PM the url. __________________ -84 BJ60, Finally on the FN road! -91 FJ80, wife's ride Iron Butt award winner of the Cruise Moab 08 !

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05-06-07, 12:51 PM	#39
kiwiwonder IH8MUD Junior Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 116	I was wondering about bringing in a 25 + year old cruiser to cali from New Zealand. This is what I discovered after reading the CA health and safety standards. The CA ARB gets its power from this code. If your vehicle engine is not EPA certified (the toyota letter or a EPA sticker) then the EPA rule that lets you import a vehicle that is older than (20 or 25 yrs I always get the DOT and EPA dates mixed up) does not apply to California only the rest of the U.S. The exemption date for CA is 1968. If it is newer than 1968 then you have to show epa conformity through a sticker, a toyota letter or through testing. The testing involved is quite expensive and extensive (over $2500) and only 3 or 4 places in CA do it. There is one way around this and that is to show that you have owned and had the vehicle registered in another state in which you can prove residency for 2 years. Then they will let you bring it into california. I know of many people that have been able to register their diesel cruiser in CA. I believe that lots of people get their cruiser registered because the DMV misses a lot of them. I can probably find the exact part of the CA code that talks about this if anyone wants to e-mail me or send me a PM.