Is Cobb selling us out?

[New_Daily]

Here in California, 2000 and newer cars get the OBD test and gas cap, plus a visual inspection. For anything older, there's a few more things like a sniffer up the tailpipe.
However, depending on the smog inspector, the level of visual inspection sort of varies. For example, if I take my wife's bone-stock Honda CRV in, the guy doesn't bother to open the hood or look under the car. Very unlikely that a CRV would be modified. But, if I take a car in that visually looks like it could be modified, like a Mustang that sounds louder than stock and looks like it's had stuff done to it, he'll take note and poke around under the hood a bit and may check for cats.

Honestly, there are so few Fiesta STs running around that my guy might look at it and not blink an eye, since it doesn't look all that different from the rest of the cars that roll through his shop every day. My car is visually stock other than wheels, which are Ford 15-spokes. Probably won't open the hood on it. But, you never know. If I'm the guy he decides to scrutinize for some reason, and maybe if he knows what to look for on a FIST, I don't want to raise his eyebrows.

Unlikely - his business model is that if he has to take more than five minutes with anyone, he's wasting time. He doesn't touch anything older than 2000, turns away anything he thinks will be a problem before it rolls into his shop.

I never went back to the guy who pulled out the mirrors and poked around my "Where did your cats go" Mustang!

Yeah these are my thoughts. Other than my not quite understanding what I will need to do for my tune (leave it? Remove it and drive for a few hundred miles to get readiness state?) the rest of my items are all visual. Like you, I have wheels, and being bright orange he might be pre-disposed to want to look at it. I just don't know how knowledgeable he would be on recognizing the catch can and the symposer delete. Maybe he's see my IC ad recognize its not stock? Dunno.

 

[Gone in 60]

Unless you've got the Cobb tune, you might want to flash back to stock and put some miles on it.

When my van failed for the bad cat, I replaced it and the 02 sensors, and put about 250 miles on it before going back for a retest. I was surprised when my smog guy said that the ECU was still showing "Not Ready". I put another 300 on it and took it back and it finally passed.

 

[Magnetic]

In California?

Arizona, and the whole place smelled like no DP haha

I'm thinking that when they remove our ability to remove trouble codes/disable them the OBDII smog test will fail. This may be what they're targeting. My car might just have to stay as is as far as power if this is true. Bummber because I was going to upgrade the Injectors and HPFP in June :-(

 

[Dpro]

That is why the new Cobb AP will not allow disabling the check engine light or altering EPA approved tuning parameters set by the factory. In other words, no custom illegal tunes with the new AP. Your old AP will still work unless you update it. Cobb wants CARB to give them EO's on tunes without testing data usually provided by EPA certification testing. Then they want the EPA to accept the EO and give them EPA certification with zero testing. I think their lawyer is one of those inmate/lawyers I knew in the prison system in CA.

Ah ya no, I updated my AP and downloaded the stage I and II and I can and so have my s280 Tune+ tunes on it. Please stop trying to spread this misinformation . You do not live here you do not have first hand experience. Oh and please stop this COBB got the CARB tests to bypass EPA testing . EPA does not have the kind of facilities in place to do the kind of testing and approval CARB does, like I have previously told you. It’s truth and fact CARB is way more stringent than the current EPA on output standards in effect as being the gold standard on smog testing.

Oh and the reason for the symposer possibly raising eyebrows is because it’s looped into the system that emission devices are attached to. Therefor while it does not have any effect on emissions being placed in the air fuel system removing it is subject to question besides looking downright obvious when it’s removed to anybody that looks at the cold side going to the throttle body.
Theory being if that is removed what else is missing.

I am going to ask you kindly to just stop your posts know as you are posting stuff you have no real knowledge of and are just speculating and spreading confusion and disinformation just stop!
Several of us that live here and have first hand experience about what we can and can’t do are posting facts.

 

[SteveS]

Arizona, and the whole place smelled like no DP haha

I'm thinking that when they remove our ability to remove trouble codes/disable them the OBDII smog test will fail. This may be what they're targeting. My car might just have to stay as is as far as power if this is true. Bummber because I was going to upgrade the Injectors and HPFP in June :-(

Clearing check engine codes will be fine. What can't be done any more is eliminating the checks for O2 sensor, etc. so that the check engine light doesn't come on when you remove the catalyst, etc.

 

[koozy]

I personally appreciate COBB for simply supporting our platform, even as the market dwindles. Their knowledge and tooling for the Accessport was licensed to Mountune for their use as well.

