From: pshyvers@pyrnova.mis.pyramid.com (Peter Shyvers)
Newsgroups: rec.autos,rec.autos.tech
Subject: Re: Moving a car to California!
Date: 26 Aug 92 22:34:05 GMT
Reply-To: pshyvers@pyrnova.pyramid.com (Peter Shyvers)
Organization: Pyramid Technology Corp., Mountain View, CA
Originator: daemon@sword.eng.pyramid.com

In article <1992Aug26.160027.25180@news.iastate.edu> txa95@isuvax.iastate.edu writes:
>
>I am going to move my 84 Honda Accord from Iowa to California. I heard that
>there is some strict smog check in California and no out-of-state car can
>survive it. What will happen if my car fails? Can anyone in California give
>me some hint? Thanks in advance.
>
>-Martin

Nonsense. Lots of car dealers in California would like you to believe it.

"49-states" cars (those outside of California, as they used to be called)
must conform to the smog requirements either as factory-installed or as
enhanced during re-registration (ie. the NOx devices installed on late-60's
cars.) All original pollution controls must be installed and operating.

There is a law on the books that such a car must have been operating outside
of California for some period of time, like 6 months or so; that's probably
the source of this urban legend. Its purpose was to discourage people from
buying across-the-border cars with less-strict pollution controls and bringing
them in - like on a buying spree in Nevada, driving across the country, etc.

Way back when, when California controls were far stricter than the 49-states
cars, this offered both performance boosts and options that simply were not
available in California because the manufacturer couldn't or wouldn't make it
comply with California emissions standards. Low-(sales) volume highly-polluting
multi-carburator configurations were usually the first to go...

The outcome, should it fail, varies according to the circumstances. If it
fails because the emissions control equipment is missing or compromised, then
you are required to fix it. Period. If it fails because of mechanical failure,
then you are required to fix it up to a certain $$ limit based on the year of
your car, with the amount decreasing as the car gets older (reflecting lower
costs of repair, supposedly.) For an '84, I think the limit is $300.

If the quoted repairs exceed the limit, then you can appeal for an exemption,
but I don't believe the exemption is automatic. If you make the necessary
repairs and the problem is still not fixed, there's also a similar appeals
process.

Suspicious as many are about mechanics, I was a bit dubious when this was
imposed; it's usually around $25-35 plus $6 for a pass-certificate, and it
takes time to go down and get it checked. But I'm thankful in that (a) the
equipment is certified and virtually automatic, so there's little chance for,
ah, operator intervention, and (b) I've seen a bunch of absolute, smokey
junkers disqualify at the shops I've gone to. Nice to think that this law
*is* getting unmaintained polluters fixed or off the roads.

Another thing you may have heard about is that the state is considering new
legislation to get pre-catalytic converter cars off the roads - VERY high
registration fees ($1000?) for regular-use cars, or low-fee registration for
showcars with a severe annual-mileage restriction and odometer checks. The 
statistics I've heard are that these cars are about 20% of the vehicle 
population and cause 60-70% of the emissions. Given the budget impasse I
don't know what the state of this is.