Motor Home Fails Smog Test!

This is almost unbelievable. My motor home failed the bi-annual smog inspection, but not because of emission standards. No, I passed the emission test with flying colors. I failed because of a "visual inspection" that detected I had the wrong "Executive Order" (E.O.) number on a sticker that is affixed to the canister under the hood that is descriptive of an after-market product manufactured by Banks Power Pack systems out of southern California. These exemption stickers are approved by the State of California after the manufacturer proves to the government that their product exceeds minimum state emission standards.

The failure took me to the steps of the head of the California Air Resources Board, the state referee services at Yuba College in Marysville, and the Bureau of Automotive Repair headquartered in Sacramento. Fortunately, it was all handled by telephone, but it cost me hours of air time.

I usually go to Arch's Automotive, mainly because Arch and his wife were good to me back in 1970. Their son Wally continued the tradition of taking care of their customers, so I support this local shop because I too am a local. However, having missed the registration date due to a mail problem, I was pressed for time and the smog station was not available on the day I went for my inspection.

So I went to another local facility that shall remain unidentified because I can't put ALL of the blame on them. The young man was polite, but did not seem to know what he was doing. I had to request paper mats be placed on the carpet before entering, and I'm glad I did. The grease from the garage floor would have destroyed my carpeting. He had difficulty finding the VIN number for verification purposes, and it took over an hour to perform the basic test.

After the long wait, he approached and said "You failed based on a visual inspection". I said "WHAT?" It has passed since 2001, so why the problem now? Well, to make a long story short, the Banks Power Pack sticker number was out-dated. You see, Banks makes products (intake and exhaust systems) that greatly improves the performance of the engine. That improved performance is good for the air. Banks routinely has to submit independent test results to the state showing their systems exceed the base levels mandated by the state, which prompts the state to issue an "Executive Order" exempting their systems from being denied for system failure based on standards that apply to engine manufacturers. Because my sticker was outdated, I had to get a new one based on an updated EO.

Unfortunately for me, the state failed to note the updated EO on file when the smog station input my data. After many calls all over the place, I found it on-line with the state and was given a pass by the smog station, but only after presenting a copy of the actual order from the government. This enabled me to pass the visual inspection portion. After paying a re-test fee of $28.00 I was able to proceed to DMV and get my 2011 sticker for the license plate. The initial test was $80.00, the retest $28.00 and when you factor in the registration fees of $280.00 I ended up paying a total of $388.00 for the joy of driving on the rough California road systems.....for one year.

Because the local shop did not have the ability to determine I was exempt, I was forced to cancel a road trip. I believe in compliance with the law, thus I was not going to be on the road without current registration. That is my standard. I believe most Californians feel they same....we try to comply with the laws. But when one encounters red tape like this, it is no wonder some try to avoid California's smog regulations and register their vehicles out-of-state whenever possible.

But having been raised in southern California, I appreciate the ability to view Mt. Baldy from my former home down there, and I have always supported efforts to clean up the air. Conservatives usually try to comply with the law, but when the laws overshadow common sense, it makes it hard to support the government's efforts. My personal experience brought to the forefront the enormous volume of regulations that now seem to choke common sense for the original intent of the legislation and regulations.

In essence, we have created a monster, and when it bites, it hurts. And it's expensive.

The state-licensed smog station should have found the proper EO number and passed the inspection. Okay, stuff happens, I can cut the young man some slack....he too is trying to deal with government regulations and be in compliance with the law to protect his smog license. However, he blew it when he charged me the re-test fee. The $28.00 will cost him lost revenue exceeding $2,800 over time, because I alerting the business that referred me to him. I suspect they won't be referring motor homes to him in the future.