Hello Friends! I have an unusual situation that I would love some help on. I leased an X3 from out of state in Jan of this year (good pricing below MSRP).
I’m trying to register the car in California, however the DMV refuses to register it due to the low mileage (1409 miles). The inspector that checked my SMOG (kinda crazy to required SMOG on a new ride, but ok) and VIN said i need to come back after I hit 7500 miles. Frankly, this makes very little sense, since my current temporary plate (white sheet of paper with a license plate on it) is only valid until the end of April. So, if I get pulled over (god forbid), I’d be technically driving without a registered car. Any thoughts from this group?
If the X3 is not 50 state compliant with regards to emissions then it evidently cannot be registered in CA with less than 7,500 miles on the odometer, with a few exceptions.
I’m sure our CA residents and experts can provide more color and potential workarounds (once they wake up).
Under the hood, there should be a sticker that says if it’s 50 state/CA compliant or not. What does it say?
2 Likes
When you get past the 50 state emissions question, you can search here since this has been discussed many times: DMV can’t register it until it’s been smogged (which creates/sends a record electronically) and you get the VIN scanned.
The BMW brokers/dealers can confirm, but when I registered my out-of-state X7 in CA, I was informed that all BMW’s are 50-state compliant.
We got it smogged first, then VIN checked at the DMV. I was also told there are places where they’ll smog and verify your VIN (not dmv) at the same time for a fee.
But yes, CA doesn’t care how new or old the vehicle is. If it’s coming from out of state, it needs to be smogged and have the VIN verified (have done this for 3 out of state cars).
2 Likes
Thanks KC! I did get the car SMOG and VIN verified by a DMV supervisor. But, when i walked up to the counter to pay for reg they wouldn’t take it and said the miles are too low.
Thanks for all that have replied thus far.
yup, it is 50 state / CA compliant. All good under the hood 
This topic was automatically closed 60 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.