California Senate Bill SB1239 is moving forward!

For any California X1/9 peeps - As many of you know thanks to Papa Tony and SEMA, theres a Senate Bill SB1239 that will extend the smog check exemption cutoff year from pre 1976 to pre 1982. That is HUGE for us X1/9 folk!
semasan.org is the place to follow links for writing your legislature to vote in favor of this bill. This means an end to having to smog check all those carbureted X1/9's!! Just think, you can make the car run well and not worry about emissions testing to get your tags every other year!

Yes!

Very good news. Now is there a rolling exemption for newer models?

The rolling exemption was taken off the table years ago - BUT I hear in the future (more than 5 years down the road, when pre 1996 cars equal less than 7% of the total California fleet) there is a chance that California will get rid of the dynamometers in smog checks completely and registration will be handled electronically via OBD2 ports. This means emissions monitoring will be ONLY for 1996 and later OBD2 cars, and older models will be subject only to visual checks and not monitoring of their actual emissions output.

It seems their motivation for this is the cost of maintaining the dynamometers and the backlash that is incurring from the smog check licensees. Also technology will allow them to distribute a transponder that may be required to keep on your car and from that they will contact you a repair is needed. Big brother is getting bigger.

Just did that

I just did my Suzuki with the obd2 trick. It is a 2001. My 1999 ford ranger still does the dyno trick. The technician told me that only 2001 vehicles will get the OBD2 trick. We'll see.

Charlie

zonker said:

....technology will allow them to distribute a transponder that may be required to keep on your car and from that they will contact you a repair is needed. Big brother is getting bigger.

Click to expand...

:hmm2: And if that ever does occur, it will definitely be time for me to move out of the state. I might be gone by then anyway.

SB1239 gives me hope, but even if they do away with dyno tests yet retain visual inspections anyone with a modded X (multi carbs, header, removed smog pump, etc.) will still fail.

Government never shrinks. I think their eventual goal will be to scrap all fossil-fueled cars.

Maybe not

The current system for 75 and older cars don't require any visual inspection at all. This bill will only extend that to 1980 cars which means no smog check or inspections. Your right that we are going to do away with carbon fuels and go electric, sooner than most people think. By the way there wont be a state to run to trying to get away from it as eventually all states will conform. California has been a leader in clean air and the other states eventually follow along prompted by the EPA.

Charlie

That's good news!!!! Even though turbo usually runs cleaner now just to get past the under hood check.

adjusted...

This bill, until January 1, 2019, would also exempt from the biennial smog check inspections all motor vehicles manufactured prior to the 1981 after the 1976 but prior to the 1981 model year if the owner submits proof that the motor vehicle is insured as a collector motor vehicle.

I think I read this in another post as well. Collector motor vehicle? Is this determined by the insurance company or us??

Collector car requirement

I always privately figured that they would tie the requirement to a classic car insurance policy. After all, the car insurance companies already did their homework and set guidelines on what constitutes a classic versus a daily driver. The state likely came to its senses and acknowledged there are probably very few 1981 and older daily drivers out there anyway, and there would be no harm in extending an exemption to the car collector crowd. But let the insurance companies weed out the few stragglers, with a classic policy being a requirement.