CA registration

[ToniB34]

Originally Posted by HazMatt

I lived in SoCal for 12 years, 6 in San Diego (well, Imperial Beach)
All I miss is the readily available, eminently edible Mexican chow,
And maybe Monday Night Football viewing, & still getting a full night's sleep afterwards.

I agree!! No one does Mexican food like San Diego. 🌮🌯

[sepudo]

Just registered my rig at the local dmv. Armed with documentation (and a pleasant attitude) I successful walked out with a reclassified title, from commercial SB to automobile bus body, and a registration to match.

no cdl, no smog, no weight fee issues. Win win.

And since I *am* compliant with the new established CA emissions standards, no need to prematurely register as an RV; which in my case is a win and I can park in most all neighborhoods, even those prohibiting rvs from parking. bonus win!

[BUS2SLO]

Originally Posted by sepudo

Just registered my rig at the local dmv. Armed with documentation (and a pleasant attitude) I successful walked out with a reclassified title, from commercial SB to automobile bus body, and a registration to match.

no cdl, no smog, no weight fee issues. Win win.

And since I *am* compliant with the new established CA emissions standards, no need to prematurely register as an RV; which in my case is a win and I can park in most all neighborhoods, even those prohibiting rvs from parking. bonus win!Attachment 41748

Did you already have insurance before registration? I just picked up an 02 Chevy gas van cutaway I’m picking up tomorrow with title and smog and would love to just change the automobile bus body.

[sepudo]

I did have insurance but it wouldn't have mattered for the dmv. They didn't ask for it. If you're in socal send me a pm with your # and we'll talk.

[avarusbrightfyre]

Originally Posted by sepudo

I did have insurance but it wouldn't have mattered for the dmv. They didn't ask for it. If you're in socal send me a pm with your # and we'll talk.

I would imagine it would be more difficult if you tried to buy an out of state bus, right? If I remember correctly, California requires all out of state vehicles be inspected by the DMV and I imagine you can't get around that diesel filter requirement if you keep it classified as a bus for personal use. One of the things I'm thinking about is that if I found a bus out of state, it would be cool to buy it and then register it for personal use here in California so I can legally drive it home. But I imagine the inspection requirement makes that impossible.

[demoman]

The inspection requirement is to check the vin, not to verify safety, conversion status or anything else. The inspection can be done by any licensed peace officer but usually they want the chp because they are better trained at finding the hidden vins. When you have a commercial vehicle and have to pay weight fees you don't have to accept what the previous person had registered it at. To save money during the conversion have them fill out a change of declared weight form and choose the lowest weight that exceeds your empty weight of the vehicle. They will issue new side stickers too. Just make sure to redeclare at a higher weight when done if it exceeds the converted weight. Once it is converted and titled to a motor home you are exempt from weight fees.

[avarusbrightfyre]

Originally Posted by demoman

The inspection requirement is to check the vin, not to verify safety, conversion status or anything else. The inspection can be done by any licensed peace officer but usually they want the chp because they are better trained at finding the hidden vins. When you have a commercial vehicle and have to pay weight fees you don't have to accept what the previous person had registered it at. To save money during the conversion have them fill out a change of declared weight form and choose the lowest weight that exceeds your empty weight of the vehicle. They will issue new side stickers too. Just make sure to redeclare at a higher weight when done if it exceeds the converted weight. Once it is converted and titled to a motor home you are exempt from weight fees.

Hmm, that wasn't my experience when I came back to California several years ago. We bought an older Ford Explorer when we were living in Texas and they failed us on the out of state inspection because the check engine light was on. It was an intermittent problem with the light and it went away, so when I came back I was fine, but they did a pretty thorough inspection of the vehicle both times to make sure it met California standards.

[jibronee]

Hey Sepudo,



What info/documents did you need? Was your bus alreadys CA registered? I have a 68' bus that's currently CA commercial registered and I want to change to MH or auto/bus status.



Thanks,

Chris

[Bassballguy]

Originally Posted by sepudo

Just registered my rig at the local dmv. Armed with documentation (and a pleasant attitude) I successful walked out with a reclassified title, from commercial SB to automobile bus body, and a registration to match.

no cdl, no smog, no weight fee issues. Win win.

And since I *am* compliant with the new established CA emissions standards, no need to prematurely register as an RV; which in my case is a win and I can park in most all neighborhoods, even those prohibiting rvs from parking. bonus win!Attachment 41748

Hey man! Just saw this and would be incredibly grateful for some tips or help before I try it myself at the DMV. Just sent you a PM. I’m in San Diego and getting tickets with my shuttle bus on the street.

[Rucker]

I never tire of the California bashing. You realize I'm reading these posts and don't bash your states, right?

Fine if it's related to buses. Fine if it's critical of the DMV process. These asides about how shitty someone's state is tend to pull down the whole group.

Just sayin'.

-Stephen from California.