State Ref Ticket??

[brandonwuwux3]

i got pulled over the other day by a cop and he looks in my hood and under my car claims that my primary cats are "gutted" this guy assumes my cats are gutted by looking at it with a flash light even though my primary cats arent gutted. i do however have my secondary and resonator deleted. so he gives me a ticket for modified exhaust and "gutted cats" which he says ill have to go to a state ref for. is there anything i can do about this ticket? help appreciated!

[roastbeef]

bolt the stock stuff back on and take it to the ref and get it signed off. it doesn't matter which set of cats (if any) are gutted- the ref is going to look at your entire emissions system.
basically, the cop is saying something funky is going on beyond what he can tell by just looking, and an expert needs to look at it.

[brandonwuwux3]

im gonna put all stock exhaust back. is there any fine if i go back to stock? he told me its a 1k fine

[roastbeef]

i don't know if there are any fines. your safest bet is to put it completely back to stock, and take it to the ref and pretend that you only had an axle back exhaust on it. there are some processing fees that you are going to have to pay, but i have never heard of a solid fine.

[brandonwuwux3]

ok i got scared of that big number fine. wheres the state ref??

[davedave]

i had state rep check back few yrs ago with my Evo. Put pack the stock exhaust, go HWY patrol station ( NOT shreiff station ). go over there and they will give u location for the state ref. Call up state ref make a appointment, they will run a few test and if you pass, they will give u a cert. you bring the cert back to HWY and they will sign off the ticket. if you choose not to go state ref, the ticket is around 1k.

[brandonwuwux3]

Originally Posted by davedave

i had state rep check back few yrs ago with my Evo. Put pack the stock exhaust, go HWY patrol station ( NOT shreiff station ). go over there and they will give u location for the state ref. Call up state ref make a appointment, they will run a few test and if you pass, they will give u a cert. you bring the cert back to HWY and they will sign off the ticket. if you choose not to go state ref, the ticket is around 1k.

any fees??

[davedave]

not much, you are driving a M3, anything less than 100 shouldn't be issue.

[brandonwuwux3]

Originally Posted by davedave

not much, you are driving a M3, anything less than 100 shouldn't be issue.

alright thats fine! the cop really scared me by throwing out big numbers..

[Mike V8]

Trail by declaration?

[status38]

I'm going to play devil's advocate and say, if you are going to run an illegal setup be prepared to pay for it. Or at the very least be ready to return to stock at any time.

[ooowowizstev]

That sucks, not sure about that fine but I doubt it. You will have to pay court fees though and it should be under 100.

[HighRevM]

Cop was just being an ass. I remember when I got sent to ref for modified exhaust in my Type-r. They about flipped the car upside down and checked everything. GL

[emthreeboy]

Urg im in teh same boat. How did you take car of this brandon? Where was the state ref and how did it go? sucks to hear....!

[FVM3]

put everything back to stock

[rye m3]

Funny to hear someone complain that their cats are "gutted", yet isn't even running one of the cat sets! Just cracks me up. Yep, if you head up from a cat back, be prepared for the consequences of bolting it all back up for an inspection. I don't see how you even pass an annual inspection with such a set up.

[cloud8r]

So even if you didn't have modified exhaust and the cop was completely wrong (or corrupt) and cited you anyway, you go to the ref and they coborate your innocence, you're still paying fees?!

[persian54]

Originally Posted by E90 ZCP

Cop was just being an ass. I remember when I got sent to ref for modified exhaust in my Type-r. They about flipped the car upside down and checked everything. GL

They do that a lot with import cars. German cars are more complicated and they don't do as much work on them, at least from what I've heard

Originally Posted by rye m3

I don't see how you even pass an annual inspection with such a set up.

Annual inspection?

Originally Posted by ramyar

So even if you didn't have modified exhaust and the cop was completely wrong (or corrupt) and cited you anyway, you go to the ref and they coborate your innocence, you're still paying fees?!

That's California for you

[kenwelch]

Originally Posted by brandonwuwux3

i got pulled over the other day by a cop and he looks in my hood and under my car claims that my primary cats are "gutted" this guy assumes my cats are gutted by looking at it with a flash light even though my primary cats arent gutted. i do however have my secondary and resonator deleted. so he gives me a ticket for modified exhaust and "gutted cats" which he says ill have to go to a state ref for. is there anything i can do about this ticket? help appreciated!

You may have been cited for either or both of the following. You need to study your ticket …. Your post seems to indicate your ticket includes both; excessive noise and modified emission controls.

The California Smog Referee is the inspector that can provide either:
(from the smog handbook section 3.1.0 on page 3-1)
1. Clearance of a law enforcement citation for excessive exhaust noise
2. Clearance of a law enforcement citation for modified emission controls

CA excessive noise reference:
http://www.autorepair.ca.gov/80_BARR...evel_Cert.html

For modified emission controls the referee will complete a very thorough inspection and test to verify that everything is stock, legal, or approved for use with certification labels.

There is a test fee. You can get an estimate when you call for an appointment. There will also be court charges.

Side note: In the exhaust noise seminar for automotive instructors I attended the California BAR referee trainer said that if an officer feels that the vehicle is too load he could write you again “next week” even if you have your paperwork from the court. They see plenty of exhaust switching (modified to stock and back). “Soup can systems” look modified and can lead to citations…..it’s the officer’s call.