CA. DMV What to expect?

[JBonpua]

How wonderful another way for them to get more money out of us. Never saw or heard of this till now. something to look forword to i guess. All the more reason to register it as a car. Thanks for the info.

Humm. Mine is registered as a car but the rule says "diesel-powered vehicles" and not "heavy duty". Although mine weighs in at over 9,000 lbs, I think I'll have to smog mine. How do you all read this for trucks with car plates?

 

[surfbeetle]

I'd rather pay the weight fee than have to smog the truck... What a hassle!

 

[AMcCormick]

Well what I read says nothing about truck/car just diesel powered.



The GVWR is what the vechicle is rated to legally drive down the road and not the unloaded weight of said vechicle. Is this a correct statement?



My door sticker reads "GVWR"9000 "GAWR"front5200

"GAWR"rear6000

So, combine the fore and aft axle weight ratings I'm at 11200. 2200 above the GVWR of 9000.



The way I read the DMV is that my truck is exempt from this, while a TDI jetta would comply.

So I need to weigh in at less than 7klbs to avoid weight fees. Then with the GVWR being above 8,501lbs I'm fine with the smog. At least for now. Tomarrow I'll head to AAA before DMV, let you know what I find out.



Andy

 

[Regcabguy]

Well what I read says nothing about truck/car just diesel powered.



The GVWR is what the vechicle is rated to legally drive down the road and not the unloaded weight of said vechicle. Is this a correct statement?



My door sticker reads "GVWR"9000 "GAWR"front5200

"GAWR"rear6000

So, combine the fore and aft axle weight ratings I'm at 11200. 2200 above the GVWR of 9000.



The way I read the DMV is that my truck is exempt from this, while a TDI jetta would comply.

So I need to weigh in at less than 7klbs to avoid weight fees. Then with the GVWR being above 8,501lbs I'm fine with the smog. At least for now. Tomarrow I'll head to AAA before DMV, let you know what I find out.



Andy

Andy,with your paperwork and weight certificate you should not need to go to the DMV at all. My experience was with a Idaho dealer sold, new truck. If I'd bought it private party out of state w/over 7500 miles AAA would do it all. Give it a try if you're a member. AAA is a good deal anyway.

 

[MillerR]

Am I reading this correct that starting in 2010, you'll have to get your rig smogged every other year?



Vehicle Registration for 2008

I just had to smog my '03 in Washington last month. It's required every 5 years here I believe. I moved from Oregon in '05. In Oregon, I was exempt due to truck weight. Washington?, not so lucky. At least it's not hundreds of dollars every year like it was just a few years ago. Annual registration is $61, smog certificate was another $15. Now, my 1981 VW diesel pickup is exempt (over 25 years old). If I could only get that thing to tow my 12k+ 5th wheel... Funny how the older (higher polluting) cars are exempt, huh?

 

[Regcabguy]

Currently the older muscle/showcars are exempt from emissions here but Arnold tried to nail them a while back. C'mon Arnie! These vehicles are driven to the show and back!

 

[RVTRKN]

Welcome to the Socialist Republic of California. I've been trying for years to get out of this madhouse of illegals, leftists and we do have communists here as well. I don't know why you would want to move here, but seeing how you are here now, go to DMV (The Gustapo) with all your cash and expect everything will go wrong. I spent two days waiting in lines and getting my truck registration for the proper classification because the dealer or DMV got it wrong the first time, I don't know which was at fault. Thank God the dealer still had my weight cert. , because my truck is heavy now with all the upgrades and tools after the purchase. The way I found out was I was registering it for 26K weight cert due to commercial use requirement for my transporting job when the clerk caught it on the title (I own it). I had to have it reinspected and the inspector couldn't find the proper classification for my C&C with my bed as a utility bed , he actually had to call Sacramento. Then he couldn't find the smog tag on the vehicle showing it was a California certified Diesel and I had to call my dealer for location while he took a long break. (it must be nice working for the government) After it was all said and done, it was two days, that only should have been two hours. You can call a 800 number which will help in your questions for DMV. I called after the first day at DMV where the # was posted and found out about more paper work I would need that could have cost me a third day, I don't remember what it was now, for I 'm trying to put it behind me now.

