My Z is now at the age where it must be smogged every two years.
OK, fine. I'm all in for clean air, blue skies and crystal waters for our state.
But when my Z flunked the smog test, I had no idea what I was in for. I quickly became intimately familiar with the machinations of a body called CARB. http://www.arb.ca.gov/homepage.htm.
I had alread spent about $400 that I don't have to make my ubiquitous "check engine" light go off and stay that way..... and that's with my official 30% discount from the dealer.....(really nice guys for 12 years). But now my baby had flunked the pipe test because the pre-cats had melted out of one side and destroyed the main cat on that side.... My luck, he tested the drivers side only...
Then I find out that there is no rebuilt or after-market CARB legal catalytic converter for the #300 1996 Nissan 300ZX TT's....NONE....zero, bupkiss, nada, zilch, zero, goose-egg..... Nor will it be legal to produce any in or for the residents of our fair state after July of 2008.
What's left....? A parts waiver. This is the pain in the ass part. You must call the bureau of automotive repair parts locator service, who takes your info and gives you a referal number that you need to hang onto.... (like a case number) These buttholes give you the names and numbers of (in my case) half a dozen companies (sources) with which to request the part needed to pass smog..... (even though everyone familiar with this process knows damn good and well that there's no part cuz they'll soon be illegal anyway).
I called all the numbers they gave me and the names of the people who said "no such part" and soon got 5 more numbers to call....No luck.
I was told that I'd be receiving a call from one of the the bureau heads who would instruct me further. I didn't wanna wait, so I just kept calling the same number and asking for him 'til I succeeded.
This guy called all the numbers that I had called and verified that there is no CARB legal cat for my car.... He mailed (to me) a limited (2 yr) exemption approval and instructed me to call back to the bureau for an appointment with a referee for the State bureau of Automotive Repair....Foundation for California Community Colleges.
I now have to drive to Mira Mar College in San Diego on Tuesday for the purpose of having a college kid named George provide me with an official parts waiver certificate to take to the DMV so I can receive my registration and drive my car for the next two years.....
At which time I get to do this all over again.......
Joyous, eh..............?:congrats:
D
OK, fine. I'm all in for clean air, blue skies and crystal waters for our state.
But when my Z flunked the smog test, I had no idea what I was in for. I quickly became intimately familiar with the machinations of a body called CARB. http://www.arb.ca.gov/homepage.htm.
I had alread spent about $400 that I don't have to make my ubiquitous "check engine" light go off and stay that way..... and that's with my official 30% discount from the dealer.....(really nice guys for 12 years). But now my baby had flunked the pipe test because the pre-cats had melted out of one side and destroyed the main cat on that side.... My luck, he tested the drivers side only...
Then I find out that there is no rebuilt or after-market CARB legal catalytic converter for the #300 1996 Nissan 300ZX TT's....NONE....zero, bupkiss, nada, zilch, zero, goose-egg..... Nor will it be legal to produce any in or for the residents of our fair state after July of 2008.
What's left....? A parts waiver. This is the pain in the ass part. You must call the bureau of automotive repair parts locator service, who takes your info and gives you a referal number that you need to hang onto.... (like a case number) These buttholes give you the names and numbers of (in my case) half a dozen companies (sources) with which to request the part needed to pass smog..... (even though everyone familiar with this process knows damn good and well that there's no part cuz they'll soon be illegal anyway).
I called all the numbers they gave me and the names of the people who said "no such part" and soon got 5 more numbers to call....No luck.
I was told that I'd be receiving a call from one of the the bureau heads who would instruct me further. I didn't wanna wait, so I just kept calling the same number and asking for him 'til I succeeded.
This guy called all the numbers that I had called and verified that there is no CARB legal cat for my car.... He mailed (to me) a limited (2 yr) exemption approval and instructed me to call back to the bureau for an appointment with a referee for the State bureau of Automotive Repair....Foundation for California Community Colleges.
I now have to drive to Mira Mar College in San Diego on Tuesday for the purpose of having a college kid named George provide me with an official parts waiver certificate to take to the DMV so I can receive my registration and drive my car for the next two years.....
At which time I get to do this all over again.......
Joyous, eh..............?:congrats:
D
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