Emissions tickets in california?

[Alex7747]

Okay ive been reading some threads about emissions and california blah blah blah. And my car doesnt look very stock anymore(no vacuum lines, no power steering, no a/c, no cruise control, no emissions canister, wire tucked, battery in the back, fuse box relocated, colorful engine bay(anodized red valve cover and intake with crome ic piping, crome rs bov). I guess you can say i have a ricy engine bay . Anyway i was wondering, if a cop pulled me over(i just got pulled over like 2 days ago for not having a front license plate) and a cop looked under my hood,z what kind of ticket am i looking at? Like the price? Im seriously thinking about returning my car back to stock(looking) over this ...

Ps. My car is not rice either. Its all white with the 2gb conversion..i still have to stock rims on it . I like to keep it sleeper from the exterior

 

[PieEyedPiper]

In your case, if I got sent to the ref, I'd just pay the fine instead.

 

[Alex7747]

They wouldnt take my car away? And wouldnt the fine be huge?

 

[bomper04]

What does your ticket say? If he just gave you a ticket for not having a front license plate ticket then you should only have a fix-it ticket..I believe around $31 dollars with it signed off by an official.

 

[Alex7747]

Im not talking about my license plate ticket. Im saying if they looked under my hood and they saw i have no emissions Crap?

 

[danielsl1999gsx]

alright so i got the same ticket as you for license plate, went to fix it and as soon as the cop saw my car he asked me to pop my hood. By the way your putting it my engine bay sounds way more "stock" then yours.When he pop my hood all he notice that was after market on my car was an injen intake and said it was an illegal smog bla bla. So he gave me an option to either fix the license plate ticket and give me one for the intake or fix the intake and come back. So i bought a stock intake and went back to fix it, different cop came this time saw my car cleared the ticket without even popping my hood. -_- soo really is all depend on the cop you get to have it fixed. But what tipped of the first cop was my exhaust so i suggest you make your car stock appearing as possible, so they wont even think about popping the hood.

 

[crash89]

Couple years ago a buddy of mine got pulled over in his GSX. Cop said his exhaust was too loud (apexi N1) told him to pop the hood named everything that wasnt legal, gave him a 350$+ ticket AND he had to convert back to stock to pass state ref. Luckily my car was stock at the time so I lent him all the stuff..

 

[black_gst]

so i suggest you make your car stock appearing as possible, so they wont even think about popping the hood.

this is what im doing, theres nothing stock or legal under my hood anymore, so im putting a stock muffler on my Talon ASAP

 

[98GSXin]

I got a ticket while my car was sitting on a public street in front of my house for not having the front license plate. I put it up in the windshield where it is clearly visible since then. This should pass an inspection right?

OP: An emissions ticket depends on the situation and the officer who nabbed you. If he gives you a fixable offense ticket, you have the opportunity to just pop the part in question off and replace it with stock for a quick check. If he refs you, then your whole car will be picked apart piece by piece at an official inspection. Try to look stock, lay low and not drive like an a--hole. You should be able to get by without problems. The cops have more important problems on their hands to deal with right now with losing their drug and gang task forces because of the budget cuts than to run around catching kids with funny looking mufflers.

 

[H4G64T]

Only in the land of the free can I not own the vehicle I want, the way I want.

 

[PieEyedPiper]

I got a ticket while my car was sitting on a public street in front of my house for not having the front license plate. I put it up in the windshield where it is clearly visible since then. This should pass an inspection right?

False. Check out the CVC. I think it's 5200 and 5201?
It's also a safety hazard.

 

[Indian]

I've heard you can just pay the tickete and move on, but if they get you a second time the fine doubles. Where I live, cops arent smart enough to pop hoods yet. There is also no anual 2 year smog requirement, just for change of ownership.

 

[98GSXin]

False. Check out the CVC. I think it's 5200 and 5201?
It's also a safety hazard.

It says lower than 60" for the front. I've done some research, and while it never says you can put it in your window, it never says you can't either. The plate is front facing and visible if I were to run a red light, which is their main concern anyways. I don't want to block my fmic and I don't want to sit it on sideways like the jdm crowd.