 

[DeezelDood]

I've moved from FL to CA. The FL regs runs out 12-08. I bought the truck in GA. 1year ago paid the sales tax in FL when registered. Just paid for 6months of insurance with a CA address. Truck is HO305/555 engine with no cat or muffler. What can I expect? Any tips before I go to the DMV?



Thanks, Andy

Related subject from todays' LA Times. I'm not up on Cal Budget Rules but I think a "fee" only requires a simple majority to pass the lege. The Governator may be able to reinstate the old 2% VLF with the stroke of a pen, it was rescinded (fulfilling a campaign promise) by executive order. This will (I think) be in addition to the weight fee.



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From the Los Angeles Times



California's car tax may be on the road again

The vehicle license fee that got Gray Davis recalled and Arnold Schwarzenegger elected looks like a good idea again.



November 11, 2008



Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has shown he's capable of learning. Not every governor who rode into office on a no-new-taxes pledge would propose a sales-tax increase of 1. 5%. He's right to insist that every solution to the state's fiscal crisis be on the table, so we're happy to pitch in with a suggestion -- bring back the car tax.



There, we said it. Again. California's leaders took a wrong turn in 1999 when they slashed the vehicle license fee, or car tax. The move frittered away a rare revenue surplus that should have been used instead to fix the state's structural deficit. The plan supposedly called for the rate to go back up during fiscal crises to the same level it had been since 1948 -- 2% of vehicle value. But when then-Gov. Gray Davis tried to do just that, Schwarzenegger fanned voter anger and booted Davis from office.



It's not out of a sense of mischief that we now call on Schwarzenegger to bring the tax back to its historical level. Not solely, anyway. The car tax is a smarter choice than a sales tax for digging out of the current budget hole. Asking Californians to pitch in through their vehicle registration fees rather than at the cash register would have fewer negative effects on sales, which we can expect to be diminished too much already in the coming months.



Sales taxes are regressive: They take a higher percentage of household income from the poor than from the rich. A 1999 California Policy Research Center study found vehicle license fees to be nearly as regressive, but at least the proceeds are unrestricted and could be used to bail the state out of its mess. Because of voter fiat, sales taxes paid at the gas pump are off limits for any use but transportation. Local government also claims a share. Another advantage of car taxes: They are deductible from federal income tax. Try deducting your sales tax on your 1040 form and see how far you get.



Schwarzenegger already has swallowed his pride a bit on car taxes: He's proposing that each vehicle owner pay $12 more. But that's an especially regressive fee, imposing barely an irritant on a wealthy motorist while packing a wallop for a low-income one. The state can do far better for itself and its residents by returning to the tried-and-true vehicle license fee.



Any tax hike will cause pain, but not nearly as much as the deepest budget cuts the governor is proposing. And sales taxes are already rising: If the 1. 5% state increase is adopted, the rate in two Los Angeles County cities will be 11. 25%, and just a penny less in the rest of the county. That's not the way to go. Cutting the car tax helped get us into this mess. Restoring it to the rate that served California for 60 years can help get us out.

 

[MickeyMiller]

Any 'revenue enhancement' for California is like giving a drunk a drink. The California budget has gone from $98B to around $140B in 4 years!!!! Until these clowns learn something about fiscal responsibility they cannot be trusted to do anything but to **** away the future.

 

[AMcCormick]

So went to AAA today and they claim that can not do anything has it is an out of state vehicle. The guy I spoke with in person could not give me any info regarding weight, car/truck etc etc. So next step will be to put in a call to DMV, maybe just show up before the am doors open.

 

[Regcabguy]

So went to AAA today and they claim that can not do anything has it is an out of state vehicle. The guy I spoke with in person could not give me any info regarding weight, car/truck etc etc. So next step will be to put in a call to DMV, maybe just show up before the am doors open.

Sorry for the bum steer. I've witnessed many out of state registrations at my AAA but who knows? Lineup at your nearest DMV at 7:30. Just make sure you've got that weight cert. I remember now a AAA clerk telling me that the DMV limits what they can do. Apparently they want to preserve more government jobs. Can't wait for universal healthcare.

