California smog check

[fmxa]

16 minutes ago, APB said:

I just checked and the fine for expired registration is $200 for the first offence if under six months (which it is). It still has the dealer's ad plate on it, so not drawing attention to expired tags. So, I'll take a chance and *try* to keep it under the speed limit... 😇

Good luck with that, cops used to follow my Esprit like it was a donut

[APB]

Ha, ha! And even when you're not speeding it sounds like you are!

[LotuStuart]

On 17/12/2022 at 18:21, jep said:

You're not alone. In London, the ultra low emission zone ULEZ, S1 Elise is incorrectly inputted in the database. S1 Elise has to pay but NOx is below the threshold. 

The matter is now with MPs and Lotus to try to pursued the London transport authority to correct the faulty info. 3 years and waiting 

Justin

 

 

Is the Elise S1 Euro 4 compliant, or does it produce less than the level of NOx needed by TFL? If so, if you can get a certificate of conformity from Lotus, or a VIL with NOx emissions on it, then you can apply to TFL to get it exempted.

[jep]

Below NOx threshold.

Yes, I am aware of that and had my original EEC Certificate of Conformity for the 340R, bought new. I successfully applied for the exemption 2 years before ULEZ hit SW6. 

TFL database is wrong and should be changed. Why should Elise S1 owners have to pay for a certificate, currently £130? Or, as in most cases, be ignorant that TFL info is duff and believe their car is non-compliant. 

And the prototype Elise S1, Lotus will not issue a certificate because it's not a production car....even though it's the Elise that did all the certification tests in Holland in 1996. See the Discovery channel documentary The Inside Story with the prototype doing the tests.

Justin

 

[LotuStuart]

12 minutes ago, jep said:

Below NOx threshold.

Yes, I am aware of that and had my original EEC Certificate of Conformity for the 340R, bought new. I successfully applied for the exemption 2 years before ULEZ hit SW6. 

TFL database is wrong and should be changed. Why should Elise S1 owners have to pay for a certificate, currently £130? Or, as in most cases, be ignorant that TFL info is duff and believe their car is non-compliant. 

And the prototype Elise S1, Lotus will not issue a certificate because it's not a production car....even though it's the Elise that did all the certification tests in Holland in 1996. See the Discovery channel documentary The Inside Story with the prototype doing the tests.

Justin

 

If the Elise is not officially stated as Euro 4 (and I suppose from the date of manufacture, it can't be) then the TFL database is correct.

I've been through this with motorbikes. I have another that I will need to have independently tested if I want it exempted. It isn't the TFL database being wrong, it's a legitimate process.

You could equally ask Lotus to have the Elise re-certified under Euro 4.

[APB]

@LotuStuart which Spitfire do you have? I bought a Spitfire 1500 when I was 16, before I could even learn to drive. It was in pretty bad shape (rust and dings) and I spent over a year restoring it, rebuilding the engine, teardown to the chassis and repaint inside and out. Learned a lot, thanks to my dad. I often wonder where it is now. I remember the number plate to this day: PDD 174R

[LotuStuart]

I have a mk3. 
my second car was a mk3 spitfire cvt686h

(first was Fiat 131, then an Audi 100  )

looks like it was scrapped within a year of me selling it. I did see it once after I’d sold it, it had been hit in the drivers door and you could see the window winder mechanism imprinted. 

[APB]

Too bad. Was it BL at the time? They didn't exactly have a reputation for reliability or longevity, LOL!

Around the same time, my dad wanted an E-Type but my mom nixed it, saying it was too impractical, so he bought an XJ-12L. Fast forward 30 years when I was dealing with my parents' estate and I got GBP 300 for it, for parts. An E-Type in the same condition would have been more like 30,000

[jep]

16 hours ago, LotuStuart said:

If the Elise is not officially stated as Euro 4 (and I suppose from the date of manufacture, it can't be) then the TFL database is correct.

I've been through this with motorbikes. I have another that I will need to have independently tested if I want it exempted. It isn't the TFL database being wrong, it's a legitimate process.

You could equally ask Lotus to have the Elise re-certified under Euro 4.

The benchmark is the NOx rating, that information is freely available on TFL website and is where I found out about this error in the first place. If the benchmark is EURO 4, the NOx rating would be irrelevant and a Certificate of Conformity would be irrelevant too. I accept what you are saying but to me, the process is sloppy and poorly administered. And the Elise complies according to their own published info.

I'd be interested to hear about how you are getting your bikes tested - good skills. I may need to go that route. We are getting off-topic so perhaps message me.

Justin

 

[APB]

Quick update, it passed the smog check with the new (to me) cats but then overheated on the dyno. I'm hoping it's just a 25yo hose that burst but I can't get it into a shop until next week.

[APB]

After some minor work on the hoses I was able to drive it home in L.A. traffic. It never got hotter than the middle of the gauge.