[CA B.A.R. rant] Govt. employees....

[RedBarchetta]

Well, if you work for the CA government, kindly close your ears.

I visited the FULLERTON B.A.R. last Friday and received my smog exemption sticker....smack dab in the middle of my polished firewall!!

Now, keep in mind that there are probably a 1,000 other things in life I could rant about, and another 1,000,000 things that I should be thankful for. But the rigidness with which these guys write and follow procedure is insane!

I pleaded (kindly), I pushed my case (kindly). But no dice....the sticker had to be on the firewall because, as the lead technician said and I quote "That's where the CHP says they will look when they pull you over."

My reply? "Sir, if the CHP pulls me over, the LAST thing on his mind will be to determine if I'm smog exempt. All he wants to see is driver's license, vehicle registration and proof of insurance." I suggested placement of the sticker (a 3" x 5" beast) adjacent to the CHP-supplied VIN tag. There was plenty of space on the inner fender well, farther away from the engine heat, etc. "No, it has to on a specific place on the firewall because that is where the CHP will look." @$E&@#^ moron!

So the upside is my CA registration process is nearly complete, with my final visit to the DMV to complete the process and get my ownership certificate (title) and revised registration. The downside is I have a wonderfully polished firewall with an eyesore in the middle.

Any suggestions? Velcro attached polished plate to cover it up?

Last words: SO CAL guys...AVOID the Fullerton B.A.R. Go to one that will either hand you the sticker or at least be courteous to allow you some levity with regard to where they will place it. These clowns don't give a rat's _ _ _ about your classic. And the sad part was that they were actually nice people....they just didn't have any common sense. IMHO, anyway.