Jaws

Hey guys, newbie with first post! I'm looking to buy a used 2011-12 G37S sedan in a week or two. I looked at one car at a dealership that was a leased car in previous life that was owned in California. My question...is there an emission difference (or any other difference) between a Cali registered car and non Cali car? I know when I worked at an auto parts store years ago the parts books separated Cali cars from non Cali cars in certain things. I've gained a ton of G knowledge trolling this forum in the past few weeks. You guys rock! TIA

RickyDgmZ

iTrader: (1)

Emissions wise yes, California parts have to meet a certain standard for SMOG testing and the amount of emissions they produce. NOx, 02, HCs....etc. You may or may not have troubles smogging a car that's non-cali. You should be fine. If you're looking at a dealership they should cover the smog for you.

vqsmile

That's incorrect. I've never heard of there being any G35/37 "Cali" cars vs. "federal" cars if that's what you mean. They should all be 50 state legal, meaning any car can pass smog in any state. That being said, if you ever have to replace emission related parts, you may find restrictions on what you can legally buy/install/pass-smog with for a Cali registered car (most significantly, the cats).

MalbecG37S

I was going to say the same.....in all of my research and reading, I have never come across any info about California specific emissions on the G. I believe they are all 50 state legal.

vqsmile

Yeah, I just now went ahead and looked it up myself to see how long they have been that way. According to Infiniti, EVERY G model since 2004 has been rated 50 state compliant.

RickyDgmZ

iTrader: (1)

He asked if there was a difference between a non cali car and a cali car in general. And yes there are. As far as emissions go. In California at least in my area if I needed a CAT I couldn't buy one only certified buyers could..

vqsmile

Maybe it's just semantics, but it sounds to me like you are contradicting yourself here. Again, there is NO difference between the cars; they are identical. If you bought it in Florida, Alaska, Texas, Maine, or California, they are all the same car; no differences whatsoever! The only thing that is different is that California requires a higher quality standard, and longer warranty period, for replacement parts used on emission related repairs. And of course, you need a cleaner tailpipe reading to pass smog, BUT that would apply to every other car of the same year too. The cars aren't any different, just the standards are.

To answer the OP's original question: In Cali, the OP would face the exact same restrictions and limitations if he bought a G37 that was originally purchased and registered from any other state. Likewise, he would be able to take a car originally purchased and registered in Cali into any other state and buy replacement parts for it. The local smog laws of that state would determine what quality of parts could be used though. The cars would be identical, but the parts you could legally put on them may change. That would apply to ANY G37 though, so it is not a function of the car or it's origin, it is a function of local smog laws.

DO you get the distinction here? It's not the car that's different . . . it's the state.

RA081224

This used to be the case up until about 15 years ago. CA had much more stringent emissions requirements. However, since then categorizing a car as CA emissions compliant has been replaced by "50 state emissions compliant"

Another tidbit, in Cali, the smog must be taken care of by the seller, not the buyer. The car has to have a valid smog certificate before it can be legally sold under CA law.

RA081224

Ricky,
CA stipulates that if repairing any emissions controlled device you have to do so with OEM parts. There is no longer any difference between a car sold in Florida and one sold in CA, in your example the car sold and driven in CA must have an OEM CAT whereas the FL car may have an aftermarket one (as long as the car still meets tailpipe emissions standards)