15 captured repliesDiscussion pagination complete · Source accounts, not a confirmed diagnosis
THIS DISCUSSION / SOURCE-DERIVED OVERVIEW
Discussion summary
YOUR RESEARCHPPI Drama -- Illegal Cats in CA
Leading reported evidence
Install fabspeed x pipes and cats
Performed · outcome unconfirmed
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that performed work without a confirmed outcome
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Performed · outcome unconfirmed · Original poster
What I hadn't budgeted for was that the previous owner had installed Fabspeed X pipes and cats which I am told are illegal in CA.
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suggestion
You are hereby informed and warned to check your local, state, and federals laws before buying and installing these or any aftermarket parts to be sure whether usage is in violation.
Leading evidence: 'Install fabspeed x pipes and cats' (no explicit attributable resolution; this is a reported action or suggestion). Across 1 matching discussions, The most frequently discussed action is 'Check local, state, and federals laws' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
Source reports, not a diagnosis or a success probability. Counts refer to discussions and can overlap.
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that performed work without a confirmed outcome
1
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0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Performed · outcome unconfirmed
I have a '99 that ran too rich with them and b/c of the cable throttle, couldn't do an ECU tune.
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that contain suggestions
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suggestion
You are hereby informed and warned to check your local, state, and federals laws before buying and installing these or any aftermarket parts to be sure whether usage is in violation.
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that contain suggestions
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that contain suggestions
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suggestion · Original poster
I've asked the dealer to replace them as recommended by the PPI.
These are separate views of the same evidence. Frequency alone does not establish a fix, and these counts must not be added together.
Check local, state, and federals laws
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context
Discussions that contain suggestions
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suggestion
You are hereby informed and warned to check your local, state, and federals laws before buying and installing these or any aftermarket parts to be sure whether usage is in violation.
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suggestion · Original poster
What's surprising to me (but maybe not to others) is that the car has passed smog testing so I guess whoever performed the testing it didn't check the part number.
Counts describe captured discussions, not unique people or a diagnosis. Author identities are not reliably stored. Exact duplicate evidence is counted once across matching discussions; one discussion counts at most once per action/state. Multiple repairs reported together remain a combination. Suggestions and failed attempts do not establish a fix. Matches cover whole discussions and can include related faults, model variants and incomplete threads.
15 eligible posts · 0 unverified posts · 1 discussions match the subject in their title or opening post.
Rennlist: 1 discussions
0 evidence records excluded for query context · 0 excluded by outcome qualification · 0 adjusted by outcome qualification.
0 acknowledgements have no verified action link; they do not establish a repair result.
Generation: 20261027T053112Z · outcome-qualification-6. Deterministic extraction; no AI model inference. How we use sources
So following recommendations from the group (thanks again!), I had my PPI done yesterday at a small independent in Orange County. I know the IMS/RMS has not been done so I have budgeted for that. What I hadn't budgeted for was that the previous owner had installed Fabspeed X pipes and cats which I am told are illegal in CA. What's surprising to me (but maybe not to others) is that the car has passed smog testing so I guess whoever performed the testing it didn't check the part number. Anyway, I've asked the dealer to replace the catalytic converter but its a pricey item. Anybody know whether it is legal for the dealer in CA to sell a car with an illegal cat?
Not a lawyer but BAR controls their license and they dont like catless cars.
Many Dealers have deals with local smog shops that will look the other way for them.
Get part number off cats and call fabspeed.
Thanks -- boy I wasn't very clear in my initial post. I haven't bought the car yet! Just negotiating now with the dealer and I wanted to understand how much of this is a problem for them. For example, if they can't sell the car legally in CA and assuming they are a legit operation then this is really their cost no matter what.
Also, I am terrible at the internet.
yeah, my first read was you had bought the car.
In their ad did they list the fabspeed exhaust?
Did you review the smog shops current smog results?
Do you know if the fabspeeds cats are CA listed approved?
Lots of very clean nice 996s in socal to buy. Why is this the one?
They did not list the fabspeed exhaust in their advertisement. The Porsche specialist who did the PPI was the one who pointed out that the cats were not legal. I guess I am relying on him.
I do take your point -- I'm not doing something dumb to get this car. I've asked the dealer to replace them as recommended by the PPI. I'll let you know what they say.
Those X Pipe cats are not CARB approved. So you will have great difficulty with getting the car smogged as it may fail visual inspection. CA has gotten very strict about this stuff. Get OE (no aftermarket) Porsche catalytic convertors.
From Fabspeed's site:
"
DISCLAIMER:
This product removes the OEM catalytic converters from the vehicle, and as such, is strictly intended for closed track events and off-road use only.
This product contains a High-Flow Sport Catalytic Converter solely intended for track and race cars as it is NOT California Air Resources Board Certified and not EPA certified.
You are hereby informed and warned to check your local, state, and federals laws before buying and installing these or any aftermarket parts to be sure whether usage is in violation. All installation-risk and use-risk is borne by the end-user and installer of these parts."
Do you want to sell those cats? If it passes smog then thats where the dealers liability ends. Some Smog Technicians don't even look at the e/o numbers. It probably just went undetected. A good technician will fail that.
"
Never
ascribe to
malice
that which is adequately explained by incompetence"
Unless things have changed in the last year or so, a seller has to provide a "current" (I believe that means within the last 30 days, or something similar) passing smog/inspection certificate as part of the sale. I can imagine a shady seller having a "deal" with a shop to issue certs on non-conforming cars (risky for the shop) or having a set of conforming cats and installing them on cars to pass smog, then swapping back to whatever was on the car to begin with (risky for the dealer, not to mention a few hours of labor to invest).
Nice to know the seller of the car you're interested in is doing the right thing.
I've got a catless FabSpeed x-pipe with FabSpeed mini-cats (won't throw CEL) that have less than 1,000 miles which I'd let go for $1,000. I have a '99 that ran too rich with them and b/c of the cable throttle, couldn't do an ECU tune.
Plus, I'm going a different direction with the engine and exhaust solutions.
mini-cats on
