GTA23109a

Anyone in the Thousand Oaks area should avoid northbound Westlake Blvd. approx. 1mi north of Thousand Oaks Blvd.They had quite the traffic jam going with the righthand lane blocked off for their test-trailer and a CHP on duty for traffic control and "victim selection". It's been a few years since I saw one of these deals and thought we were past this nonsense. Does anyone know what our rights are regarding these things??? Can you just tell the CHiPpy you've got somewhere to be and to go to hell???

KenE55

Sounds like a warrantless search with no probable cause... I can't believe it's legal.

SLK55R

I can see them doing smog checks ... but I can't imagine them doing a dyno of random vehicles. First off ... who's responsible if something breaks when on the dyno?

GTA23109a

I've no idea where they get the right or authority to do this (if they have it at all). This is the first one I've seen in YEARS out here. They started with this nonsense back in '98 or '99 and I saw a couple of them, but then that was it and I never heard about it again. Looks like they're back at it though.

Any attorneys out there that could comment on the legality of this and whether or not it'd be a "good idea" ( <- notice the quotes) to tell them to shove off if you get "randomly selected"?

Jakpro1

I got this mental image of one of you guys putting it in 4th and hammering it on the roadside dyno. Roadside dyno starts smoking and crap.

Seriously though, what happens if you fail, is it a "get it fixed within 30 days" deal???

GTA23109a

Well, "back in the day" when I first hear dof these, you don't drive on it, the government employee does. Which was a whole 'nother issue. What if there's a problem, what if he screws something up, etc, etc.

Allegedly, all data collected is just that, data. They were claiming that they weren't writing fix-it tickets or anything like that, but who knows???

zdkdeeier493

This is like a DUI checkpoint from Utah! I bet they stop my Dad on the way back from the hospital and then arrest him for being Middle-Eastern

03c4s

Government stupidity at its best, what a bunch of idiots!!!
Like there is nothing better for them to do than create a traffic jam in the interest of justifying their jobs. smog my _ss

How come I don't see these dumb-ss by the border pulling cars that smoke from crappy pemex gas??

Another borat government idea.

IMHO

chiromikey

all i can say is this is one of the many reasons i left ca. great geography but the govt. has really fubar'd the whole state.

SmokinV10

I remember seeing these years ago as well in the Sunnyvale, CA (SF Bay Area). It must have been 1997ish and I did call the air resources board on this matter. At the time it was allegedly for Data Collection purposes as well. I dont see how a "random" selection is legal whatsoever. Back in a college pre-law course I remember reading a Supreme Court ruling on how sobriety checkpoints and airport security was legal because EVERYONE who goes through MUST submit to a search. It was not a "Random" sampling. There is no way I would let any government official get in either of my cars and throw it on a dyno. Basically they are assuming everyone is guilty and asking random people to prove themselves innocent. How is a human being picking and choosing cars "random"?!?!? Ive been back in California for less than a month Im already foaming at the mouth at all the naziesque gestapo bleeding heart tree hugging politics. God Bless Texas

AMG 17GT

I do not know the law in ca, but in ga road blocks have to have a procedural purpose....They have to be random and set by a superior officer for a limited purpose......i.e. license , insurance. etc....but all the case law here points to it as being permisable because it is temporary and does not involve an unnneccessary detention...........how long does this dyno take? ........Ga seems to think that any detention absent reasonable suspician more than 20 minutes seems to be too long.....liberal states like cali tend to protect against unneccesary detentions, however, u luv being green and the legislature could authorize this in some way shape or form as neccesary to preserve public safety...........can a cali lawyer chime in here?

sdsilverm3

They've been doing this in San Diego as well. Most of them have been done in areas South of the 8. Apparently they're targeting modified imports (Honda's, Subaru's, etc). I still frequent the import forums and there has been at least 3 reports of a checkpoint in the last 2 months.

SLK55R

but thats detention ... it isn't running your expensive car on a dyno (with almost a guarantee of an inexperienced dyno person for mercedes) and running the car up to redline.

I have no problem with them sticking a meter in the exhaust to see if its not in compliance(thats one of the reasons I chose Renntech) ... but I do have a problem running the car on a dyno.

jangy

Ditto on the RENNTech part. I'm not as comfy as you are having a probe stuck in my ***.

SLK55R

Jangy ... you crack me up.

SmokinV10

How the hell can you not have a problem with them sticking a meter in your car to prove yourself innocent? You buy into this tree hugging ultra liberal bull****?

Dogshine

I'm sure they aren't running the car to redline on a roadside dyno as they don't do that on a regular smog dyno. more like 1500 and 3500 rpms.

I would be more upset about the time issue as I don't EVER have 20 minutes to give some **** who wants to detain me in the middle of the day. and god forbid if they were to scratch your car or something....

Vadim @ FD

Several years ago there was a check point setup about a mile from my old shop. It was run by CHP and CARB and participation was voluntary. They were offering some kind of coupons for free services/merchandize in exchange for testing the car. As I recall there were more interested in older cars ( < 1980 ) than new ones.

Hardrivr

Funny reading this.. as most know I live in Temecula and crusing out to the Wineries this weekend to get my normal weekend buzz on I saw a CHP Commercial check/stop point testing all the limo's and buses... a bunch of people were PISSED standing on the side of the road when their expensive weekend tours left them stranded when their rides failed the tests for lack of proper license, insurance and maintenance issues... never seen a CHP stop testing for random SMOG issues.