Anyone know the penalty for running no cats in CA?(that
- Thread starter wcb978
- Start date
heavy fines i belive! and i dont think its a fix it ticket i think u cannot drive the vechile until it is fixed meaning it needs to be towed. but im not positive on that but thats what i belive. California is crazy ive seen smog police drive around this vechile that drives around looking for cars that that show major signs of polluting such as puffs of smokes out tail pipes and i guess they just take down your plate number and prolly send you an appointment to a smog ref.
94GTStang
Founding Member
Knowing those treee huggers, they would probably take your car and put it in the crusher. Then send you your now coke can sized car back in a box.
That's why I live in OK, we gave up on inspections all together a few years back.
That's why I live in OK, we gave up on inspections all together a few years back.
cjones
Founding Member
it was and probably still is $2500 for the person and $25,000 for the shop that removed the cats. BTW if you say you did it yourself they can slap you with the $25,000 fine.
that's the main reason why i run cats.
BTW. anyone can report a smoking/smelling car all they need is time of day, location, and plate #. then call 1 800 cut-smog
that's the main reason why i run cats.
BTW. anyone can report a smoking/smelling car all they need is time of day, location, and plate #. then call 1 800 cut-smog
cjones said:
Yup. Thats happened to me. some idiot had nothing better to do than call in my info and tell them my truck was smoking. By the time I got the letter I had already rid myself of the truck.
I just run highflow cats. What I have seen done is to weld the outer cat covers on the pipe, at a quick glance it looks like you have the cats.
Yep, $2500/$25,000, plus you won't pass the smog test when your registration is up for renewal.
What's the benefit?
I have lived in CA for a very long time and remember the air in LA before smog stuff became the law. It's so much better now, and will only improve as the older big trucks leave the highway. And I've seen both mobile smog sniffing vehicles and stationary testing sites. It won't be worth the risk, IMO.
Do all of us who breathe a big favor and leave the cats on.
What's the benefit?
I have lived in CA for a very long time and remember the air in LA before smog stuff became the law. It's so much better now, and will only improve as the older big trucks leave the highway. And I've seen both mobile smog sniffing vehicles and stationary testing sites. It won't be worth the risk, IMO.
Do all of us who breathe a big favor and leave the cats on.
WhiteDevil
New Member
Well just having cats doesnt do anything. The $2500 fine is for disableing a smog device. Unless the midpipe u have has a C.A.R.B.E.O. number then you can still get the fine.
S/CBlack95GT
New Member
It is a Federal law, just not state or city. But yea up to $2500 is the fine for the first offense.
SN95StangMan
New Member
Isnt it $2500 per violation, meaning 2500x 4 cats = $10,000 
Plus, I dont beleive there are any aftermarket H/X pipes that have a CARB EO number because you cant do as much as move the location of the cats, let alone get rid of two of them.
Plus, I dont beleive there are any aftermarket H/X pipes that have a CARB EO number because you cant do as much as move the location of the cats, let alone get rid of two of them.
S/CBlack95GT
New Member
cjones
Founding Member
SN95StangMan said:Isnt it $2500 per violation, meaning 2500x 4 cats = $10,000
Plus, I dont beleive there are any aftermarket H/X pipes that have a CARB EO number because you cant do as much as move the location of the cats, let alone get rid of two of them.
from what i hear, Magnaflow has one CARB approved for 93 and prior.
no offence to anyone but CA sucks, what a P.I.T.A it must be to live there. I pass my inspection test every yr w/ no cats and we dont have smog testing or sniffers. They were going to a few yrs back but decided it would be to expensive and not worth it and just scraped the whole idea.
one time i was in parking lot and the local cop called out my name nad said "does that have cats?" i thought for a second and said "yea" nad then he says "okay" and walks away, i got lucky, then a second time i was in a parking lot with some friends and a cop heard my car idling and he was telling me how good it sounded, then he asked me what i had done, i told him just muflers and headers, but he i ithnk he knew i didn't have cats, and was tryin to get it out of me, but it wasn't working.
xr8d302
I bought a 27" monitor to compensate for my lack o
On Vancouver Island, BC, there's no "aircare" so I've been running free of cats for years. California should really lighten up on the fines.
cjones
Founding Member
Striped5.0 said:
none taken. we know most of the laws suck out here. the smog laws are just one of the many.
Sorry, but I disagree. I used to live near San Diego. After the Santa Anas broke up we'd get all the smog from Orange County and LA blowing in from the ocean. Not good, but better than in the past.
As a little kid I lived in San Gabriel for a year and they actually had incinerators in back yards. There were days when the smog was so bad that it brought tears to my eyes. You couldn't see the mountains even though they're only a couple of miles away.
I'm completely in favor of California's stringent smog laws.Car manufacturers continue to provide us with high performance cars that meet emissions standards. What's wrong with that? We've got the Cobra, Corvette, BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, Ferrari et al that are rocket ships and guess what? They meet California smog standards. I don't think us car guys have given up anything while the air gets cleaner.
Granted, it's been twenty years since I've been in Tokyo, but even then there were two stroke cars and motorcycles running around and the air was clogged with blue smoke.
Thankfully, we've learned a lot since then. Because of California's strict standards (which auto manufacturers said they could never meet), we've got zero emissions vehicles, ultra low emissions vehicles, etc.
I'm not a radical environmentalist tree hugger. I just wonder who could be against clean air.
Donning my flame retardant suit now.....
Take a deep breath guys. If it doesn't make you cough, maybe you could mouth a silent thanks to California.
As a little kid I lived in San Gabriel for a year and they actually had incinerators in back yards. There were days when the smog was so bad that it brought tears to my eyes. You couldn't see the mountains even though they're only a couple of miles away.
I'm completely in favor of California's stringent smog laws.Car manufacturers continue to provide us with high performance cars that meet emissions standards. What's wrong with that? We've got the Cobra, Corvette, BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, Ferrari et al that are rocket ships and guess what? They meet California smog standards. I don't think us car guys have given up anything while the air gets cleaner.
Granted, it's been twenty years since I've been in Tokyo, but even then there were two stroke cars and motorcycles running around and the air was clogged with blue smoke.
Thankfully, we've learned a lot since then. Because of California's strict standards (which auto manufacturers said they could never meet), we've got zero emissions vehicles, ultra low emissions vehicles, etc.
I'm not a radical environmentalist tree hugger. I just wonder who could be against clean air.
Donning my flame retardant suit now.....
Take a deep breath guys. If it doesn't make you cough, maybe you could mouth a silent thanks to California.
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