 

[PHaller]

I bought a new 07. 5 diesel truck in Carson City Dodge last year. I live in California. Before going to the DMV I had to have a certified weight slip from a scale (I already paid the sales tax at the dealer), a copy of my contract, the sales tax paid, and other verification my home address is in California to give them before they would register it.

I don't Understand this. Isn't a 3500 sold in Nevada the same weight as a 3500 sold in California give or take a pound or two? Why not just look it up? The certified slip costs more then if you just weigh your rig too. 25$ for certified slip, 8$ uncertified. Now guys, before you start going postal on California, I remember what the air quality was like 35 years ago with 5 million cars on the road. Now with 4 times that many, the air quality is better. No question. Smog controls do help no matter what you may think and the reason people want to live here is because we do have better weather then anywhere else and we are the 5th largest economy in the world. We have jobs in everything from high tech in silicon valley to manufacturing and farming in the central valley. The University system here is the envy of the rest of the US with the UC system, state universities, and county colleges as well as many lesser known colleges like Stanford and USC,:-laf and we have deserts and mountains and ocean front property too. San Francisco is considered by many to be the most beautiful city in the world and after traveling all across the US looking for greener grass, I always come back home no matter her politics. I am 3rd generation native and I married a native San Franciscan. She, a principal in a public bilingual school (yes, we embrace other cultures) and I work at U. C. Berkeley. The average education level is higher, tolerance is high, and so is the average income. In fact, income is higher here then anywhere else in the US except Alaska. Eat your heart out Montana!

-Paul Haller-

 

[DeezelDood]

I don't know what your other state expereriences have been but some of the small town DMV offices in Cal are very well run, with friendly staff, and not overcrowded. The Vacaville ofc, just off I80, is a good example. Ask around.

 

[RVTRKN]

I bought a new 07. 5 diesel truck in Carson City Dodge last year. I live in California. Before going to the DMV I had to have a certified weight slip from a scale (I already paid the sales tax at the dealer), a copy of my contract, the sales tax paid, and other verification my home address is in California to give them before they would register it.

I don't Understand this. Isn't a 3500 sold in Nevada the same weight as a 3500 sold in California give or take a pound or two? Why not just look it up? The certified slip costs more then if you just weigh your rig too. 25$ for certified slip, 8$ uncertified. Now guys, before you start going postal on California, I remember what the air quality was like 35 years ago with 5 million cars on the road. Now with 4 times that many, the air quality is better. No question. Smog controls do help no matter what you may think and the reason people want to live here is because we do have better weather then anywhere else and we are the 5th largest economy in the world. We have jobs in everything from high tech in silicon valley to manufacturing and farming in the central valley. The University system here is the envy of the rest of the US with the UC system, state universities, and county colleges as well as many lesser known colleges like Stanford and USC,:-laf and we have deserts and mountains and ocean front property too. San Francisco is considered by many to be the most beautiful city in the world and after traveling all across the US looking for greener grass, I always come back home no matter her politics. I am 3rd generation native and I married a native San Franciscan. She, a principal in a public bilingual school (yes, we embrace other cultures) and I work at U. C. Berkeley. The average education level is higher, tolerance is high, and so is the average income. In fact, income is higher here then anywhere else in the US except Alaska. Eat your heart out Montana!

-Paul Haller-

you must be immune to libs working at Berkeley. I was there one time and I had to pull over and check my trunk for any nuclear bombs before I crossed into the city limits. The only city I'm aware of that posts signs for that. But I beg to differ on the Montana experience, when I was there I had an american (color didn't matter, just not illegal ) cooking my food in the restaurants and the citizens where very polite and you could see the cities where clean. But that "Big Sky" was better than any other state I've been in .

 

[MickeyMiller]

Right on RVTRKN! I live in the SF Bay Area, but spent 2003-2005 in Billings MT. Not only did I find the citizens polite, the cities clean, but they also manage to run the state and the cities within a budget! That is a concept that completely eludes California. In Montana, 'common sense' is common; In California, 'common sense' is unheard of!

