CA DMV problem (sigh) (2 Viewers)

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amaurer

amaurer

Joined
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Everything was going so smoothly. I just got a letter from the CA DMV asking me to ask the manufacturer for a letter verifying compliance with the FMVSS and US Emissions standards...

Anyone else run up against this? (They "Helpfully" included Toyota's 1-800 number, ha!)

How do I best explain the exemption?
 
When I got my 6.2 powered cruiser registered, the DMV did not even ask me what kind of diesel was under the hood. Maybe they already knew that it was a chevy, but I bet your toyota diesel burns much cleaner than my engine.

Hope everything turns out okay.
 
D'Animal said:
The 25 year rule is for import. He still has to pass the emmission tests or get the emmision numbers from the manufacturer of when it was new.

In California we smog back to 1976.
Click to expand...

In California we don't smog diesels at all...

Anyway, I'll make some calls tomorrow; can anyone point me to an RI within a day's drive of San Fran that might be familiar with the problem?
 
Ok, I talked to a few RI's, and they've essentially said it cannot be done. I was told multiple times that you more-or-less cannot being a non-Canada diesel into California.

The scoop is that if I want the sticker, I need a CoC, which means testing. And at the moment there are NO labs in california who will test a diesel!

I may be fxxxed, this is depressing.

Does anyone have a photo of an emissions label from an RI? I'd like to see what information is on it. PM me if you wouldn't mind.
 
I take it your ride isn't from the Great White North? What truck, year, engine, and country of origin are you trying to register.

Pretty much all LC's all over the world meet FMVSS, even though DOT exempts you for the age of the truck, Cali wants to see that it meets FMVSS going back to like the 60s or something.

It's not smog that is the issue, it is emissions. Again, CA goes farther back in model year than does the Fed, so the exemption works in 49 states, but not in ours.

Many folks have been able to get a conformance letter on Toyota letterhead from local dealers. That is sort of a gray area on how official it is. I personally didn't go that route.

Ditch the 800 number for Toyota. I called them on several occasions and Toyota of America flatly will not give out info on non-American spec vehicles.

There are a couple of options. I spoke with someone at the Gray Market Vehicle program at CARB, can't remember specifically, but you can look on their website for contact info. She was very nice.

AFAIK, there were two CARB certified labs in California. One was in Napa and they were not equiped to test diesel. The other was in SoCal someplace, and although I never talked directly to the guy, I did get a voice mail back from him that the could (at the time) test diesel.

Also, what they are looking for is a sticker on the vehicle which shows 50 state compliance for emissions. Not certain how to convince them of FMVSS. You could get tested at any EPA certified facility in the country (there is a good, albeit pricey one in Texas) and have them sticker the truck.

Lastly,

There is an RI in Richmond California who said he could "conform" the vehicle, but that sounded like a rip-off to me, since the LC trucks all meet FMVSS anyway, so there is nothing to conform.

Somewhere on-line there is a directory of RI's. Google "Registered Importer" and you should find it (remember to use the quotes)

Good luck man.
 
bagh33ra said:
I take it your ride isn't from the Great White North? What truck, year, engine, and country of origin are you trying to register.
Click to expand...

1982, BJ42, 3B, New Zealand

Many folks have been able to get a conformance letter on Toyota letterhead from local dealers. That is sort of a gray area on how official it is. I personally didn't go that route.
Click to expand...

I thought I'd give it a try, it seems only slightly disingenuous, although I find it hard to believe a dealership would go for it...

AFAIK, there were two CARB certified labs in California. One was in Napa and they were not equiped to test diesel. The other was in SoCal someplace, and although I never talked directly to the guy, I did get a voice mail back from him that the could (at the time) test diesel.
Click to expand...

The NorCal lab (in Napa) is called "NCDL" and I spoke to them this morning, they still don't do diesels. I spoke to an RI in Rancho Cordova who said that hes been trying to convince the SoCal lab to start diesel testing again, as they dropped it due to low interest and the 5000/yr certification fee.

Also, what they are looking for is a sticker on the vehicle which shows 50 state compliance for emissions. Not certain how to convince them of FMVSS. You could get tested at any EPA certified facility in the country (there is a good, albeit pricey one in Texas) and have them sticker the truck.

Lastly,

There is an RI in Richmond California who said he could "conform" the vehicle, but that sounded like a rip-off to me, since the LC trucks all meet FMVSS anyway, so there is nothing to conform.

Somewhere on-line there is a directory of RI's. Google "Registered Importer" and you should find it (remember to use the quotes)

Good luck man.
Click to expand...

I found the list and thats what I was calling from. I actually called the Richmond guy but he didn't answer; we'll see if he writes back to my email with the same schtick.

