I'm wondering if anyone has run into this issue when buying/bringing in a Canadian vehicle into the U.S. A good friend of mine bought a 69 Camaro from Canada and it has already been in California since last summer, it's registered in his name but he can't get a title because DMV needs an "emissions compliance letter" from the manufacturer. I've contacted Chevrolet HQ and General Motors and of course nothing is available for a vehicle almost 50 years old. I've contacted the Air Resource Board about an exemption but it doesn't qualify since it's not older than 1966.
I would suggest going to a different DMV office and try again. It might just be an a$$hole employee just trying to make your life miserable. It wouldn't be the first time.
X2 can you register in different state first then transfer? My car was from Utah and has no cali smog equipment I didn't have to do jump through any hoops. 1975 and below you should be exempt but have to retain original emission equipment if equipped. I try to avoid the DMV, if you have s AAA card your can go there and the are 10x more helpful.
This is coming from a state that needed to raise everyone's registration in order to pay for emergency road repairs.... Now they are declining your money what gives?
6. An emissions inspection conducted by a Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR) Referee Station unless the vehicle is model year 1975 or older. For an appointment at a BAR Referee Station, call (800) 622-7733.
Thanks for the responses guys. So the car has been in California since last summer, and DMV is sending letters to the house. Here is the last letter received.
Here's what you do. Go in there and tell them you illegally imported it from Mexico. You'll get free registration/insurance/climate controlled parking and a full tank of gas.
Is the DMV here in California assuming the car was built in Canada because it has Canadian plates and asking if car now in the US was built to California emission standards?I believe VIN L shows in was made in Los Angeles,what more do thet need.Also is the Camaro an automatic or stick.
Your buddy might want to use a broker that deals with registering cars for dealerships, tow yards and wrecking yards. It will cost him, but he will then have someone on his side that knows the system and is working for him.
There are several phone numbers on that letter, has he called then and tried to explain?
Say this is a USA spec car, that was made in USA, I want to register it.
Yeah I've tried all the numbers on there. Everyone is about as helpful as an automated telephone prompt. No matter how many times I explain it was originally a California car or that it's almost 50 years old and the manufacturer doesn't provide a compliance letter for this, they keep going back to what the letter says.
We made an appointment with the state referee and hopefully they can steer us in the right direction. I appreciate everyone's input.
Dean 1961 said it first in post # 10 ,the car was built and sold in the USA when it was made(born?),it met the needed specs and requirements for the US back then, so why do you need to prove anything different now ?This is not a grey market car.
One other thing you can do is to get the restoration package from GM that is available for free.It possible there may be something in there that helps.
You need to prove it meets US specs because the DMV says so. It's been sucked down the rabbit hole. Right or wrong really doesn't have much to do with it anymore, it's what the person behind the counter or at a computer terminal in Sacramento want, that's what matters now.
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