Battery registration

[computiNATEor]

Truth!

A car is a whole, not just the sum of parts. That's one of the things that sent GM to bankruptcy a few years back, many of the pieces were ok, but they didn't work together.

And some of the parts were just crap (watch at one minute in)

[Mike WW]

And some of the parts were just crap (watch at one minute in)

I was trying to hide my near visceral hate of GM and their products. How about, not every single part was bad.

[computiNATEor]

I was trying to hide my near visceral hate of GM and their products. How about, not every single part was bad.

Ah, gotcha. Yeah, those magnetorheological shocks are pretty impressive.

[geargrinder]

I was under the impression it *would* be a easy software patch to correct this, but doing so effects "braking" so it effects "safety" so it means "crash tests must be redone" which is complete 100% crap.

Yep. Like the way my state declares that manual swaps for cars that didn't come that way from the factory are illegal because the transmission is "emissions related equipment". Forking ironically of course the manual converted car probably makes less air poo than the slushbox does, but you know - instead of actually just sniffing the cars to see if it is or is not polluting, lets just BAN ALL MODIFICATION and call it "TAMPERING"!!!!!.

I'm super pro smart-enviro and I keep cats on my cars, no problem. But I hate illogical unscientific rogue bureaucratic overreach. They are killing the aftermarket for new cars between the complications and the collusion of the OEM's with the regulators to use it as a tool to keep you from messing with things.

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I know the N63/N63TU/S63TU all have valve stem seal issues. I've been behind multiple BMWs with these V8s and have had to quickly reach for the "recirculate," or be smoked out as it eats its own oil.

I've seen those having valve jobs done for that reason. Minty, reasonably 'light' mileage cars, running like crap and leaving a smoke cloud. Job is a nightmare from what I saw. Have fun with Valvetronic. For those who poop on VANOS motors, you ain't seen NUTHIN' till you try to work on a Valvetronic motor!

[computiNATEor]

Yep. Like the way my state declares that manual swaps for cars that didn't come that way from the factory are illegal because the transmission is "emissions related equipment". Forking ironically of course the manual converted car probably makes less air poo than the slushbox does, but you know - instead of actually just sniffing the cars to see if it is or is not polluting, lets just BAN ALL MODIFICATION and call it "TAMPERING"!!!!!.

I'm super pro smart-enviro and I keep cats on my cars, no problem. But I hate illogical unscientific rogue bureaucratic overreach. They are killing the aftermarket for new cars between the complications and the collusion of the OEM's with the regulators to use it as a tool to keep you from messing with things.

That's just dumb. Sounds like Massachusetts wants to be like CA, but has no structure for all the overhead required with strict emissions laws.

[Mike WW]

Yep. Like the way my state declares that manual swaps for cars that didn't come that way from the factory are illegal because the transmission is "emissions related equipment". Forking ironically of course the manual converted car probably makes less air poo than the slushbox does, but you know - instead of actually just sniffing the cars to see if it is or is not polluting, lets just BAN ALL MODIFICATION and call it "TAMPERING"!!!!!.

Really? Even here in the much maligned California with it's smog inspections a tranny swap is permitted, as long as that chassis/engine could have come that way. At least the last I knew, but referees are available and while not loose, generally not unreasonable.

I'm super pro smart-enviro and I keep cats on my cars, no problem. But I hate illogical unscientific rogue bureaucratic overreach. They are killing the aftermarket for new cars between the complications and the collusion of the OEM's with the regulators to use it as a tool to keep you from messing with things.

I wouldn't call it collusion, more like a convenient accident for the mfrs. The state people here at least, are generally pretty bright, but at a profound weakness compared to a mfr with teams of engineers for any specific package, so they suspect any modification will make things worse given all the factory has put into it. Not always true, but often. Still makes me crazy too, but I kind of understand it. On the other hand ratcheting regs tighter so cars have to be cleaner at 20 than were at 10 and cleaner at 30 than they were at 20 will turn me sputtering and red in the face.

[computiNATEor]

Really? Even here in the much maligned California with it's smog inspections a tranny swap is permitted, as long as that chassis/engine could have come that way. At least the last I knew, but referees are available and while not loose, generally not unreasonable.

I think as long as you have cats, can pass the OBD2 scan (assuming your car is new enough), and have the SAI pump connected, CA has no reason to fail you. I think modifications are allowed pre-MAF and post- cat, but I could be wrong on that.

[geargrinder]

That's just dumb. Sounds like Massachusetts wants to be like CA, but has no structure for all the overhead required with strict emissions laws.

You nailed it exactly. More than "wants to be", literally our emissions regs all ref the CA standards (vs. just Fed/EPA).

Here's the thing, and Mike nails that...

At least the last I knew, but referees are available and while not loose, generally not unreasonable.

.... The state people here at least, are generally pretty bright, but at a profound weakness compared to a mfr with teams of engineers for any specific package, so they suspect any modification will make things worse given all the factory has put into it. Not always true, but often. Still makes me crazy too, but I kind of understand it.