How is it that some RI's are able to issue stickers without any testing at all, and some require all this hoopla? I could buy that the CA RI's get pressure from CARB, but an RI is federally licensed, is it not?

:bang::bang::bang::bang::bang::bang:
 
amaurer said:
1982, BJ42, 3B, New Zealand
How is it that some RI's are able to issue stickers without any testing at all, and some require all this hoopla?
Click to expand...

It's the truck, not the RI that makes the difference.

North American (read Canadian) trucks can be stickered without testing. Also it's easier to be an RI that only works with Canadian vehicles rather than world-wide. It doesn't matter that the engine in your NZ rig is identical to the ones from Canada. I can't remember specifically *why* Canadian trucks can be stickered without a test, but from what I remember, origin makes the difference.

Sucks to hear about the SoCal lab dropping the diesel testing.

I've heard varying results regarding folks talking to a dealer for a letter. Basically it sounds like if someone finds an LC fan at a dealership then they are good to go.
 
Checkmate. 30 days to remove the vehicle from California.

Import paperwork (exemption forms) didn't cut it with the DMV. RI's won't (or can't) conform the vehicle because of CARB. I'm fxxxed.
 
That really sucks. Does that mean it has to be removed from Cal or just taken off the road?

Its damned annoying some can get away with it and you cant
 
It get worse. I have been talking with the local Smog referee about which engine and model year I can install in my 1987 FJ60. Originally I was planning on using a 1HZ motor. I decided against doing this once I had the conversation with the smog folks. That's because there will be a smog check in 2010 or 2011 for light-duty diesel vehicles. Anyway, since I last spoke with the referee in November, someone had come in with an engine swap - basically the same swap I had contemplated. The referee told me that they failed the swap - Ouch!!! Also, someone tried to registrar a new diesel that they had purchased out of state. It failed because the vehicle needs to have 7500 miles on it before it is brought into CA and before the CA resident purchases the car. Things are getting much more interesting here in CA as it relates to diesel vehicles and engine swaps.

Jonathan
 
ok, so If I understand this right cali won't let you bring in the bj partly because its not from Canada, emissions, blah blah blah..... What if you "sold" it to someone in another state without all these issues and then "buy" it back in like a few weeks(long enough for a title to come through from that state) or so with a title from another state? I don't know much at all about these kinds of things, and this might be a stupid idea(sorry if it is), but if its a loop hole you can exploit....
 
For me, registering out of state and bringing it back in won't work as the "file" and VIN number will stay open in the CA DMV... I asked about this specifically with a friendly person in the Tech division. (If the other state assigns a new VIN number, because I don't have a 17 digit one currently, then it might be possible)

The fact remains that when I get the vehicle verified at the DMV it will never have the emissions stickers it needs (unless they're forged), even if I got out of state first. With an out of state title in the way, I could claim it was of Canadian origin (since a non-17 digit VIN won't betray the country it came from) but then I'd be right back where I am trying to wave documents around.

To everyone who's gotten a BJ42 into CA, my hat off to you. I read virtuall ALL of the CA vehicle code and CARB regs, and honestly, it is illegal to bring them in, even with the 25/21 year EPA/DOT customs exemption.

:ban: -> :censor:
 
JuanGrande said:
It get worse. I have been talking with the local Smog referee about which engine and model year I can install in my 1987 FJ60. Originally I was planning on using a 1HZ motor. I decided against doing this once I had the conversation with the smog folks. That's because there will be a smog check in 2010 or 2011 for light-duty diesel vehicles. Anyway, since I last spoke with the referee in November, someone had come in with an engine swap - basically the same swap I had contemplated. The referee told me that they failed the swap - Ouch!!! Also, someone tried to registrar a new diesel that they had purchased out of state. It failed because the vehicle needs to have 7500 miles on it before it is brought into CA and before the CA resident purchases the car. Things are getting much more interesting here in CA as it relates to diesel vehicles and engine swaps.

Jonathan
Click to expand...

Man, I was contemplating an HZ, I have to look into this more as I have a '72, I see your problem with the FJ60 though...
 
amaurer said:
To everyone who's gotten a BJ42 into CA, my hat off to you. I read virtuall ALL of the CA vehicle code and CARB regs, and honestly, it is illegal to bring them in, even with the 25/21 year EPA/DOT customs exemption.

:ban: -> :censor:
Click to expand...

Could you point me to the regs? Do you have a .pdf file? I have done lots of searching on the website and cannot find exactly what I need. I will be moving back to San Diego this year and I want to read up on this stuff. TIA. Sorry for your loss!!!
 
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