CA brake and lamp inspection

[papak]

Can anyone recommend a "reasonable" B &L inspection shop in West LA? I am scarred enough after dealing with DMV and would like to avoid any unwarranted hassles. The inside is that I am #75 for 2017!

 

TIA

[jimrankin]

Make sure you print out the California DMV requirements (available on line) and take them with you as most shops need a VIN number and will stop cold when you don't have one. The section under "Special Construction Vehicles" is a bit vague but does give you a basic idea of what you need. If I remember correctly it's based on what had to be on a vehicle in 1960 code and also the exemptions for vehicles weighing under a given weight which I thing was 1500 pounds. Call your local shops and ask if they can do a non-VIN vehicle and then if they "can" have they done "SPCN" inspections before. I had a real hard time finding one who would do a SPCN but ended up getting it done by taking the paperwork to one who said he would give it a try.

[dvl]

Hi,

You may want to call Check Point Automotive in Mar Vista, off Venice. The owner has a older live axle Caterham and tends to work on assorted interesting cars, in addition to BMW's (which is listed on their website). I've stopped in several times to look at his car and chat, as they are right by my house. If they can not do the inspection, they may know someone who can.

i hope this helps,

Dave

[papak]

Thanks for the tip on Check Point. I'll give them a call tomorrow. A careful reading of the various state documents online states that the manufacturers VIN, if attached permanently (mine is stamped on a tab that is welded to the chassis) will suffice. On the other hand, the car must be taken to CHP for a "VIN verification". In actuality, they are checking that the chassis, engine and transmission aren't on any theft database. They also have the right to assign a VIN, at their discretion, and attach it to the chassis. My appointment with them is on Thursday. If I can line up the brake and lamp inspection for later that day, I only have the smog referee (Bureau of Automotive repair left.

 

As a footnote, the T-9 transmission doesn't have a serial number embossed on it. The number was on a brass tag that was attached to one of the bolts holding down the top cover. These are usually discarded in the course of rebuilding according to John Esposito of Quantum Mechanics (Oxford, CT). They are the major supplier of T-9s in the US. John gets his cores 8-10 at a time, strapped to a pallet from a disassembler in the UK. Most arrive without tags. I'll let you know what CHP thinks of that later this week.

[Nick OTeen]

...the car must be taken to CHP for a "VIN verification". In actuality, they are checking that the chassis, engine and transmission aren't on any theft database. They also have the right to assign a VIN, at their discretion, and attach it to the chassis.

When I took my Caterham to the local CHP office I asked if the factory VIN that is stamped into one of the square frame tubes (alongside the engine) could be used rather than assigning a new VIN. After the officer ran the verification he came back out and said the factory VIN would be the one used.

 

As a footnote, the T-9 transmission doesn't have a serial number embossed on it. The number was on a brass tag that was attached to one of the bolts holding down the top cover.

I don't recall that the CHP officer I dealt with bothered to look for a number on the transmission. He was only concerned with the VIN and the engine number.

[papak]

I continue to get the impression that there is a great amount of variability in how this process is handled, at every level. It seems that the Cobra forums have a better handle on where the best agency locations are. As for DMV, either the Thousand Oaks or Torrance offices are the most informed. I have made out well so far with Culver City but only because I was well prepared, patient and quietly persistent. The first visit still took 3 ½ hours. On the other hand, they only calculated my registration based on the price of the Birkin kit, not any of the other components or labor. They also gave me a temporary tag. Go figure.

Edited March 20, 2017 by papak

[papak]

Checkpoint doesn't do the B&L inspection. I've worked through the list on the West Side of LA. Most of them only want a chance to adjust your headlights for $100. I may have found a shop in South Central. I'll post late Thursday on the outcome.

[papak]

Had the B&L inspection done at Jeniwil in South Central LA. Nice guys, $70 cash and done in 20 minutes. Went through the BAR today with no problem. I get the tags next Wednesday!

[TurboWood]

Can you elaborate on the BAR? What did they do? I've heard mixed messages.

 

Congrats!

 

Daniel

[papak]

The BAR inspection is primarily a visit to the smog referee. They will review (and make a copy of) all of the paperwork that preceded this visit. The inspector will need to see the Sequence Certificate that you receive from Sacramento. They will issue and install a permanent sticker that denotes your smog exemption. They are also looking, in a general sense, at the totality of the completed project. I imagine that they might raise a question if the fenders were falling off or something on that order. In reality, the referee is a faculty member at an automotive vocational school. The fellow who handled my visit was pleasant and professional. He asked for all of the completed, signed forms as well as the receipt for the engine and had me remove the hood to visually confirm that it was as described. The car never came off the trailer. I was out of there in 30 minutes.

[TurboWood]

Thanks!

[jimrankin]

Side note about BAR. I'm surprised he didn't make you start the engine as they will not issue a "smog exemption" tag to a "gross polluter". The term applies to not just engines belching blue smoke from being totally worn out but also from really highly tuned race engines that are gulping great quantities of fuel and expelling a lot of it unburned. I had the smog referee at my BAR appointment happy that I was running a stock S2000 motor and ECU with a cat but he did mention that kit cars with mods to "race spec" type of tune had to go on the machine and pass at a reasonable level. Said he had only had one kit car, a Cobra with about 600 HP that he would not sign off on.

[papak]

He did ask me to start it but I figured it was just to confirm that everything was in working order. The fellow was polite and professional and got me out of there in less than 30 minutes.