SL/R129: California SL500 Emissions Equipment
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GLA45, R129 SL500
California SL500 Emissions Equipment
Hi folks,
I'm looking at buying a very well maintained, low-ish mile (~54k), 1996 SL500. My only concern with it is, it was originally sold in San Diego and I cant seem to find out if it has California-specific emissions stuff on it. I have had cars/bikes in the past from California, and they all come with more headaches, so I don't really want to get into that again.
Any inputs are appreciated!
I'm looking at buying a very well maintained, low-ish mile (~54k), 1996 SL500. My only concern with it is, it was originally sold in San Diego and I cant seem to find out if it has California-specific emissions stuff on it. I have had cars/bikes in the past from California, and they all come with more headaches, so I don't really want to get into that again.
Any inputs are appreciated!
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2020
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From: Riverside, CA
1999 SL600
What headaches are involved with California vehicles? If you mean registration and smogging in a different state, a car sold originally in California should be easily registered in any state
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GLA45, R129 SL500
No, I'm not talking about registration/inspection. I mean actual pieces of equipment installed on the vehicle that make it pass California smog, that weren't installed on cars sold in other states.
An example of this was on a Yamaha R1 (sport bike) that I owned in the past, it was a Cali bike and had a Cali-only part installed: a charcoal filter on the fuel tank vent outlet, which needed to be replaced every so often otherwise it would condense fuel vapors and drip them under the bike. This part was not installed on this model sold anywhere in the world, except those sold in California. I know this is the case with other vehicles as well, I'm just trying to determine if there are any parts like this on the R129... hopefully that's a better explanation of my ask?
An example of this was on a Yamaha R1 (sport bike) that I owned in the past, it was a Cali bike and had a Cali-only part installed: a charcoal filter on the fuel tank vent outlet, which needed to be replaced every so often otherwise it would condense fuel vapors and drip them under the bike. This part was not installed on this model sold anywhere in the world, except those sold in California. I know this is the case with other vehicles as well, I'm just trying to determine if there are any parts like this on the R129... hopefully that's a better explanation of my ask?
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GLA45, R129 SL500
Follow on question then: the VIN decoder for my car indicates a specific option "494 - California Version"... what might that be for, if not emissions stuff?
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GLA45, R129 SL500
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