Hey guys,
I just moved back down to California and need to register my car, get CA plates, and a CA driver's license. I have an appointment at the DMV to get all this done this Thursday and was planning on getting my car smog checked beforehand. Can I do my smog check before I have my CA registration? Or do I need that to get my smog check?
Also, if I do go before the appointment (when I still have my WA registration and not my CA one), do I need to go to one of the star stations?
Thanks.
if your car set up for cali emissions?
Um...I'm not sure to be honest. The car was originally in CA (circa 2005) before I took it up with me to WA (circa 2011) so I'm assuming it is?
At the DMVs i went to, different offices took care of licenses and plates. May be different in your area. The license first requires the background info and documents, then you get your picture taken, then you take the "written" test. Make sure that your appointment isn't at the end of the day, or else you may have to come back to finish one of the components.
For your car, get the smog first; they will ask for the test when you get the plates. The place I went was $30-40. When getting the car registered, the DMV clerk will then visually verify the VIN; my title is electronic, but you probably need to bring that in too. They required me to hand over my FL plate.
BattlePope wrote: Um...I'm not sure to be honest. The car was originally in CA (circa 2005) before I took it up with me to WA (circa 2011) so I'm assuming it is?
Does it have any mods that affect fuel delivery (intake on down)? If so, they need CARB stickers. My car passed well within the OBDII and I was given some lenience "this time" on my long ago installed air intake.
Wait...you had to take written test? Even if you already have a driver's license from another state? What?!
I tried to get my car smog checked today and they said that I had to go to a "star station" since my registration was out of state.
No mods that affect fuel delivery. Totally stock.
If its a 96 or newer and you are going to a star station, check and see if all of the emissions monitors are completed if you have access to a scanner. Even though the law says there can be one or two incomplete depending on the year (96-00 and 01 up if I remember right), some star stations will refuse to smog the car unless they are all completed.
It's a '94.
Have a friend at work who has a AZ license getting his CA license. Yes a written test is required.
Written test is required, and it's worth spending some time with the prep materials the DMV makes available on their website. I figured anyone who drives responsibly could pass it, but there is enough detailed or California-specific stuff in there that you should take a look.
And yes, smog check before hand.
FWIW, I went to a non-DMV service agency to get my registration done. I was in and out pretty quickly, but the fool behind the desk screwed up the mileage on my title and the tax I had to pay to register the car. Sorting those out will probably even out the time and frustration, but if your local DMV is very busy and you can find a decent agency, might be worth it.
how freaking stupid is california to require you to test even though you already completed that task in your previous state?
i'm glad i don't live there, every new thing you guys bring up makes it seem harder and harder to stay sane.
That's ridiculous about taking the test. So even if I originally got my license in CA I'll still have to take it?
And just to clarify, it's okay if I do my smog test before I go to the DMV? It won't be a problem if I do it when I still have a WA registration?
Finally, Peter, how'd you find the non-DMV service agency to get your registration?
Thanks.
AAA will register cars in CA. They can do a lot of the normal reg stuff. You have to be a member of course.
You can smog first. Its good for 30 days.
Written test was a bummer, especially for me since I kept my CDL and Motorcycle. I had to take all three tests. Otherwise, DMV is the same bummer as any other state.
Another vote for AAA. Much smaller lines. Even with an appointment at DMV you still wait, just in a shorter line. You will need VIN verification since they are titled out of state, and some AAAs won't do that, but its a drive-through line at most DMVs.
I'm not sure I get your beef. I've moved across state lines six times in my life and every single time I've had to take a written test to get a license. That includes moving back into Michigan twice, i.e. I've changed my license into Michigan 3 times.
When I moved from Michigan into Florida in 1989, I even had to take a driving test to get my FL license.
Each state has different driving laws. It's no surprise to me that CA wants you to take a written test so you can prove knowledge of local law.
patgizz wrote: how freaking stupid is california to require you to test even though you already completed that task in your previous state? i'm glad i don't live there, every new thing you guys bring up makes it seem harder and harder to stay sane.
as though I needed more reasons to NOT move to the PRC 
EvanR wrote: I'm not sure I get your beef. I've moved across state lines six times in my life and every single time I've had to take a written test to get a license. That includes moving back into Michigan twice, i.e. I've changed my license into Michigan 3 times. When I moved from Michigan into Florida in 1989, I even had to take a driving test to get my FL license. Each state has different driving laws. It's no surprise to me that CA wants you to take a written test so you can prove knowledge of local law.
just out of curiosity (open to anyone with CA knowledge) … what would be different in CA as far as rules of the road go ?
One obvious one is that motorcycles are allowed to split lanes (cannot be the shoulder though). Not sure that is on the car test, it probably should be though.
wbjones wrote:EvanR wrote: I'm not sure I get your beef. I've moved across state lines six times in my life and every single time I've had to take a written test to get a license. That includes moving back into Michigan twice, i.e. I've changed my license into Michigan 3 times. When I moved from Michigan into Florida in 1989, I even had to take a driving test to get my FL license. Each state has different driving laws. It's no surprise to me that CA wants you to take a written test so you can prove knowledge of local law.just out of curiosity (open to anyone with CA knowledge) … what would be different in CA as far as rules of the road go ?
Response to emergency vehicles is different than any other state I've lived in. Unless the road is physically divided you need to pull over on both sides of the road. Large yellow lined medians between 4 lanes of 60 mph traffic don't count as divided. PA only requires that you yield right of way in the direction of travel.
Lane splitting from what I remember is not disallowed so it's only allowed implicitly. I believe CHP had to pull down its guidelines due to some legal liability issue.
BattlePope wrote: Finally, Peter, how'd you find the non-DMV service agency to get your registration?
Yelp, Google. On Yelp, "Registration Services" was the best search term. They did the VIN verification, title, and registration. I brought them the smog check certificate. I do not think you can take the driver's license test there, but I could be wrong. By the time I brought my car into the state, I already had a CA license, but I needed to update the address and they were able to do that for me
aircooled wrote: One obvious one is that motorcycles are allowed to split lanes (cannot be the shoulder though). Not sure that is on the car test, it probably should be though.
Also, the whole thing with pulling over the the side of the street and stopping for emergency vehicles, no matter where they are. I'm still not great at this - back East yielding right-of-way was all that was required. Four+ lane wide surface street, 1 ambulance coming in the other direction and I'm expected to pull to the side of the road? Does not compute.
patgizz wrote: how freaking stupid is california
You have no idea.
As for different driving laws in CA, lane splitting is one I can think of that people do need to know about.
wbjones wrote:EvanR wrote: I'm not sure I get your beef. I've moved across state lines six times in my life and every single time I've had to take a written test to get a license. That includes moving back into Michigan twice, i.e. I've changed my license into Michigan 3 times. When I moved from Michigan into Florida in 1989, I even had to take a driving test to get my FL license. Each state has different driving laws. It's no surprise to me that CA wants you to take a written test so you can prove knowledge of local law.just out of curiosity (open to anyone with CA knowledge) … what would be different in CA as far as rules of the road go ?
that's also legal in a couple of other states
You'll need to log in to post.