In my view COBB is doing what they can to continue to support a product which we as enthusiast benefit from. They are playing with the cards being delt to not only them, but others like them in the industry. They are moving forward with change and this can be difficult when others are stuck in the past.

I have no problem supporting COBB for their efforts and recently purchased their intercooler. With the intercooler were these CARB EO decals, which I appreciate. As a lifelong resident of California these decals and CARB EO numbers are respected at smog inspection stations in CA should they be deemed necessary during an inspection. It’s the smog techs assurance that the component in question has passed CARB.

CARB compliant parts try to benefit the health and environment for many and more importantly future generations. As a lifelong car enthusiast I also appreciate nature, the ocean, wildlife, good food, clean air and water.

 

[D1JL]

@koozy. almost 100%.
It was Mountune (Ford racing in UK) that gave the keys to Cobb.

 

[koozy]

@koozy. almost 100%.
It was Mountune (Ford racing in UK) that gave the keys to Cobb.

Okay, but COBB brought the treasures to an empty chest. With keys comes responsibility.

 

[Gone in 60]

It is nice that Cobb got the CARB approvals on the parts that, in all reality, should not affect emissions - intake, intercooler, and a tune that stays within the boundaries of what will pass. I work with a number of companies that are in the "We touch the ECU" business, and not all of them have taken the steps to support platforms that are no longer available in the U.S. Some have simply abandoned the California market.

In my last job, we made data recording systems for race cars, and some of our products plugged into the ECU, so we did our due diligence as well. If you make a product that should not cause the CARB and AQMD nannies to clutch their pearls, it's not hard, but it is time consuming and does cost money to get EO approvals. SEMA is a big help - they have a full facility at their headquarters here in CA where companies can bring their products, hook them up to cars, test, and tweak to make sure that they will comply with CARB regulations. It's likely that Cobb paid the fees for CARB compliance and certification testing, and while they were at it and had the testing equipment at hand, tested and certified as many easy applications as they could to knock out a bunch of EOs. That's what we did.

However, one thing that I wish they would do is make the decals available for people who don't have the original sales receipt for the products. Looking at other companies that provide replacement decals for CARB products, some require photos of the product, the VIN of the car they are attached to, and a signature on an affidavit that they're not lying about it. Yeah, I'll go get my smog check armed with the printout of the EO paperwork, which Cobb provides on their website. And yeah, if none of the certifications occurred, I was ready to throw my stock intake back on to pass the visual inspection, and reflash my car back to stock.

Maybe with a stage system that involves multiple components and a tune, there are too many variables that just promising that I'm telling the truth about it won't allow them to send me a sticker. I dunno.

 

[Gone in 60]

I just updated to the newer CARB-compliant Stage 2 tune, and did some test driving. The performance feels just the same, but it's nice to know it's done and I'm ready to get smogged next year. However, with premium running at $6.75 in my area, I imagine that I'll be sticking with the slot-2 economy tune and regular gas for a while...

 

[akiraproject24]

I just updated to the newer CARB-compliant Stage 2 tune, and did some test driving. The performance feels just the same, but it's nice to know it's done and I'm ready to get smogged next year. However, with premium running at $6.75 in my area, I imagine that I'll be sticking with the slot-2 economy tune and regular gas for a while...

I have the perfect meme but I am respecting the board wishes and refraining.

 

[dhminer]

I have the perfect meme but I am respecting the board wishes and refraining.

We wish to see the meme

 

[Gone in 60]

Don't need to see the meme, then. I see it every other time I fill up. Plenty of those stickers out there...

 

[Alkoran]

Funny thing is, last week I put 95$ to full the tank. The 91 was @ 8.43$/gallon. So I guess you still have it good when compared to the rest of the world.

 

[Gone in 60]

It's funny how everything is relative... I just got back from a business trip to Ohio, where regular had just gone to about $5.09 and everyone was crying. I said "You think you have it bad, you should see California!"

Of course, I was thinking of people in other parts of the world who have it worse... I happened to catch Costco when the gas line wasn't apocalyptic yesterday. My wife and I were out doing errands, so we took the FIST so I could try out the newer tune. She glanced at the total on the gas pump and said "Wow, I've never seen you put $60 in this car!" Good thing we weren't in one of our company's diesel duallies.

 

[TyphoonFiST]

I have the perfect meme but I am respecting the board wishes and refraining.

C'mon....

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