TheSamba.com :: View topic - Subaru swap California referee inspection

Thu Feb 27, 2020 1:04 pm

Hi all,

The new California laws mean I need to skip the smog station and go directly to the referee for inspection. I'm ready to make the appointment with the referee in So-Cal with my Kennedy conversion and am looking for a little help in what to expect. Anyone been there in the last 9 months here who can help me?

Thanks,
Rich

Thu Feb 27, 2020 7:02 pm

I did my referee inspection in Vallejo, but the system will be the same.

Take ALL the paperwork that came with your conversion - if it was DIY, ensure you've read all the rules. If someone like Buslab did it (as ours was) then it should be a breeze. Make sure the ECU can be got at, especially if it's under the seat. It took over half-an-hour, but at 1/10th the cost of a normal SMOG it was relatively painless. Nice to have the barcode sticker ready for the local SMOG station this year. ;)

Thu Feb 27, 2020 7:12 pm

Hi Jim,

I'm guessing it was about two years ago when you did your inspection?

Thu Feb 27, 2020 8:10 pm

What new laws are you referring to?

Thu Feb 27, 2020 9:15 pm

All engine swaps must go to the referees for inspection. Smog shops have been told to fail inspection. I'm told by some if you look real hard you can find a shop that either does not know or care. I've not had that luck.

Thu Feb 27, 2020 11:03 pm

Can you supply a link to the new smog law in California? I've done a quick search and do not see anything.

Stacy

Thu Feb 27, 2020 11:32 pm

https://www.bar.ca.gov/Industry/Engine_Change_Guidelines.aspx
All vehicles with engine changes must pass an initial inspection at a Referee Center , and must have a BAR Referee label affixed to the vehicle inside the engine compartment.

Not sure it is a law, but the BAR has told shops it is.

Thu Feb 27, 2020 11:48 pm

I wonder if it's easier if you have reports/receipts from the last three smog inspections plus the Kennedy plaque?

This seems like it will be a nightmare for the ref's with tons of new appointments for the next two years.

Fri Feb 28, 2020 4:20 am

richardlbennett wrote: All engine swaps must go to the referees for inspection. Smog shops have been told to fail inspection. I'm told by some if you look real hard you can find a shop that either does not know or care. I've not had that luck.

Not worth looking. When they catch them, and they will catch them, every car they have “ passed” will come on radar.

Fri Feb 28, 2020 9:52 am

I think it's great. I've been trying to get a Bar Code for years. The Refs are way easier to deal with then Smog Guys and know what they're talking about. If this is the new law the Bring it on.

Stacy

Fri Feb 28, 2020 10:41 am

A BAR sticker is nice. The smog guy scans it and the computer tells him what the donor is and the machine is ready to go. No trying to find a smog guy that will take the KEP placard and actually knows what to do with it.
I am unfamiliar with the process of getting one these days but I would like to know how it goes.

Fri Feb 28, 2020 10:47 am

If you think this through, the downside is now all of the Conversions are in a nice neat database and when the Green Nazis come to put us in Electric cars we’ll be easy to find.
Just a thought.

Stacy

Fri Feb 28, 2020 11:08 am

Are we talking about your first SMOG after your conversion or subsequent SMOGs? My 1.8T was referee inspected 3 years ago after I finished it, so I'll be due for SMOG soon. Going to a referee for that would be a PITA...

Fri Feb 28, 2020 11:13 am

Until they change their minds again you just have to see the referee once to get the swap inspected.

Has anyone been to the ref in the last 9 months in So-Cal?

Fri Feb 28, 2020 2:46 pm

richardlbennett wrote: Until they change their minds again you just have to see the referee once to get the swap inspected.

Has anyone been to the ref in the last 9 months in So-Cal?

I haven't been to a ref in the last 9 months but my fresh Subaru converted van with a KEP plate passed SMOG at a shop in Southern California in November with no issues.

Is this "everyone must see a ref thing" new as of January 2020? This is the first I'm hearing of it.

Fri Feb 28, 2020 2:51 pm

Our 2.6i I-5 VW conversion came with 2 CA BAR exemption stickers that we put on the door jamb and in the engine bay back in 2004.

Have never had to smog the van living in rural Humboldt County CA 8).

Do I need to do anything new with the law?

Fri Feb 28, 2020 8:13 pm

SoCalWesty wrote: richardlbennett wrote: Until they change their minds again you just have to see the referee once to get the swap inspected.

Has anyone been to the ref in the last 9 months in So-Cal?

I haven't been to a ref in the last 9 months but my fresh Subaru converted van with a KEP plate passed SMOG at a shop in Southern California in November with no issues.

Is this "everyone must see a ref thing" new as of January 2020? This is the first I'm hearing of it.

Where did you go? I could visit the same place next time since they know the routine.

Sat Feb 29, 2020 7:08 am

16CVs wrote: If you think this through, the downside is now all of the Conversions are in a nice neat database and when the Green Nazis come to put us in Electric cars we’ll be easy to find.
Just a thought.

Stacy

First they came for the cheating TDIs, and no one said anything.

Sat Feb 29, 2020 7:13 am

Better format:

First they came for the TDIs
and I did not speak out
because I did not have a TDI.

Then they came for the gas guzzlers...

Sat Feb 29, 2020 10:04 am