legality of ebay CAI?

[dubwiser]

so do you really need an AEM or some other 'certified' CAI to get smogged in CA? i had an AEM in my honda which never caused an issue when i needed to get smogged. anyone in cali ever had a problem with their ebay CAI?

i guess i could re-install the stock airbox when the time comes but i'd rather not (thinking about even trashing it as it just sits in the garage). i don't recall if they even need to look in the engine compartment for smog?

in any case, i don't see how it's supposedly illegal when all it does is improve engine performance, it's not emmision related (is it?). and with gas these days, i'd definitely put up a big stink about it if they give me some bull**** 'illegal' mess.

why aren't these CAI OEM stock by now is the real question i'm asking? it seems like they should be doesn't it?

[ieelantra05]

If Im not mistaken, unless the intake has a CARB exempt tag on it, it will fail the visual inspection. I dont even mess with that i just put my stock airbox back in when i get my car smogged.

[dubwiser]

^man, i should've salvaged the CARB sticker off my AEM before getting rid of it!

[eLantrabumb]

i have gotten my car smoged with my custom SRI twice now, and passed both times. Each time I told the smog guy that the intake was "APC" brand, which is is not really only the pipe section... the filter and all else are not, and when asked where i purchased it from i said PepBoys, and he basically said that if they sell it it has to be smog legal, or they would have to have you sign all this paper work and stuff, so i said, " yes its from PepBoys!" . then he passed me.

now i'm not sure that what he thinks is really the truth, but it worked for me... so if you get stoped for the intake during the pre-inspection, then i would try to tell him it is an APC brand intake that you bought from PepBoys.

[jpjr]

i have gotten my car smoged with my custom SRI twice now, and passed both times. Each time I told the smog guy that the intake was "APC" brand, which is is not really only the pipe section... the filter and all else are not, and when asked where i purchased it from i said PepBoys, and he basically said that if they sell it it has to be smog legal, or they would have to have you sign all this paper work and stuff, so i said, " yes its from PepBoys!" . then he passed me.

now i'm not sure that what he thinks is really the truth, but it worked for me... so if you get stoped for the intake during the pre-inspection, then i would try to tell him it is an APC brand intake that you bought from PepBoys.
You got lucky and got a smog tech who does not know what he is doing. In California, unless it has a CARB approved or exempt tag, it is illegal. Even a CARB approved intake for a Honda is illegal on a Hyundai because that is not the car it was approved for. Basically, CARB makes sure the part does not increase emissions or delete any emission device(PCV system on a CAI) on the car the part was designed and approved for.
Pep Boys sells allot of stuff that is not emission or street legal and the only time you have to sign anything saying so is when they install the part. It is not illegal to sell race only or non emission parts. It is only illegal to install or use them on a street driven vehicle. Some shops will even make you tow your car off their property if they installed illegal parts. If you drove it off, then they could be fined for illegally modifing a car they knew would be driven on the street.
So basically, unless the part is CARB approved for the car it is installed on, it is illegal in California. Here in So. Ca., the CHP and some local police departments are even doing under the hood checks for illegal parts. Depending on the mood of the cop, it can result in a big fine or even having your car impounded for not being street legal.

[txdproject]

gotta love livin in cali foke's lol the cheap easy way to make it legal without makeing an ebay intake really legal is to buy a carb appoved badge from ebay from either an injen intake or aem... lol i see people selling the every once in awhile

[SilverElantra]

Ya i hate living in cali...its seems like any time i get pulled over no matter what for they always searched my car when i had my accent...but it wa a bit flashy so understandable....i weasled my way outta a few fines....i love my custom intakes...cheap and efficient compared to the AEM and Injen ones that cost an arm and a leg...but i wanna go legal on this car so im eventually gonna break down and just get the Injen intake for the 04-06 elantra