I was always under the assumption that anything 75' and earlier would be exempt from having to pass smog. Today, I went in to register my 74' HiLux and was told by the lady behind the counter that I was "lucky".

"Huh?" I said.

She went on to explain that my truck was born on Jan. 31st. Had it been a 74' pickup born beyond March 31st it would have required a smog certificate.

That earlier today some poor guy came in with a 74' Toyota "born" on April 1 - I kid you not. And boy was he really really pissed off, according to the lady, when he was told to come back with a smog certificate.

Anyhow, just an FYI for Californians who didn't know that anything built in 75' or anything built after March 31, 1974 isn't going to be exempt.

My dumba** would have easily purchased a 75' prior to today - thinking I was getting over on Arnold and his gang in Sacramento.

Lucky, indeed.

 

epic win! you got close and lucky! haha

 

On the BAR website it says anything 76 or older is exempt

 

One of the reasons why I was always under the assumption a 75' for be fine, for the longest time.

Just not what I was told, yesterday.

I'm suppose to surrender my old plates tomorrow. Meant to go to a different "lady" just to verify.

 

so did you invite the other Toyota boy you met to TM? lol

 

LoL. Nah, didn't actually see him, myself. Plus, I don't believe it was a pickup, although a "Toyota".

 

surrender your old plates?! you need triple a, they know a lot of the info in cali!! Dont give those plates back!!! you need proof (old registration slip) that those were the plates that were on that truck or car, and they can reregister it to those plates! dont lose the old, unique plates!!

 

damn. california is gay. lol. washington its 25 years old. and after 10 years you only have to pass smog every other year. so my 78 is well past exempt. wish my dodge was. so i register it out in the boonies where its not an emissions zone. lol.

 

I wish it had it's original plates.

It already had the newish white Cali plates when I bought it. For some odd reason when I registered it under my name she issued me new plates, and said I had to return the ones on the truck, and that they are no longer valid.

I don't really know why, since the truck I was registering had current registration. California DMV has all kinds of new (to me) sh*t going on. Maybe, now, plates are re-issued anytime the vehicle changes hands...I'm just guessing.

 

could have been age of the plates. in washington every 7 years you need new plates. i just had to replace mine on my 89 dodge again. lol. its so they look fairly fresh for the radar guns. and to make a few bucks. so maybe yours were at an age limit or something.

btw...my new one has an ugly number lol.

 

Ask the about getting the Classic plates. I kno they can give you blue plates if thats around the time ur truck came out Look the the DMV site. Sh!t ive seen a car from the early '90s with blu plates

 

There was some new stuff passed about plates in California. Only plates that can be registered to the vehicle are A. proven originals to the car, traced by old registration with matching vin or equivalent or B. the boring ass new plates that can be issued through the DMV.

It sucks!

 

i just got done doing all my registration bs and they let me keep my blue plates

 

no no no ... the people that work at DMV are id e odts u no ...idiots they can't read the or write or even speak english properly .. in some areas so what makes you think that they know all the laws that govern our grand state and its vehicle laws .... they don't and if you are lucky you get a person that knows them well .. if unlucky like the guy that was denied he will be back with a note from his local smog guy to tell off the people at dmv be cause the car is presmog ... this is what my dmv tells me and i have a horrible time at my dmv because of the incompatence

 

Ya Cali sucks so much i wish I lived in the county next to me(calaveras) smog it once an your done. An i think the DMV is wrong about that. If I remember correctly it was 25 years plus was smog Exempt but they changed it to 74 or 75 an down.

 

these dmv workers dont know what the hell they are doing. here in arizona smog is every 2 years if the cars is more the 5 years old. exempt 67 and older. so i had a 95 sonoma, took it to reg at dmv i have papers in my hand saying it was last smogged Nov 08 and this was Jan 09 they tell me it needed smog ever year. im like what! i sold it got an 84 jeep and it was already smogged and was able to buy 2 year plates. Its either the works make the choice or computer error!

 

haha so lucky.

 

How can you tell when the truck was born?
Is there a dating notification on the truck itself?
Where is this information located on the truck?
Or is it only via DMV computer?

 

there are 2 diferent dates to be concerned with .. the born date is when it was first registered and the other is the build date, which is when the truck rolled off the assembly line...the born date is when registration is due and this is the one that matters for dmv .. and the build date is the acutal age of the vehicle .. dont be fooled by dmv .. just let them be they will do what they want .. I have found that depending on the weather, the placement of the moon, the stars and how many people have come before you that day at dmv depends on the answer you get from them ... I just had to pay full registration for 2 months of driving becuase of the born date of my truck... I asked whats up with that and the dmv's response was you got to drive the vehicle... and you get pay registration again next month...that sucked

 

Toy Boy, Someone is yanking our chains. Either you or the lady at DMV. Here's a link to the California DMV:
Smog Information
It says 'year model '75 and earlier' does not need the smog test.
I've spoken to Smog Shops. I see all the time in want ads where it states: next year it will be smog exempt. There use to be a rolling 30 year rule but that was changed.