Washington State Registration - Bellevue Location

[Kurk818]

I went through my State Patrol inspection yesterday at the Bellevue location after a failed attempt at the Tacoma location and..... PASSED :D

It went pretty smoothly. They were excited to see me there and informed me that they have been waiting for me to show up. WSP inspector did a chassis verification to the paperwork provided by FFR and attempted to find a serial number for the engine but was not successful. Visual inspection was performed of the vehicle but for no specific item. The inspector was using this sheet as a reference for acceptance of the vehicle;

http://www.wsp.wa.gov/traveler/docs/checklists/kit_vehicle.pdf

I have no wipers or washing system installed.

About an hour later, they attached a aluminum sticker VIN plate with rivets to the drivers door frame and i was on my way home.

For those with the R model, i specifically asked about the issue of not having a full windshield and was informed that it is required and will not pass without one. The functioning doors and latches you may be able to get around. A lot depends on the individual inspectors it seems on how they interpret the verbiage.

Thank you to the forum member who helped me with getting in touch with the right people to make it easier for me and hopefully everyone else in Washington State register their kit car.

Overall a good experience and a thumbs up to the Bellevue location staff for being professional, courteous and knowledgeable in what they do best!

http://i.imgur.com/N640stvl.jpg

[Hindsight]

Big congrats on getting past that milestone!

[STiPWRD]

Very cool man, congrats!

[rcotner]

Congratulations! I just did the same thing yesterday 180 miles south in Portland, except my car is a '33 HR. It was ridiculously easy in Oregon. No technical specs or inspection just a verification of the certificate of origin, receipts from the engine and transmission and on my way... Have fun, your car looks awesome.

[Kurk818]

Thanks guys. Im so relieved to be at this stage. Now just to figure out where to mount the front plate.

[FFRSpec72]

A big congrats on passing, what a major milestone ! Many thanks for the ride yesterday before the inspection, was great, that car is solid, no rattles, and super acceleration (love that waste gate). Great build !

I'm disappointed with the windshield issue, I have to figure a way around this, on my challenge car I made the windshield removable and may have to do the same here. Did they look at any emission related stuff ?

[Kurk818]

A big congrats on passing, what a major milestone ! Many thanks for the ride yesterday before the inspection, was great, that car is solid, no rattles, and super acceleration (love that waste gate). Great build !

I'm disappointed with the windshield issue, I have to figure a way around this, on my challenge car I made the windshield removable and may have to do the same here. Did they look at any emission related stuff ?

The licensing dept would be the one to dictate that and i was not able to stop by yesterday. From what my tuner says, it should be a problem either way.

[Hiryu]

Great to hear! Enjoy your car and hopefully we'll see you out there-

[Hiryu]

As for the front plate, does FFR make a front license plate holder for the 818? If not, you might not be required to put one on...even in Washington.

[Kurk818]

As for the front plate, does FFR make a front license plate holder for the 818? If not, you might not be required to put one on...even in Washington.

Even if it is law in Washington state?

No issues with emissions testing as part of registration. Since it was registered as a 2014 model, Washington law states that vehicles over 5 years in age require emissions testing. We'll see what happens in 2019. Shouldnt have any issues either way. I have a high flow cat installed.

[Hiryu]

Even if it is law in Washington state?

No issues with emissions testing as part of registration. Since it was registered as a 2014 model, Washington law states that vehicles over 5 years in age require emissions testing. We'll see what happens in 2019. Shouldnt have any issues either way. I have a high flow cat installed.

You can get a waiver in WA if the automaker never created a license bracket for your car. They WILL be very thorough when checking (they would contact FFR and ask them about it), and there are only a handful of cars that are waived (rare cars, not your average Honda, Toyota, or even Lamborghini). But if they exempt your car, you will be given a note from the Washington State Patrol declaring that the car does not need a front plate attached. You carry this note with you in the car in case law officers ask, etc.

As far as emissions, I assume you still have the OBDII port in your car? Unless things change before 2019, they will just plug into that, make sure all your sensors report as 'ready', and make sure you don't have any codes. If that's the case, you should pass. They don't check for cats unless you have to get something fixed (i.e., you have codes, etc.); after that they will usually inspect a car to make sure it is 'stock'...though with a car like this, 'stock' might be open for interpretation.

Anyways, this is all based on personal experiences; as you well know by now, different places can give you different outcomes.

[skullandbones]

I'll bet there were a few heads turned when that came rolling in. Congratulations on getting it legalized.

WEK.

[tgarr]

Reviving one from the dead :)

I'm considering kit car options (818 and/or F9) and wondering how this went in WA.

Looking at the kit car registration regulations in WA 46.12.695:
https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=46.12.695

...it looks like if the kit car isn't a replica (818 / GTM / F9) it appears that WAC 204-10 applies:
https://apps.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=204-10

204-10-021 reviews federal standards that are adopted:
https://apps.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=204-10-021&pdf=true

I read that as requiring all modern safety features, and even crash testing. How do we get around that with something like the 818 or F9? Are we just hoping that the state patrol doesn't read it that strictly? Or am I missing something that excludes kit cars from airbags and crash testing (in WA state)?

Thanks!