01/09/2019
So let’s talk about AB 1824
So as of January 1, 2019 California has changed their laws regarding modifications made to exhaust systems on cars, trucks and motorcycles(under 6,000lbs gvw) from a correctable infraction to a non correctable infraction that now carries $1000 fine. Something that is slightly unclear is how it is being judged on the street if a vehicle is too loud. I saw a memo once basically saying that it is the officers decision of a vehicle is too loud which means how a vehicle is ticketed truly is based on personal bias. This ticket also includes a trip to a state inspector (state ref.) to have the vehicle inspected. This last part a lot of people aren’t paying much attention to because they think they only check the exhaust, which is completely wrong they will inspect your entire vehicle top to bottom for ANY modifications made to your vehicle. So any thing done to your vehicle that isn’t factory or meet DOT standards (I.e. headlights, taillights, lifts, lowering, frame and some body modifications ) will have to be removed and put back to factory or your car will not be able to be registered and driven on the street. Plus for some vehicles that have vin numbers on everybody panel if those vin numbers don’t all match or one comes back as a stolen car now you have a whole other set of problems to deal with. There were hints that something like this was coming when an article was posted February 5,2018 about a lawsuit settlement between JEGS a national auto parts retailer and the California air resource board (CARB) to the sum of $1.7 million for sales of ILLEGAL auto parts in California. Seeing this there were a few companies that completely changed there target market to avoid any legality issues.