 

[Indian]

I have only been pulled over once for no front plate,No ticket but if he decided to give me one I have a magnet glued to the back of the plate,and I connect it to another magnet behind my bumper to get a quick sign off.

 

[dsmtun3r98gst]

In your case, if I got sent to the ref, I'd just pay the fine instead.

From what I heard there is no such thing as "hey I got a ref ticket. Im just going to pay a fine and keep all of my stuff aftermarket" The whole reason for someone getting a ref ticket is because they want to be sure that the vehicle gets put back to stock.

Another thing, I think getting a ticket for no license plate/in the windshield is one of the lamest ticket a person can get. Seriously what harm is the license plate doing right in front of the car to have someone take it off or put it behind their windshield.

If you have a problem with it blocking air you can just simply relocate it to the side above one of your fog lights and problem solved and you save yourself from a ticket.

 

[infinite_kaos]

Im dealing with this right now since I recently got ref ticket. On the notice from the courthouse it states that you can pay the bail amount (fine) without corrections (899 dollars) or pay 25 dollars per correction. So far I have everything corrected minus the smog, which Im still attempting to accomplish (I failed 5 times now, good thing is that its free at the state ref and you can go back as many times as youd like)

The car does have to be completely stock, even a boost gauge can stop them from even testing you. An aftermarket FMIC is not legal regardless if the car comes stock with an intercooler. Dont let anyone fool you. The only time that an aftermarket part is legal is if it has a CARB EO number which basically the manufacturer of that part gets an exemption number from the California Air Resource Board for that specific part. So if you think that you can take the CARB sticker of your friends intake from his civic and slap it on you will most definitely fail.

The plus side is that the state ref is at your local community college. The technician is a certified referee and has students from the college assisting him. They will not give you advice about how to fix your car if it doesnt pass smog but they will tell you if something needs to be removed or changed and its not like theyre gonna call the cops on you.

When I first got my ticket I was freaking out thinking that the state ref was gonna be an asshole and try to crush my car. Dont be intimidated, its not as bad as it seems.

The way to avoid future ref tickets is to have a completely stock looking engine bay. Shiny stuff attracts the eye of the sheriff or CHP that has your hood open. Here are some tips:

• 
  Stealth:
• Anything that is not black, paint it black. Not gloss black but flat black. Most vehicles have black components and with everything black its hard for the cop to tell whats what. Surprisingly enough, most cops dont know shit about cars
  
  Heat shields:
• If you have a stock manifold use the stock heatshield. If you have a tubular manifold, remove and sell that crap and buy a stock manifold or Evo 3 manifold, or FP manifold. If you cant use a stock heatshield then make one. it helps conceal that 16G and gives the illusion of being stock
  
  Atmospheric o2 dump:
• get a recirc o2 housing or stay out of boost when driving in the city. It is so loud the cops can hear it from a mile away and when you least expect it, they will get you (ask me how I know)
  
  Exhaust:
• Obviously we want a 3" exhaust for better exhaust flow and less back pressure. Most exhausts are shiny and super cool. Cops can use any excuse to pull you over and an aftermarket exhaust is an easy one regardless if its under the decibel range. Either paint your exhaust flat black or find an exhaust that is very subtle or go custom 3" with a good resonator to eliminate noise.
  
  External Stock Appearance:
• License plate is another easy pull over. No matter how lame it looks it is best to install it if you have illegal mods.
  
• HID's are another quick pull over. Most cars now have them stock but the cops can tell the difference when your blinding the crap out of them with your stock halogen housings. Yes they look cool and help see the road, but are the halogen bulbs all that bad?
  
• Make sure all your light work. brake lights, tail lights, blinkers if any of them arent working properly you will more than likely be pulled over
  
• Paint that FMIC black. There is a paint that you can use to paint your FMIC black without losing or hindering the performance of your FMIC.
  
• California is a shitty place to live if you want to modify cars, but if you do it right and not flashy you can get away with mods for the most part. Some people are unlucky and will get pulled over regardless of how stealth their car looks.

Hope this helps!

