I know for a fact carb-compliant aftermarket cats had the type of label that was mentioned in the cut-and-paste, at the time of the receipt
2 things come to mind . . .
The cats were installed in such a way, so that the label is not visible at all. maybe the labels are facing up, so that you can’t see it, unless you look with a mirror
Or some other cats were installed, which didn’t have a label
Those labels don’t just fall off. They’re not even paper labels
Just checked with NAPA in Truckee CA about the part, as far as they can tell there is no number stamped on the cat, though I think he implied it is no longer available. I hink you will get a pass if you go high enough up the ladder given the information provided.
I think the OP may have a good argument with that paperwork in hand to get a “pass”, providing there’s no question about the invoice’s authenticity. CARB/BAR could phone the shop who installed the replacement cat to verify the invoice is valid, if there was any doubt about it.
Unfortunatley there’s a rub. OP is going to have to go through some bureaucratic hurdles. Just getting someone on the phone who has the knowledge of the rules and the authority to do anything about the situation can take a lot of time on the phone, waiting on hold. Hours and hours possibly. Plus getting cut off during transfers and having to start all over again. Then there’s DMV timing problem. If the registration is about to expire, the OP won’t be able to legally drive the car until this is all resolved. So a catch-22 situation can develop, where BAR wants the owner to drive the car to one of their sites for inspection to validate the cat in CARB compliant, but the DVM won’t allow them too b/c the registration has expired.
Like I say OP, don’t panic, eventually you’ll get through this. But be prepared, it may take some time and frustration first.
Edit. NOte to OP: If the registration is about to expire, send them the payment even though the emissions test isn’t complete. That way I think you at least avoid fines for late payment of your registration fee.
While one would expect that this invoice is for this vehicle, this invoice does not show the VIN, license plate or odometer reading, very sloppy for this shop. A department investigator will likely toss this aside. These converters will need to be inspected more closely for CARB number tags.
I think the key phrase in the original question is “the tech said he can’t find a number on the cat.” Could this just be a case of one idiot inspector not finding what is there?
Perhaps you should have someone take another look for the number. It might be there somewhere. I’m not going to assume that just because this person couldn’t find it that it isn’t there.
I wonder about labeling a cat. My first thought was no label could possibly survive the temperature extreme the cat body will see. It would need to be stamped into the outer shell. Has anyone seen one of these labels last more than a few months let alone years? I also had the same thought as db, the cat is likely symmetrical which would allow someone not paying attention to install it with the labels facing up, instead of down…
[quote=“TwinTurbo, post:27, topic:95860, full:true”]
I wonder about labeling a cat. My first thought was no label could possibly survive the temperature extreme the cat body will see. It would need to be stamped into the outer shell. Has anyone seen one of these labels last more than a few months let alone years? I also had the same thought as db, the cat is likely symmetrical which would allow someone not paying attention to install it with the labels facing up, instead of down…
[/quote]This seems to be the only plausible explanation unless the proper cat wasn’t installed in the first place.
I’m glad I don’t have to put up with this absurdity. If the vehicle passed the emissions sniff test, who cares what is or isn’t on the cat. Where I live they don’t do emissions testing, Just a safety inspection and as far as the exhaust goes, all they ask is that the exhaust pipe exit behind the passenger compartment,
Exactly how I feel! We don’t even have inspections. I can’t imagine dealing with this. I’m usually pretty calm, but I would probably be removed from one of these emissions tests in handcuffs if they pulled that on me.
It reminds me of the crap I went though to get a permit to trap a beaver that was destroying my own property! I wanted to do it legally.
Next time I have a problem, I’ll …______________.
( Use your imagination to complete the sentence_ ).
Hey, good to see you, again… looks like you’ve been working out, eh? CSA
@common_sense_answer and @FoDaddy, you guys don’t live in a large metropolitan area. Smog testing is not as important for you as it is for those in large metro areas where there are millions of cars on the road daily. Your arguement is in context in rural areas and out of context in the big city.
I fully understand that. But what I find silly, is that the car apparently passed the sniff test. And it was failed on a technicality that has nothing to to do with the level of emissions it’s producing. I understand smog testing and the need for it. The metro area I live in has 1.2 million people living in it, the county I live in doesn’t do emissions testing. But if you travel 40 miles north, they do test for emissions.
I can see why you’d say that, as it makes sense: If the car produces emissions within the allowed limits, who care how it achieves it?
The counter to this argument however — I think this was pointed out above already, but no harm to repeat the point since it is important – the counter-argument is that the test only samples the emissions over a few conditions. Only for a couple of rpm and engine load conditions at most. This is based presumably on studies that show if the car is equipped with all the properly spec’d components, if it passes those conditions, it will pass for the entire spectrum of driving conditions. If the parts installed don’t meet the specs, then the car might be able to pass the test, but not over all driving conditions.
If the car were to be one of those “sting” cars . . . the ones where the authorities have rigged it, and are watching to see what the smog technician does . . . and he does NOT fail a car which should have failed, well, that guy will be answering some questions, and may face a hefty fine, and depending on the severity of the offense, and how many times he’s already messed up, he may even lose his license
Contact the company who makes the part number. You can google the part number and find it. Speak to tech support and ask them where the part number is located. I had the same thing happen to me and it turned out that my cat. no. is located under the heat shield. I found this out when I contacted the company. They gave me information over the phone and sent me a diagram of exactly where the number can be found. The technician also told me that with my model of catalytic converter, the heat shield must be removed to expose the number. I know this is probably not going to help for a post made in 2016, but maybe it will help someone. Good luck.