 

[KKohagen]

So went to AAA today and they claim that can not do anything has it is an out of state vehicle. The guy I spoke with in person could not give me any info regarding weight, car/truck etc etc. So next step will be to put in a call to DMV, maybe just show up before the am doors open.

I registered my out of state truck at the local AAA. No problems. I bought my used truck in Ariz. drove it home. Got a weight certificate the next day or two. Then went to my local AAA, gave them a copy of the weight cert, a check for the sales tax difference between AZ and my local area and the registration fees. We then went outside to verify the VIN and he was checking for a CARB sticker. It did not have a CARB sticker because it was not a CA truck. The person looked at the mileage. Signed off on the whole thing and I got a registration and a set of plates right then and there. A few months later my Firefighter plates came in and I got them swapped out. No problems what so ever. Maybe go to a different AAA office.

 

[thashane]

So I can park in Yellow Zones?

My yearly reg is around $340.

 

[Regcabguy]

So I can park in Yellow Zones?

My yearly reg is around $340.

Yes,we're considered commercial vehicles. What a bargain. Mine's $433 due in Dec. and my buddy's identical '05 is now down to $412.

 

[AMcCormick]

So here is the update. Started the proccess today at the Marin Corte Madera DMV office. I can register as a car as I currently have a shell, avoid weight fees. However the shell has to remain on. If driven with out the shell I would be illegal. ALL PICKUP TRUCKS WITH OUT SHELLS MUST BE WEIGHED AND PAY WEIGHT FEES. My trucked weighed in at 6650lbs completly empty. Spare and tools removed, everything that was not bolted down was removed including tailgate. I currently have a rack for my winsurfing boards bolted to the bed an shell so that stayed. When I left the house the DTE read 0 miles, put one gallon in for the short drive and came up with 6650lbs. The estimated weight fees for 6klb was 150$ in addittion to registration fees of 150$. So I'm looking to be above the 300$ mark. From this thread I've read that unladin curb weight of less than 7klbs is not required to pay weight fees. If any one can actually prove this I would greatly appreciate it as it would save me 150$. The local office is saying all trucks regardless of unladin curb weight. Also regarding purchased vechiles entering CA, you will pay sales tax if less than 7,500mi odo when purchased. If vechile was purchased within one year of entering CA you will pay partial sales tax. Thats the scoop. Pickup truck with shell= car with no weight fees. Pickup with no shell=weight fees regardless of curb weight. If the vechile will be operating at more than 10klbs thats the next level, which lots of these CTD trucks are. This is meant to imply the medium duty series trucks 4500 series and above. Didnt ask about future smog issues yet. As of now no smog for diesel.

 

[Regcabguy]

So here is the update. Started the proccess today at the Marin Corte Madera DMV office. I can register as a car as I currently have a shell, avoid weight fees. However the shell has to remain on. If driven with out the shell I would be illegal. ALL PICKUP TRUCKS WITH OUT SHELLS MUST BE WEIGHED AND PAY WEIGHT FEES. My trucked weighed in at 6650lbs completly empty. Spare and tools removed, everything that was not bolted down was removed including tailgate. I currently have a rack for my winsurfing boards bolted to the bed an shell so that stayed. When I left the house the DTE read 0 miles, put one gallon in for the short drive and came up with 6650lbs. The estimated weight fees for 6klb was 150$ in addittion to registration fees of 150$. So I'm looking to be above the 300$ mark. From this thread I've read that unladin curb weight of less than 7klbs is not required to pay weight fees. If any one can actually prove this I would greatly appreciate it as it would save me 150$. The local office is saying all trucks regardless of unladin curb weight. Also regarding purchased vechiles entering CA, you will pay sales tax if less than 7,500mi odo when purchased. If vechile was purchased within one year of entering CA you will pay partial sales tax. Thats the scoop. Pickup truck with shell= car with no weight fees. Pickup with no shell=weight fees regardless of curb weight. If the vechile will be operating at more than 10klbs thats the next level, which lots of these CTD trucks are. This is meant to imply the medium duty series trucks 4500 series and above. Didnt ask about future smog issues yet. As of now no smog for diesel.

Andy,I think I'd just pay the fees. That extra fee enables you to use your truck commercially and park in a yellow zone. Part of the fee is tax deductable.