This aint right is it?

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No joke. We have the same kinda thing here in California. My dad was driving his 1971 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia and it has an oil leak from his push rod tubes that drips onto his exhaust, so driving down the freeway he leaves a smoke trail. He only drives the car when necessary - when either his daily driver (a 2004 Dakota) or my mom's van is down for repairs. One day he got a letter from CARB (California Air Resources Board) where they got a report of his car smoking and wanted to know what he will do to repair it. I told him to get a small piece of gasket material for less than $5 and send them the receipt - if he wanted to respond at all. There is nothing they can do legally (yet) to force a repair, but they will try to do everything they can to "encourage" you to repair the trouble.
The fun times in which we live.
 
de69cuda said:
There is nothing they can do legally (yet) to force a repair,.
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There most certainly IS "something they can do" legally to force a repair. These laws have been on the books in at least some states for years, even before the EPA and the advent of "smog" regulations for vehicles.
 
I don't think its excessive for people to be required to fix vehicles leaving visible smoke trails.

I think in many cases, emissions laws are a profit center for states, but there are minimum standards for operating a vehicle on the highway.

I also think the "citizen's hotline" is a BS idea.
 
LXguy said:
I also think the "citizen's hotline" is a BS idea.
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I think the whole "citizens hotline" is what bothers me about it. It gives people another reason to be nosey.
Colorado already has emisions testing facilaties as well as mobile test sites that screen cars getting onto the interstate. Wouldnt you think these "testign facilities" would able to catch the majority of smoking vehicles.
 
The arguement is stupid. If your car is smoking you need to fix the piece of **** anyway.
 
Does this mean you can turn in all the UPS diesel trucks? How many people even know what a diesel is? Also most Jaguars with a straight 6 motor. Then think about cold weather smoking. Two cycle bikes. Jay Leno with a steam powered car.

Yes a broken car needs to be fixed. But all that smokes isn't bad.
I see this as a easily misused law.
 
What the hell is with the governments of states wanting citizens to turn each other in? Sounds like Nazi Germany or Soviet Russia!
 
And what's going to happen to the tip line in Colorado this winter when it gets totally bunged up with callers who can't tell the difference between water condensation and oil smoke coming out the tail pipe.:banghead:
 
Its funny you mention that. I'm pretty sure the "smoke" in the picture is actually early morning startup water vapor.

Frankie said:
What the hell is with the governments of states wanting citizens to turn each other in? Sounds like Nazi Germany or Soviet Russia!
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:tongue10:
 
Frankie said:
What the hell is with the governments of states wanting citizens to turn each other in? Sounds like Nazi Germany or Soviet Russia!
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Law enforcement has been asking for tips to help solve crimes for years. I'm not necessarily agreeing with the way this emissions stuff is handled, just that your comment about government encouraging people to turn each other in is silly.
 
jtolbert said:
Law enforcement has been asking for tips to help solve crimes for years. I'm not necessarily agreeing with the way this emissions stuff is handled, just that your comment about government encouraging people to turn each other in is silly.
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Solving crimes has nothing whatsoever to do with this type of thing. I disagree with the analogy. Apples and oranges, in my opinion.

Here's another example of misuse by government: Mr. Obama has a web site you can go to for the purpose of reporting anyone saying or post things against him, or his administration. I have to wonder what they do with that information.
 
demon seed said:
And what's going to happen to the tip line in Colorado this winter when it gets totally bunged up with callers who can't tell the difference between water condensation and oil smoke coming out the tail pipe.:banghead:
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LOL I was just thinking that.
 
Frankie said:
Mr. Obama has a web site you can go to for the purpose of reporting anyone saying or post things against him, or his administration. I have to wonder what they do with that information.
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Link?

Talk about something that is apples and oranges to what we're discussing.
 
Frankie said:
Solving crimes has nothing whatsoever to do with this type of thing. I disagree with the analogy. Apples and oranges, in my opinion.

Here's another example of misuse by government: Mr. Obama has a web site you can go to for the purpose of reporting anyone saying or post things against him, or his administration. I have to wonder what they do with that information.
Click to expand...


You got a link to that site, I think I could have alot of fun with that one.
 
Just had to get my diesel truck smoged. There is no test. They just look at it and say. "yep there is a motor in there now give me 50 bucks".
 
This has been in Colorado for a number of years, I can't remember how long ago I started seeing the signs for the smoking vehicle hotline at the emissions stations. I'm guessing it's probably been close to 7 or 8 years now. I don't think I've seen more than 3 vehicles in 20 years that I would say should have been called in. Well, 4 if you count my truck until it warmed up. I'm curious if there would be any way to request how many calls they get on their tip line, maybe through a FIA request?

Did a little digging, it's been around at least since 2000. Excerpt from http://raqc.org/postfiles/reports/h...youraircampaign/SmokingVehicleOptionPaper.PDF

The hotline generated a total of 5,360 complaints in 2000. As a result, the Mobile Sources
Division staff sent out 3,542 brochures. The Mobile Sources Division staff currently does not
follow up with the motorists who receive the brochures. With few exceptions, enforcement has
not historically been a high priority for local police or for the Colorado State Patrol.
 
Burntorange70 said:
Just had to get my diesel truck smoged. There is no test. They just look at it and say. "yep there is a motor in there now give me 50 bucks".
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I have to run emissions on my Cummins every year. They put the truck on a dyno and try to Lug it to get it to smoke. The funny thing is that it takes 40% opacity to fail. My truck has no emissions stuff on it, has bigger injectors and is chipped. The max opacity I have seen form my truck is 8%. Kind of pointless if you ask me.

Colohusker said:
This has been in Colorado for a number of years, I can't remember how long ago I started seeing the signs for the smoking vehicle hotline at the emissions stations. I'm guessing it's probably been close to 7 or 8 years now. I don't think I've seen more than 3 vehicles in 20 years that I would say should have been called in. Well, 4 if you count my truck until it warmed up. I'm curious if there would be any way to request how many calls they get on their tip line, maybe through a FIA request?

Did a little digging, it's been around at least since 2000. Excerpt from http://raqc.org/postfiles/reports/h...youraircampaign/SmokingVehicleOptionPaper.PDF

The hotline generated a total of 5,360 complaints in 2000. As a result, the Mobile Sources
Division staff sent out 3,542 brochures. The Mobile Sources Division staff currently does not
follow up with the motorists who receive the brochures. With few exceptions, enforcement has
not historically been a high priority for local police or for the Colorado State Patrol.
Click to expand...

I guess if it took me this long to find out that means there still are a lot of others that don't know about it.
 
When i see those roadside emmission stations I kick it in nuetral and cut the key and coast by. Bet they think i,m an electric car.
 
I got reported in my old Royal Monaco for visible smoke. I received a letter from the Bay Area Air Quality Managment District.
http://www.baaqmd.gov/
They offered a list of shops to help repair my polluter, as well as suggestions on where I could junk my car. They went so far as to offer financial assistance if I qualified. This agency had no teeth to make me do anything.
I showed the letter to our CHP inspector. This is when I found out the California Highway Patrol never solved the problem of cooking the right valve cover gasket on the 440 powered patrol cars with the California emissions package. Screw them.
 
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