In CA, at least you have systems in place to deal with exceptions if someone wants to go through the cost and hassle. Mass has zero mechanism to get certifications/waivers for tuners for instance. So any of my buds who work in shops doing builds and fabbing cool stuff can't even go through a system to get a cert for something, no matter how much good intention and good will they might have to make it emissions compliant. In theory if you buy some kit or gear that DOES have a CA cert, then Mass should allow you to use and install that. But frankly in reality I'm pretty sure you'd have to go through a lengthy appeal proving the California status before they reluctantly let you run it, and it would probably entail taking it through some horrific administrative appeal process designed to guarantee that it takes so long that you commit suicide from depression long before you get to the final stages.

So in general if we are talking owner-mods, the rogue "DEP" (Department of Environmental Proctology) has implemented a zero-tolerance assumed-guilty policy. If anything looks funny on your car, its flagged and you have to prove that it is all stock factory parts, period.

I've posted some info about this before on various places of teh innerwebz, but basically any and all swaps of engines/trannies etc. are considered defacto tampering. I met a guy who swapped his GTI using another legal, newer, VW drivetrain, kept cats, kept all the emissions features enabled, but state was ZFG cuz "car didn't come with that engine", period. What would make sense? Maybe that as long as you install a fully operating emissions compliant drivetrain of the same model year or newer (ie. more stringent) then shouldn't that be plenty good enough? But nope, that's very definitely illegal.

The best part of the system is that a car VIN gets 'flagged' if any suspicions are aroused. That happens by OBD scanning all cars newer than 15yrs old and doing a data dump of all the OBD-II PID's they can get. If anything about your scan looks hinky (ex: disabled monitors, wrong emission standard reported, etc.) from the OBD data dump, then... the cars VIN is flagged and must be brought to a state MAC, which is, get this, "Motorist Assistance Center". More like a "Massive Ass Cramming". I've heard stories of the guys who work there even being standup guys (usually veteran pro techs hired over) who know the rules are dumb, but who are compelled to deny anything and everything "not factory" even if there's zero proof or common sense that it would impact emissions significantly. I've not lived there but even CA sounds more reasonable in terms of smog centers being vaguely reasonable even while they stick to the book.

But wait there's more. Not only do you get the Ronco automatic potato peeler and beer opener, but, if indeed your car is 'flagged', that VIN stays flagged even if you sell the car, until its been to a MAC and granted a flag-clearing seal of approval.

So for instance if you bought say a sweet 2008 Audi S4 or BMW 335i with an extra hundo plus horseponies from a tune and turbo upgrade from some dude, you very well could go in for inspection and suddenly find out it's already flagged from his ownership and you can't get it legal until the turbos been swapped back to stock and the programming has been flashed to factory. They usually then rely on dealers to support confirming the stock tune so that could entail what, say $300 for an ECU flash at the dealer on top of any actual wrench time.

I've often said I'd be happy to pay more, even in the hundreds of dollars, to drive my modded car into a MAC and have them put it on a chassis dyno and run an EPA drive cycle on the rollers and tell me if its out of compliance (common sense would hope for some +/- % leeway, hell I'm dreaming already so why not make it a good dream...) Then you get a 'mod emissions approval' sticker and you're good until the scan finds any other changes. But nope, no 'administrative remedy' as the legal beagles would say, exists.

Bottom line, Mass "DEP" is a bit of a rogue agency with a big hardo, out to get the car hobby, and would like to basically make all non-factory parts illegal if they had their way. Unlike California where at least the industry lobby is huge with some lobby power to keep some vague sense and avenues in the system, we got nuthin'. I've always wondered why places like Turner and Factory Five and other builder/tuner shops here in the state haven't banded together to lobby harder, but I think it may be keeping their heads down afraid of incurring retribution... "oh, you went to Beacon Hill and got us slammed by a Senator? Well we just did a spot inspection of all your employees vehicles records and turns out 37 of them are now flagged to be brought into the MAC. See you next week!"

This is a lovely document and you easily can read between the lines their snarky "ha ha we are effin' those car hobbyists" attitude.
http://slideplayer.com/slide/10526570/

Really? Even here in the much maligned California with it's smog inspections a tranny swap is permitted, as long as that chassis/engine could have come that way.

Yeah, in theory maybe you could get away with this, and I'll grant you the worst tranny swap nightmare I know a guy struggling with wasn't sold in the USA (Audi C4 RS6) with a manual, but I wouldn't put it past them to screw, say, a 540iT conversion if it came up on the radar, despite it being for all practical emissions purposes absolutely identical to a 540i6 sedan. Again, you'd be up for that lengthy administrative appeal if you got flagged I think.

Thank god after 15yrs you fall off the emissions test requirement. Now by the letter of the law I think they'd argue you still can't tamper and modifying the vehicle is still illegal, but they are not actually the cops, so short of denying you a sticker, they can't do crap to you, and they can no longer deny the sticker after that point.

I wouldn't call it collusion, more like a convenient accident for the mfrs.

Agreed - that's a perfect way to describe it.