To think that Human intervention can change the current climate vector much is pure naivety. Certainly, we are a component of the environment, but the Sun still rules our planet. Mars’ ice cap has shrunk and Jupiter’s Red Spot, which has been stable for centuries, is fading. If you want to make laws and blow huge chunks of money under the guise of “Climate Change”, then it’s money better spent to PREPARE for it, rather than wasting our resources trying to prevent it.

That is not to say that we shouldn’t be good stewards of the planet. Let’s just do it logically instead of politically or emotionally.

As for California: I sincerely pray that all Good Americans have the opportunity to vacate that state before it completely implodes. I only have one friend left there and he’s only there until the mother-in-law passes. Between Navy and Airline buddies, I used to have scores of friends there and once lived there myself. No more. And never again.

 

Please take that somewhere else.

 

The way VW cheated was deviously simple...
They used data from the car's ABS system to determine which wheels were turning . If the drive wheels were turning but the others weren't, it was assumed the car was under test, eg, on an emissions dyno. So the engine parameters were adjusted to reduce emissions, and also power.
Sneaky!

 

Absolutely brilliant, in a way. But accountability is always rough. =)

 

I haven't read all the links in this Topic, sorry.

But would the Smog Guardians in CA fail a car, if it had the 'tune' indicator set on the ECU? Even if it had been restored back to factory?

If so, having an 'extra' ECU would be the only remedy.

 

That seems to be up in the air at the moment.

I have to assume however, that there will be remedies to such a situation (appeals, dealer certification, etc.) as this new enforcement is rolled out. I don't think even California would be able to essentially ban any car that has ever been flashed with a tuner product like VAP.

That being said, I definitely wouldn't want to be one of the first to have to navigate the un****ing of all this.

 

I've been doing a little reading of official sources.

"Vehicles that fail a Smog Check inspection due to modified software must have their software returned to a legal configuration in order to obtain a Smog Check certificate. Once legal software is restored, vehicle owners may return to the station of their choosing for reinspection and certification. Note that vehicles initially directed to a STAR or Referee station must return to that station to complete the inspection process."

I expect that flashing back to stock will be sufficient, since that results in the dealership systems seeing the original "file." The eight year start for inspections is based on model year, not year of sale. That means that 2014 models will be up next year. We'll need to wait to see what all this means where the rubber meets the road.

 

With respect to “Dieselgate”: I LOVE the creativity of it! Cheating is still cheating; the biggest sin however is getting caught - lol. I laughed for quite a while over the Ferrari/Michelin F1 tire trick back in the early 2000s. It was GENIUS.

 

Cheating goes back to the beginning of rules. NASCAR has some of the best examples due to the sheer audacity, while F1 has some of the most technically clever. I love the story of Smoky Yunick getting angry with the scrutineers and driving away without a fuel tank.

When I was in the auto business the first computerized systems were coming in. There were rumors then that a certain high-performance car's system recognized the pattern of the EPA cycle and would reduce emissions (and power) under test. I never heard any follow-up on that but it's believable. Dieselgate was clever in that it didn't recognize a particular pattern, but identified that the vehicle wasn't actually being driven. Even if the cycle sequence changed, it would still know when to cheat.

 

Another Smokey Yunick story:

He made his late '70s cars to 5/8 scale. He was responsible for the use of templates in NASCAR.

I remember GM 'getting in trouble' because they tuned Caddys to meet EPA the way they were tested, with the air conditioning OFF. With it on, the cars would not meet the specs...and they used more fuel, too.


Of course, Cadillac owners who didn't run the A/C all the time were rare....

 

Not that I live in CA, but having a spare ECU would allow me to still maintain my warranty. I have a funny feeling that the dealership might not be very interested in selling me a spare programmed ECU though. That might raise some eyebrows. To bad someone doesn't sell the ECU as a drop in replacement with the tune already loaded.

 

The article below seems to indicate that ECUs can be 'flashed back' to stock without fear of failure.


https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/e...-smog-testing/

 

In this thread and tune thread, sorry if I got off topic. Back on topic, I might have heard this, but I am shocked to now remember that the UK is banning gas cars in 2030. Times are changing rapidly.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidrv...not-impressed/

 

Not quite, just banning the sale of new petrol and diesel cars - I think hybrids will be exempt. We'll still have fossil fueled vehicles on the roads for a few decades after that, I'm sure. And then I'll be dead, so not all bad.

 

[This is humor not off topic]
I'm with you on the last part. The future looks bleakIf I'm out of here before it gets even worse, good times.
https://futurism.com/prediction-civilization-collapse

 

Welp... It's time. My 14 with Vap cats and exhaust needs a smog. No CEL because of the tune but if they do a visual check, it'll fail for sure. The issue is, my stock cats went bad, so I don't have them. And I don't want to spend a bunch of money for used cats to install again.

 

I thought that as long as Cats are there, you are good. What are the chances a smog guy will know what stock cats look like on an F-Type?

 

This will be interesting. Looks like you will be the first F Type in California to test the new rules from CARB? Good Luck, it would appear you're going to need it.

Keep us informed please.

 

Sounds like someone hasn't had a smog inspection lately! Compliance and OEM/Carb Certified (sticker and/or serial # must be legible) parts is the focus. Even on non-OBD vehicles.

 

if I'm not mistaken they literally say velocity AP on them. Lol