SMOG CA

[I<3BMW]

Does anybody know if you have to smog or do something special with 74s and up?

[jprocket]

Currently, smog is required biannually for 1976 vehicles and up.

CA DMV site:

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/vr/smogfaq.htm#BM2536

[JFT]

Yep - '76 and newer only - they're the ones that need emissions testing. At least so far. It seems that every year or so some loonie in the legislature introduces a bill that would require that all older cars pass emissions testing. So far, these have been slapped down. Keeping fingers crossed that this continues.

[Guest Anonymous]

Does anybody know if you have to smog or do something special with 74s and up?

Yes.

Sort of.

Like almost.

[BarryA]

CA passenger cars and light trucks from model year 1976 on are required to pass emissions testing every 2 years (there are a few exceptions, but not many); vehicles from model year 1966 through 1975 are exempt from testing, but are still required to comply with the emissions regs.

What this means to all of us who live in CA and drive modified 1966-75 vehicles is that we're off the hook for smog checks, but live under a pair of potential "doomsday scenarios":

1. Any cop who decides to make your life really, really miserable can make a traffic stop & decide to check your car over for visible modifications that render the emissions system inoperative - if he doesn't like what he sees under the hood, his options range from writing you a fix it ticket to having the car impounded (many urban police forces are using this process to crack down on street racers).

2. At any time, the legislature could decide to revoke the testing exemption for all or part of the '66-'75 model span, forcing everyone into the testing program (at which point odds are that vehicle values would plummet, the value of emissions parts would skyrocket, and lots of modified engines and speed equipment would suddenly pop up on the used market).

[ceylove]

Thanks Barry A-I was just sitting here thinking, "mmm I need one more thing to worry about!" You answered my prayers!