Is there a difference between a 49 state catalytic converter and a CARB legal 50 state cat?

[The Stigenator]

My coworkers 2003 Toyota Corolla has 250,000 miles and failed its smog test due to a clogged cat (engine light came on).

The place she takes it to quoted her $1500 to change the cat. I think its too much.

I looked up rock auto and summit racing and they have cats <400 that are direct fit but they are NOT CA legal. They wont ship to CA, which is fine, she can have it shipped to a cousins out of state and reship to CA.

Is there a difference between a CARB legal cat and a non CARB legal cat.

CARB is a sister agency of ours but I cant find out from there...

 

[AsianriceX]

The company that made the CARB legal cat paid good money to get it tested and have it CARB certified.

 

[DeviousTrap]

Originally posted by: AsianriceX
The company that made the CARB legal cat paid good money to get it tested and have it CARB certified.

This. It will have a stamp on it saying that it is CARB legal. Both cats will work (and I'm not from CA, but the way that I understand it is that) if the smog tester looks at the cat and notices that it's not CARB compliant you will fail.

 

[MovingTarget]

I'm glad I live where emissions testing is not the law. But yes, if you want to pass the smog test you'd better get one that is CARB certified. Otherwise you could be looking at failing the test with your new carb and having to do it over again. Just put the correct one in the first time.

 

[The Stigenator]

It seems ARB issued some exemptions to cats.. so i am trying to find one for the corolla, but it seems that doesnt exist..

 

[Kadarin]

Most likely, however, if your car has a working cat on it and it passes the sniffer test, the mechanic probably isn't going to crawl underneath the car to specifically determine whether the cat is OEM or aftermarket and if the latter, whether it has a CARB E.O.

 

[exdeath]

It's like THX*. A company pays another company to put their sticker on something to charge more for it while agreeing to share a cut with the company making the sticker because for whatever reason everyone wants that sticker.

Except in this case, government owns the sticker and is forcing you with threat of force to have that sticker (eg: jail, or death if you resist arrest/jail and defend yourself). How novel, you introduce a sticker that has a "certification cost" associated with it, then pass a law that says you have to have that sticker, and viola instant free money.

Nothing more to it, it's really that simple.

*(THX originally meant something, now they just give it to anyone who can pony up the dough and slap it on anything... THX certified head phones and car stereo speakers and cell phones? give me a f**king break)