Question about California polluting car buy-back rules.

In My Humble Opinion
1

The State of California wishes to get polluting cars off the roads, and so has a program whereby cars that fail the biennial smog check might be bought back by the State for $1000. Or maybe $1500 for low-income people. Or maybe not at all, depending on the seemingly spotty funding for the program. (?)

I would like to hear from anyone with actual experience with this.

Primary question: The rule is, that a car must fail a smog check to be eligible for this. But what are the (unpublished) devils in the details? Must a car specifically fail the emissions part of the test? Or any part of the test?

Case in point: My car just (against all expectations) passed the emissions test, and by wide margins — but flunked the overall test because the gas cap is defective. I could fix this with a new gas cap — cheap, okay. But I want to fail, because this car is getting to be a beat-up old junker and I want to get rid of it. I’d like to get $1000 or $1500 for it if I could. The technician told me he doesn’t know if a failing gas cap would qualify my car for that.

The Bureau of Automotive Repair is (AFAIK) a notoriously capricious bureaucracy, wherein no two people seem to have the same notion of what any of the rules are. So, before even calling to ask, I’m prejudiced to think that I won’t trust whatever they may tell me.

So before I try that, I’d sooner ask The Straight Dope (California contingent) for any knowledge, experience, or wisdom on the topic.

ETA: Need answer kinda-sorta soon, since I think I have to decide and act within a week or so.

2

No firsthand experience with the program, but according to the eligibility requirements FAQ on that page, your car is not eligible if it’s only a gas cap or ignition timing adjustment issue.

I love that they call buying and crushing your car “vehicle retirement.” I wonder if there’s a Blade Runner fan somewhere in Sacramento chuckling to himself that he snuck that by.

3

Thanks for this response. I read all that stuff (or, I thought I did), but I missed the part about gas caps and ignition timing. Now I need to go take a closer look.

I don’t know for sure that the vehicles are totally squished. The outfits that take them are called “dismantlers”, and I suppose they might part it out for the used parts market. Then I suppose the chassis and other major metal parts can be recycled. (See nearby thread on organ donations :slight_smile: )

4

Okay, I took another closer look and found it. There are THREE separate FAQs on that site, and of course it’s buried in the FAQ that I missed.

Shit. :mad:

5

You’re lucky with such a scheme - over here, cars that are more than 10 years old attract a 50% increase in road tax / annual sticker fees / registration cost (whatever you want to call it)