I was wondering if there are any traffic lawyers that lurk around here in the SoCal forums.

I am from NY and I will be attending school in Pomona or SLO in the fall. I have the TN kit which isn't carb legal. The car is registered under my name so my dad won't be able to switch the plates over to California because he won't have proof of address and plus, it's a hassle I don't want to deal with unless I UTTERLY HAVE TO.

I hear all sorts of things. If you get pulled over with mods that doesn't comply with carb standards, they have the right to impound your car on the spot and have it towed to a referee station. I am out of state, what is the worst case scenario that I may have to face?

I am wayyyy out of state. I hear the cops will have more of a reason to pull me over and hassle me.

I also have tints... how will that affect me?

DAMN THE MOD BUG!! GRR

 

Having limo tint will definitely attract the bored policeman more than not having the tint for sure. So yank that if you want to lower your risk.

As when you get pulled over he will ask you about your current residence. *You* could tell him you're a student but he will ask for student ID so don't do that unless you have it. If you do, then you will be fine most of the time.

Some officers are very stingy on the law though and he may choose to enforce the time in state residence issue. In that case it's just a fix a ticket most the time. "Go get registered and get a CA license". Course if you have a turbo kit ya ain't gonna pass SMOG. Unless you can find some "friendly" SMOG shops...they are out there.

You can also tell him you're just in town vacationing for the month. He *may* probe you further with where you're staying, etc. Of course if he caught you on your semi regular route, he might spot you again. Then you know you're screwed.

So what does "screwed" mean. Nothing too terrible. He will give you a ticket for not having a California registered vehicle and license if he decides you are indeed in residence here. Your mods will most likely not get flagged unless they are way obnoxious. Meaning really loud exhaust, gigantic NOS bottle in the back glass, etc.


If he does flag them he will look for any CARB stickers and then of course ask for any documentation stating it's CARB certified. It won't be in your case. What happens after that depends. Some friends of mine have been lucky and just got "fix it tickets" (mainly from too loud exhaust or even intakes). They then have to go to get the car smogged and pass. No biggie. Just bolt them back on afterward! Others have gotten their car impounded though. These were guys with twin turbo kits and paint schemes that made them look like race cars though.

He most likely will never pull you over for an out of state plate. Especially if you spend most your time in the university area. As I said with the tinted windows though THAT one stupid little thing could give him the initial 'bite' on you to pull you over. Because now he can write a buffet of violations. The tint, the registration, license, and of course mods.

So really I haven't answered your key question but hopefully given you an idea of what might happened.

Good luck.

 

Keep your residency in NY and DO NOT attempt to register in Califronia as you will have to jump thru loops to do so. If you keep you NY plates you will be ok with mods and your tint. When I first came from NY I had my plates for a year since CA wanted so much to register it here.

 

so how do all these turbocharged Zs pass their smog tests (other than "friendly" SMOG places )

 

They *always* go to "friendly" smog places. And you don't have to smog a new car for the first five years. So there's some buffer to have fun before your motor blows anyways or you trade it in for a new Z or something else.

 

Thanks, good information =)

I guess I'll just keep my NY registration. It'll make life a lot easier. Plus, I'm only going to school for 2-3 years anyways.

 

Yes and keep your NY license up to date too. Do not get a CA one. Or then you will be hosed if you get pulled over.

 

im not sure if you meant Cal Poly Pomona, but i go to Pomona College. glad to know youre comin out here to LA

 

i heard that you only could keep another state plate for 3 months in cali. should call cali dmv

 

Yeah CSU Pomona.

6 months before I need to change plates =/

What a pain in the ****. I'm still keeping my damn plates.

Also, how is autotheft near the Pomona/LA/LongBeach area? What about vandalism?