Who's mailed it? Clean Air Vehicle Sticker applications

you people that are going in to pay... you don't live in the bay area and need fastrack crap! lucky.

correct me if i'm wrong. (not the lucky, but the fastrack crap stuff).

 

Customers will get their stickers mailed to them within two weeks. Because of a limited supply of the stickers at this point, Gov. Schwarzenegger has agreed that citizen-owned vehicles will get the stickers first, with state-owned vehicles getting them as they become available.

sweet.

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/newsrel/2005-08.htm

 

Took mine to the nearest postal drop box day before yesterday. That would be Wednesday night. Is that why they call it a "drop box"? So you can get a "drop" on everybody else? OK, I'll quit gloating now... :mrgreen:

 

I have to put stickers on my pristine Prius bumpers then? Will they ever forgive me?

 

heard it on the news coming in to work yesterday. Express mailed it so it would get to Sacramento today before noon today.

yesssssssssssssssssss!!

 

Went to the DMV to hand over the money in person. There were about half a dozen Priuses in the lot. The people at that DMV were complaining about the number of hybrid owners they have been seeing since yesterday.

 

Tisza, where'd you get that info about the no smog certifications needed? I'd like to print it out and have it ready in case they ever ask for a smog inspection from me.

Thanks.

 

I mailed mine in this morning.

Here is the link to smog check exemption.

No smog check

 

I sent mine yesterday AM. Now it is race between getting the sticker and my Seaside Prius back from the autobody place. If I don't get my car before the sticker, I might just hunt down the idiot that hit me and duct tape him in the passenger seat so I can still drive in the carpool lanes. :cussing:

 

When I looked at that site it said "until January 1, 2010:" I was thinking it was an exemption forever. Or maybe it's only diamonds that are forever. :?

 

What about "and on the rear quarter panels on both sides"?

We are supposed to put these stickers on the painted sides of our
car?

What does that do to the paint?

How do we get them off?

And is the paint damaged??

Robert

 

I went to the Fastrak office last evening, exchanged transponders and got the infamous receipt (see my postings in the 'Forms' thread for details). I mailed in the DMV form, my check, and receipt this morning.

 

Hi All,

Just a quick note as I have to run off to Oxnard to pick up my newly 18 year old stepson (his b-day is today - HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRIAN!).

Regarding the exemption of the Prius from Smog Certification, there have been threads here at Prius Chat and you can also check with your local DMV and the BAR (Bureau of Automotive Repair) website.

As the car idles in electric and not gas mode, the potential emissions are greatly reduced if not eliminated during what is usually the most environmentally damaging portion of the operation of a vehicle. Also, at this time the equipment used for smog certification is not able to be effectively used with hybrid vehicles.

The current plan as stated on the BAR website is to maintain the exemption until 1/1/10 and at that time they will reevaluate and should have machines in place that would be able to accurately test these cars. On the other hand, depending on what happens in the automotive industry in the next few years they may not, as the possibility of the oft heralded fuel cell, hydrogen powered and consumer CNG vehicles may just change the picture again -- who knows.

As of now we are quite safe and I expect we will be for the foreseeable future from the need to donate another 50 to 75 dollars to the smog check stations and to the state.

Do a quick search on your search engine for Prius smog exempt and see what else you may find.

Take care all,

Tisza

 

mailed today.

 

Grr, Fastrak! I applied for Fastrak online Wednesday night, and sent off a receipt that I printed off their website along with the DMV forms to the DMV yesterday. So now, when I get the transponder, I have to exchange it for a special hybrid one? I guess I'll have to wait and see what the DMV does with my application before knowing if I have to send it again... and then possibly wait some more.

Patience is not one of my virtues.

Grrr!

 

Mine went out Friday night. My wife is really quick with paperwork.

 

Bay Area Folks - Here is the deal with FasTrak.

The reason we in the Bay Area have to have a FasTrak is that the bridge toll authority did not want US Hybrid owners to go across the bridge free with single passengers if we use the HOV lane. They didn't care that ALOT of people rarely use the bridges and that they probably wouldn't lose that much money. Enough with he editorial.

I went to the FasTrak office in San Francisco (there is only one office in Northern California and this is it). You give them a special form for new FasTrak folks or a form to add a car to your account if you already have one. I would recommend that if you can, take Bart into the City and walk the 6 blocks or there is a parking lot around the corner on the Embarcadero.

They tell you that you MUST ONLY USE the new transponder if you are going to use the Carpool lane. They actually don't give you a receipt. What they give you instead is a printed screen shot of the screen they use to setup your account "ETC Account Management". It clearly shows you have registered a Hybrid. They stick a round green sticker on your transponder so they you know that it is the Hybrid transponder. They also give you a bag to put the transponder in if you do indeed have enough people in your car to be a car pool.

The are open Monday - Saturday.

 

I would have mailed it today but when I started to fill out the application I found that I was required to have a stupid FasTrak account that I have no use for.

There is no transponder deposit required (unless you are requesting more than than 3 transponders) but they do require a $40 "toll balance" to be added to your new account. Once the balance dips below $15 (which should be in about 10 years as often as I cross the bridges) they will automatically charge my credit card to add to account balance an amount equal to my average monthly toll payments.

As soon as I get the FasTrak account and welcome kit I will send in my application to the DMV. Then I will have to decide if it is worth covering my car with stickers for the occassional chance to drive in the HOV lane.

 

Tisza,

How did you learn about the "G" and the "Q"? Unfortunately, my registration has a "G". I went into our local DMV and (after I waited an hour) they did not seem to understand the issue. After a conference between two of them (I was not allowed to talk directly with the "expert") they said "come back with your title at a time when we are doing inspections and then we'll try to do something" - they said they would not change just the registration record because (they said) the code comes from the title and they need to change the title. Does that sound right? Did you have to mess with your title? I am reluctant to introduce any further delay--I can imagine waiting months for a new title to arrive in the mail.

They also said that they are not taking such applications in person; after one has the special fasttrak transponder receipt, one must mail everyting into DMV.

Which cars get the "Q"? Just AT-PZEV hybrids? Of course, none of this should matter. The VIN clearly identifies the car as a 2004 Prius.

Is there something on the web or elsewhere that explains that a hybrid should be a Q? I'd like to bring something official-looking when I go back that explains the system to them. I am tempted to try another DMV office. Hopefully I can get this sorted out before the carpool lane privelege expires.

Thanks.

 

Mine went out Thursday morning. Can't wait to get sticker!