People in the hhr ss sale group on Facebook are chewing me out. I guess my car was for sale before and the owner said it had bad catylitic converter and that's what was causing the check gas cap CEL.

There is smoke as most of you who are following my posts have noticed, but would the catalytic converter be a cause for the evap CEL?

Or was the previous owner just dumb and didn't know what he was talking about?

The previous owner did not state any of this in the ad. Just that it needed a coolant hose to stop the coolant leak (in reality it was the water pump)

Another comment stated that California law requires a vehicle to pass smog before its sold or must be sold as-is. Or I could sue the previous owner for smog work.

I was not aware of any issues before buying and the owner did not mention anything about any problems other than the "hose needed for the radiator" and some alignment issues.

any insight in this appreciated.

This Facebook post was apparently from a previous owner or another person. The title has a different name and the people I met up with were not the people In this ad. I'm assuming it was sold to another person who sold it to me.

 

What is their basis for chewing you out?

I could be wrong, but I believe, about the smog requirement, that your remedy is to return the vehicle and get a refund. If that's what you want to do, then small claims court would be the avenue, unless the seller just agrees to refund you. I doubt that is what you would want to do, you've already put so much time, money, and effort into the vehicle.

But do your research into the law about this, to be sure.

 

They thought I was aware of the screenshotted marketplace post.

I definitely would not want to waste all the money I've put into it unless I could get that back. Would love to sue for smog work though.

 

I wouldn’t believe an experienced mechanic about a car he’s selling, much less a random owner.

Note what a prior owner said. Take it with a grain of salt.

 

EVAP code has nothing to do with the cat. However, it will fail smog test.

"always kept up with oil changes" is a clear lie.
"willing to go to AZ for a code reading" is BS, you are entitled to have the vehicle inspected by anyone you want.
Doesn't the seller know his in California? You can't drive around with a bad cat.
Is "AS IS" PRINTED on any document you were given?
California has some really strict consumer protection laws concerning car sales; you might have a valid complaint to the State Attorney General

 

Buyer beware, do your due diligence, you didn’t do, you are responsible for the repairs, a used car doesn’t have a warranty that goes past the curb! You bought it, as you say from someone different from that FB post, so is that for sure your car?
I suggest just focus on getting it in running order, drive it, enjoy it! Keep it clean! So what about whatever some random website says.

 

California is a different animal when it comes to automobiles and pollution controls. Maybe no warranty but the seller is responsible for selling a car that passes State inspections. I don't know how it got registered, if it did.
It is not legal to sell a car without a Smog certificate issued within 90 days in California. If it had codes for a "bad cats" it could not get a certificate.

 

Well the bad cats thing was just what one seller had on Facebook. I don't know if it's the same guy I bought it from or not. Its just a vapor leak somewhere/somehow.

How do I go about getting the process for the smog stuff? I've tried contacting the seller and they are not answering me.

 

Surprise! Surprise! I never would have suspected a disappearing seller. Do you know if you have a clear title? You probably need legal advice.
"Just a vapor" leak fails smog. They are supposed to have handed you the certificate so that you have it when you go to register the car. The better question is : how are you going to get tags?