New Ram California DMV issues

[Orcadrvr]

Just took delivery of a brand new 2018 Ram 3500 Laramie Diesel, which I really like. I bought it from Dave Smith in Idaho, and could not have had a better buying experience!
However, California DMV is being their usual obnoxious self: I have to get a smog check before I can register it, bcause I bought it out of state! It has about 51 miles on it!
So I took it to the smog check place, waited a while, and the tech showed me the printout which said that it "wasn't ready" for the smog test. I need to drive it some more before it is "ready" for the test.
Anybody have any ideas about how much to drive it before the retest?

[996Pilot]

Lwiddis wrote:
Gee, not so cool or fun to buy out of state. Learned anything?

You seem a bit bitter about this whole process. What an A$$

[Ralph_Cramden]

Beentherefixedthat wrote:

BarabooBob wrote:
I am thankful that I live in central Wisconsin. No smog checks, no DOT hastles, just stop at the local sheriff's dept and hand them a check. I get my plates and registration slip on the spot. 3 weeks later I get my new title. This is for used. If you buy from a dealer, they charge you $10 to process the paperwork and it is done before you pick the vehicle up.

Population of California: 39.5 MILLION

Population of Wisconsin: 5.79 Million

California has more populous CITIES than the entire state of Wisconsin so it makes sense that things are different there, especially in the realm of vehicle registration and that they place a high premium on protecting their environment.

Perhaps the largest understatement ever on RV.net, Their protection of the environment with those high premiums is not going all that well is is?.:B

[Grit_dog]

Lwiddis wrote:
Gee, not so cool or fun to buy out of state. Learned anything?

This, along with a myriad of other "advice" or statements shows the true ignorance of some of the members here.
I thought most of you guys are old dudes. Doesn't wisdom come with age? Maybe not to everyone?

[Grit_dog]

Beentherefixedthat wrote:

BarabooBob wrote:
I am thankful that I live in central Wisconsin. No smog checks, no DOT hastles, just stop at the local sheriff's dept and hand them a check. I get my plates and registration slip on the spot. 3 weeks later I get my new title. This is for used. If you buy from a dealer, they charge you $10 to process the paperwork and it is done before you pick the vehicle up.

Population of California: 39.5 MILLION

Population of Wisconsin: 5.79 Million

California has more populous CITIES than the entire state of Wisconsin so it makes sense that things are different there, especially in the realm of vehicle registration and that they place a high premium on protecting their environment.

Exactly! You just proved Bobs point!
The high premium on protecting the environment is a little over the top though....lol.

[Beentherefixedt]

BarabooBob wrote:
I am thankful that I live in central Wisconsin. No smog checks, no DOT hastles, just stop at the local sheriff's dept and hand them a check. I get my plates and registration slip on the spot. 3 weeks later I get my new title. This is for used. If you buy from a dealer, they charge you $10 to process the paperwork and it is done before you pick the vehicle up.

Population of California: 39.5 MILLION

Population of Wisconsin: 5.79 Million

California has more populous CITIES than the entire state of Wisconsin so it makes sense that things are different there, especially in the realm of vehicle registration and that they place a high premium on protecting their environment.

[Litch]

Lwiddis wrote:
Gee, not so cool or fun to buy out of state. Learned anything?

Yep, I did. I learned I could save $10,000 on the new truck I bought in Idaho. Drove mine back home and had the smog test and paid my fees to DMV. It was well worth the hassle saving that kind of money.

[Orcadrvr]

You guys are awesome !
Thanks again for all the help.
I'll keep you posted on the progress !
Have a great Thanksgiving !

[moresmoke]

ItsyRV wrote:

I find it even more amusing how the dealer was unable to tell the purchaser what the drive cycle is to ready the OBD for emissions. Now that is one bad service department!

Not that unusual with many dealers today. They won't tell you how to do it, but you can bring it in and they will do it for you. On your dime.

[ItsyRV]

Perrysburg Dodgeboy wrote:
My question to the morons in Sacramento is if the door sticker says the truck meets the California Emissions Standards why are they making you go through the testing?

Because the OUT-OF-STATE DEALER most likely did not certify the CA Emissions. They certify that the OBDII was checked and is Ready with no fault codes. That means they plugged in the OBD reader and it said "Ready". This is what the CA inspection did but the computer said "Not Ready".

What could have triggered the not ready was a dealer resetting the computer which wipe out what was stored and has to be made ready again, or most likely in this situation, the battery was disconnected for transport and that caused the computer stored info to be wiped out and now not ready. As a result of not knowing this, the unsuspected buyer went to get an inspection too soon after accepting delivery and the computer had not been driven long enough or was not driven according to the make Ready sequence.