From what I heard there is no such thing as "hey I got a ref ticket. Im just going to pay a fine and keep all of my stuff aftermarket" The whole reason for someone getting a ref ticket is because they want to be sure that the vehicle gets put back to stock.

Another thing, I think getting a ticket for no license plate/in the windshield is one of the lamest ticket a person can get. Seriously what harm is the license plate doing right in front of the car to have someone take it off or put it behind their windshield.

If you have a problem with it blocking air you can just simply relocate it to the side above one of your fog lights and problem solved and you save yourself from a ticket.

Yes there is. Its an option from the court to just pay the bail amount and not fix anything. You will need to pass smog eventually, either legally or illegally. Their thought process, Im sure, is that eventually they will get you and for the double the amount the next time.

 

[Kingcof22]

does a flat black exhaust really reduce your chance of getting pulled over.. im kinda skeptical..

 

[Alex7747]

Thanks for all the advice guys . Well today i found out that my 100k mile short block ive been using has a lot of endplay in other words m crank walked . Ima rebuild it and make my engine bay look as close to stock as i possibly can..
Will they care if my engine bay is still wire tucked and all the other factory stuff is gone(power steering, a/c, cruise, ect) but i get all my piping and other stuff painted flat black?? and looks close to stock?

 

[infinite_kaos]

does a flat black exhaust really reduce your chance of getting pulled over.. im kinda skeptical..

These tips aren't guarantees to not be pulled over but I assure you a flat black exhaust is less attractive than a chrome exhaust.

Girls use makeup to hide imperfections so thy are not as noticeable. From far you can't tell but if you get up close you can see but it's not nearly as bad as no make up. Same rule applies here.

 

[Indian]

does a flat black exhaust really reduce your chance of getting pulled over.. im kinda skeptical..

It did for me, I have an evo that I was constantly getting pulled over for "modified exhaust" beacause my tip was shiny. Its a very quiet exhaust so they werent pulling me for the noise it was how it looked. I painted it flat black and have yet to have a problem. It actually looks as if I have no exhaust from a distance. It takes the cops eye attention away from the exhaust. I actually have a 10 page print out in my glove box I took from their website to show them that just because it's modified doesnt always make it illegal.

 

[estoyaqui30]

This all really shocking to me. I'm in NJ and there are issues here but I don't think that it's that bad....at least I don't have those issues. I used to get pulled over ALL of the time for no reason other than it was one of THOSE cars....like the ones in "the fast and the furious", Since that movie faded into the distance it's been better. I keep the exterior very low key, no HIDS (I would love to have them, but in some form of legal form that doesn't blind the shit out of oncoming traffic. I've been that oncoming traffic and it sucks) I have some of the emissions disconnected (EGR) and an FP intake pipe, I 1G TB with no hoses on it, etc..

It's saddening to hear that stuff about Cali, because to me that is a cool car state, that is where it all started back in the 20's 30's and so on. All of the TV shows about custom cars are there.

 

[Indian]

It's not everywhere in Cali, I think alot of it also has to do with new cops trying to prove themselves,and not knowing the law fully. I also know that to some cops, it's their pet peeves for whatever reason.

 

[infinite_kaos]

It is sad.What isnt sad is the ammount of pollution that has been reduced since the implementation of smog devices. LA used to be terrible with smog. So much that when driving from the high desert down the hill you would be able to see the brown smog in there air over LA. It has since died down to a very light tinge but nothing compared to what is used to be.

My other car, 2010 Acura TL SH-AWD, has 3 catalytic converters. The only problem I have is that in 10 years I might just have to replace three catalytic converters and these damn things arent cheap. My alternative is to get test pipes for all three and only install the cats as required for smog checks. Not really eco friendly but it will save my wallet from a massive dent.

There are indeed legal modifications allowed in California, however the "illegal" mods are half the price and are more frequently purchased.

 

[96DSM_Steve]

As long as you have all your smog stuff and if they are being difficult and still give you a ticket, then you will have no problem to pass smog with the ref.


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[tenn-gsx]

^^^ Notice that all of those shows do custom engine work on pre or early emissions cars, or they are very clear to point out the bs carb certification on a part for a newer vehicle.

Wow 3 posts in the time it took me to write this post.