Bad news today, need help!!!

Hey guys, so went in today to get my oil changed as usual, and realized I should get a state inspection done while I'm at it. Came back an hour later, and the owner said the car wouldn't pass inspection due to the missing cats in the downpipe, he said if he were to pass it he could face up to a 25K dollar fine on it, and I could get up to 5K in fines for not having them. I purchased this car in May, and unfortnuately I'm still totally lost on what to do right now. Should I buy a catted DP and swap that in? Also I have a tune from infamous for the cattless DP on it right now, if I were to put any aftermarket DP with a cat on it, will I have to get a retune. Also, if anyone is in the hampton roads, va area I could really use some help, freaking out that I'll fail!!!

another reason to go catted cnt dp. Sorry bout your luck.

Move back to WV where they don't check emissions.... insurance will go up a little, but you should be able to pass no problems. I've never had an emissions check.

 

Did they actually check emissions or did he just say the fact that you modified it makes it illegal?

he said there is no cat when they looked at it, that's why its illegal, in this part of va they don't check to my knowledge

what are some recommendations for catted dp's, and can i pretty much trade mine in for a catted?

by trade in i mean swap the catted for the catless

contact the previous owner and ask where they got it inspected last... it should probably be on the inspection sticker as well....

If it's like California, not all smog shops actually perform the 'visual inspection' part of the testing. You may have better luck at a different shop. Also, if you are looking to swap in a catted DP to pass the visual inspection, then you would be best off sticking with the factory downpipe: find someone local who has one that you can borrow, if necessary. Do not assume that an aftermarket catted downpipe meets the requirement!! The requirement may be that you must have the factory cats. You'll want to find out for sure BEFORE you buy a new aftermarket HFC DP and new tune.

scooter, thanks for the advice, i spoke with someone at import image racing in fl about cahnging up to a catted, and he said it's not that big of a deal. My biggest concern is a) will an aftermarket dp like a cnt or invidia pass inspection; b) will i need a new tune; c) will the car run much differently.

 

also, if there is anyone in hampton roads, va that can help me out I'd be forever in your debt, thanks for all the help guys

I am not certain on inspection laws in your state. The CNT catted DP might be enough to pass. You are best asking local members about that.

 

You should log the car to see if it needs a re-tune. It might or might not. If it does, it is $75 for the re-tune.

 

If interested in a DP, I can help with that and the re-tune if necessary.

Take it to another place man, look for a some what shady place but not to shady, I know it sounds bad but I would take my STI to different places and it would pass but I was in a cow town and no one knew what I was driving ahaha.

what are some recommendations for catted dp's, and can i pretty much trade mine in for a catted?

 

catted dp's cost more (due to precious metals in the catalyst) i got my CNT catted DP in a group buy for $285. even if you pay full retail at $330 its still way cheaper then any other catted DP and just as good if not better. mine bolted up ez as heck and i love it (plus it has a port for a wide band 02 sensor)

 

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/cnt-downpipe-gb-catted-285-delivered-catless-170-delivered-148634.html

 

http://legacygt.com/reviews/showproduct.php?product=325&sort=2&cat=13&page=1

 

hit up m sprank and buy one from him. Great person to deal with!

Banz pm me and I will hook you up with a great deal on one if you looking to get one I know of a place.

+1 on just taking the car to another Inspection place...May sound bad, but there is always a little shop that just wants business and will pass anything and everything...All of that emissions and Global Warming carp is a crock anyways so why waste money when you dont have to, right? lol

 

And not to Hijackt h thread or anything, but on a scale of 1-10 how hard is it/ and how longdoes it take to install a DP? thanks

why dont you just put back the stock DP, get it tested

and throw back on your DP again

 

dont boost it during the period with the stock DP

According to the OP, I don't think he has the original DP.. just bought it with catless on there.

 

I say try a couple other shops. Like said before, someone will pass it. I once had a shop ask when I got my windows tinted. When I told then they looked at me and said "you mean you got them tinted next week right?!?" I smiled and paid the man.

 

Just give them enough assurance that you aren't trying to bust them and they'll be good.

Where was the car last inspected? Also, if you bought your car at a dealer you could "say some words" and get them to fix the issue since they sold you an "illegal" car. You would think through there inspections that they would notice something like that.

 

Also, see if you can find out when the dp was installed. It could have been installed after the previous inspection. So no guarantee that the old inspector would pass it in its current state.

 

Good luck!

I'll be suprised if there isn't someone in your area who has a stock DP in their garage that they would let you use for a six pack or $20. I have mine sitting around. Just put a stocker on there and don't drive it above ~3K RPM and you'll be fine till you get your catless pipe back on.

hey guys, thanks for hte flood of responses. I did get in touch with the original owner today who told me that indeed it is a catless dp, but he told me that I shouldn't have issues with passing since there is a pre-cat in the up-pipe, and one in the mid pipe.

 

the previous owner had the dp put in, as well as a stage 2 put it in after it was inspected earlier this year, so going back to the old place doesn't seem feasible. Has anyone had any problems with changing DP's, and having it affect the stage 2 tune, right now I think I'm gonna keep hunting for someone that will pass me, while I hunt down a catted dp to put in my car. Thanks for all the help guys!!

oh yeah not sure if anyone in va can attest to this, if i have just one cat in the midpipe (stock unaltered) can that be good enough to pass? thanks

going off what everyone else has said, I would definitely try another shop. Esspecially if you still have one of the stock DP cat and only the upper half is catless. Just locate a few shops in your area and check them out... if they happen to have some performance car there your probably in luck.

 

Not that it is particularly hard to get the DP off, it would be a pain to take it off and put it back on if you dont have too.

 

Also if you do end up doing anything with the DP will it is off install a catless up... i know this may seem counter intuitive, but they got rid of the catted up in 06 i believe and if the cat in your up falls apart... bye-bye turbo. that one is also so tucked away no one will notice it on a visual inspection.

why dont you just put back the stock DP, get it tested

and throw back on your DP again

 

dont boost it during the period with the stock DP

 

bingo if you were closer id let ya borrow my oem one.

 

im sure theres a member near you that could let you borrow one?

oh yeah not sure if anyone in va can attest to this, if i have just one cat in the midpipe (stock unaltered) can that be good enough to pass? thanks

 

Technically no. It is unlawful to replace any catalytic converter, unless it has failed. It is also unlawful to reduce the number of cats, as well as using any cats other than OEM.

 

However, there's definitely a shop in the area that will pass you. It's just a matter of finding it.

so update guys, had the car checked out at another inspection station before ponying up the money for a new dp, luckily it passed, i think i'll get a catted one over the summer just for piece f mind in the future. thanks again guys for all the help, and pm's.

[...T]he original owner today who told me that indeed it is a catless dp, but he told me that I shouldn't have issues with passing since there is a pre-cat in the up-pipe, and one in the mid pipe.

 

the previous owner had the dp put in, as well as a stage 2[...]

 

If this is true, stage 2 tune + cat in the uppipe = recipe for pieces of cat in your engine block = buy a new engine. You should probably confirm that the factory cat was either gutted out or replaced with an aftermarket catless uppipe ASAP.