As I posted earlier, I live in a state that likes to do everything opposite of CA (makes fun of CA emissions regulations) and yet if the chip on a vehicle shows Not Ready in those counties with emissions, you fail. Just like CA, it is not an actual test, just plugging in a reader to see if it's ready. And if I asked them what needs to be done, they will just say the vehicle was not driven enough to ready the chip, contact the dealer for specifics.

I find it even more amusing how the dealer was unable to tell the purchaser what the drive cycle is to ready the OBD for emissions. Now that is one bad service department!

[toedtoes]

In California, it doesn't cost more to register an out of state vehicle, so the "money grab" argument doesn't hold water.

As I posted earlier today, the OP can get the visual inspection done in a variety of ways. This visual inspection is done to verify the VIN, FMVSS, and emissions. It is done with every out of state vehicle purchase, as well as incomplete chassis builds. If sold in California, the dealer has already certified the vehicle so it is not necessary for the buyer to do it. If sold out of state, then it hasn't been verified and so the buyer must do it.

[ktmrfs]

Perrysburg Dodgeboy wrote:

Orcadrvr wrote:
I bought the truck, brand new in Idaho. The dealer wrote a cashiers check to the state of california for taxes, license, and registration. I will hand it to DMV when I go there.
The truck meets Cal. emissions standards.
I have 20 days to register it in Cal, from when it comes into the state. It was delivered by truck (a much bigger truck than mine!) to my door.
I am not trying to avoid any taxes or fees.
I just want to get my truck registered without running around in circles for the next two weeks.
Thanks for all the input.

You've got to love some of the snooty comments don't you. So people must have never bought a vehicle out of state before! LOL

As for the truck like was said before call the dealer and they can tell you how many miles it takes for the truck to be ready for an EPA test. Then just go for a trip until you get the miles on it if you can. My question to the morons in Sacramento is if the door sticker says the truck meets the California Emissions Standards why are they making you go through the testing? Oh that's right it's a money grab!

Don

biggest issue is that the car was NOT SOLD in the state it is to be initially registered in. My local dealer got our truck from Dave smith (better price than dave had on the same truck) so it was sold as a Oregon truck, not ID truck. Had it been sold in Idaho instead of just transferring plates from my old truck and sending in registration I would have had to go to DMV, have them inspect the vehicle, match the VIN number, run a check to make sure it didn't show up anywhere as stolen vehicle, and pay more for registration

[Perrysburg_Dodg]

Orcadrvr wrote:
I bought the truck, brand new in Idaho. The dealer wrote a cashiers check to the state of california for taxes, license, and registration. I will hand it to DMV when I go there.
The truck meets Cal. emissions standards.
I have 20 days to register it in Cal, from when it comes into the state. It was delivered by truck (a much bigger truck than mine!) to my door.
I am not trying to avoid any taxes or fees.
I just want to get my truck registered without running around in circles for the next two weeks.
Thanks for all the input.

You've got to love some of the snooty comments don't you. So people must have never bought a vehicle out of state before! LOL

As for the truck like was said before call the dealer and they can tell you how many miles it takes for the truck to be ready for an EPA test. Then just go for a trip until you get the miles on it if you can. My question to the morons in Sacramento is if the door sticker says the truck meets the California Emissions Standards why are they making you go through the testing? Oh that's right it's a money grab!

Don

[ItsyRV]

Orcadrvr wrote:
If it's so simple to cycle the OBDII system as one poster suggests, maybe he could give me a link for it, as I have spent a good while with my pal google looking for that info without any luck. The dealer claims not to know. Maybe I will call another one.

Stay away from that dealer as your owner's manual specifically states to contact the dealer!

Drive Cycle Information

Pre-Conditioning Requirements:
– MIL must be off
– Cold start

Driving Procedure
1) Warm engine up for five minutes.
2) Drive continually at a speed between 40 and 60 mph for 8 minutes.
3) Stop and idle for 3 minutes.
4) Drive continually at a speed above 20 mph for 2 minutes.
5) Turn key off, leave off for ten minutes.
6) Restart.

*Verify status using OBDII system status check as described in owners manual.

His owners manual has a section under "Emissions Inspection and Maintenance Program" that details how to check the OBD yourself to see if it is reading ready. Now, the drive sequence is for his vehicle as provided by his dealer's service department. It's to make the OBD emissions ready for testing. You can also drive your truck enough to cycle through all the requirements but this is what the dealers must do after a reset or battery change to ensure the vehicle is legally ready. Your truck sequence could be different so that is why the Owner's Manual states to contact them for details.

You will also note the Owner's Manual states that you will fail Emissions testing if the chip is not Ready, So this not a California thing or a California only issue. This is simply a product of a bad dealer who isn't doing what they were suppose to do for you the customer! At the very least, the dealer could have left the owner's manual in the vehicle so you could have read the info yourself. Now, that's a bad dealer!

[Orcadrvr]

Thanks, toedtoes!