These may seem like a great option, but the owner of the car is responsible for getting the vehicle to the cash for clunkers centers.Ĭalifornia also enacted a policy known as Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS).
Retire my car california registration#
The vehicles registration with the state of California must not have lapsed within the last 120 days or it cannot be considered for the program. Cars registered from other states aren’t eligible. In order for the car to be eligible, then it must have been registered in California for at least the past two years. The first step to determining whether your car should be taken to the State’s retirement center or to sell it to a local retirement program, such as SellMax, is if the vehicle starts and can be driven, then it can go to the retirement center, but if it won’t be accepted it can be sold to a proper dealer. It may be hard to say goodbye to a vehicle which had once been very reliable, but it may not be worth paying for the repairs on the car if the repairs double or triple the value of the vehicle. Here is a list of the things which may need repair in order to pass the smog test: Repair costs to make a car pass an emissions test can cost anywhere from $100 to thousands of dollars, because it may be something small as changing out smaller parts like spark plugs and filters or it may be something big like replacing a catalytic converter. However, selling a car which hasn’t passed emissions can be more hassle than expected.
Bring your vehicle to the shop to have the codes read.The test must be done at a certified location in order to be recognized by the state. Under no circumstance should the test be given at home even with the proper equipment. Certificates from passing out-of-state emission tests cannot be used. New residents to California need to get their vehicle emissions tested within 20 days of establishing residency. The locations can be found all throughout California and the smog test inspection usually takes up to twenty to thirty minutes to conduct. These places would be Star stations or repair shops which are certified for the occasion.
This fee is susceptible to change, but is usually between $20 to $30.Ĭar emission tests must be done at California Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR) station locations. In Most States If Your Car Is Newer Than Six Years Old You Are Exempt From The Smog TestĬars that are newer than six years are also exempt from the smog emissions inspection as long as the owner of the vehicle pays an abatement fee which is due every year. The intention of the laws were to get people to understand the carbon footprint we create with our equipment a little better, to cut back the amount of emissions put into the air, and to start pushing people into buy for environmentally-friendly vehicles such as hybrids or electric vehicles. Stating in 2004, the law required that gas powered vehicles older than 1975, vehicles weighing over 14,000 pounds, or diesel vehicles older than 1997 be exempt from the smog emissions test. In the 90’s, the smog check changed to adapt with the new technology and implemented a lot of programs around smog emissions and retiring vehicles. This is why it is a regulated matter, to make sure that vehicles aren’t emitting too much smog into the area.Ĭalifornia first started testing for smog back in the 1980’s when it became apparent that the emissions from vehicles were causing negative effects. Above is an image of China that shows the air quality as a result of the smog pollution.