Years ago we lived in a neighborhood where (we were unaware) NO vehicle maintenance was allowed where it could be observed from the street. Our neighbor called the police while I was in the process of replacing the brake pads on one of our cars on our driveway, but by the time the police arrived the job had been completed. I was issued a warning and they left. About a week or so later I called the police to report that the neighbor who had called them on me was performing maintenance on his car within view of the street. When they arrived they asked what the problem was, and I pointed out that he was washing his cars on his driveway. They seemed confused until I pointed out that he was performing vehicle maintenance. They issued him a warning and he never spoke to me again. Stupid laws.
That offered you the great benefit of teaching your neighbor to mind their own business and the big plus of them not talking to you again. I had a boss fire me because the job required be to park on the grass. When I pulled back onto the rode the curb was so high it set off the motion detector in the spy camera. I hurried to catch up to the other 10 trucks in our group and he said I had "wound out the engine". He knew little about our job and the trucks all had RPM limiters to prevent over revving the engine. Well he fired me. So I kept checking the online court records and a year later he showed up. He got a ticket for speeding in a company vehicle (I recall it was outside our service area and during working hours). We are required to report traffic violations and I figured he had not. So I printed out the court record and mailed it to the regional VP. Two weeks later he was gone. Karma
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As a retired mechanic and auto parts salesmen I know many people with automotive tools at their home. I still have all my tools and more since I quit working on car’s for a living 30 years ago. These stupid laws is why we left CA 2 years ago. Love living in a state and city where nobody bothers you.
My teenage niece built an airplane in her driveway. In Sacramento county. A neighbor complained and told the officer "there's laws against working on vehicles in your yard." The officer told the neighbor, "really? I work on my car all the time. And that's a classic Piper Cub, not really a vehicle under California vehicle code. There's nothing I can cite her for."
Look if you're gonna come out here with great zingers like this, I've just _gotta_ see what you say in other sections around here! Thanks for the giggles.🤗🇨🇦
I already know I'm a superhero. Well, more likely a supervillain. Because common sense in today's world is offensive and even criminal, but no less super.
Only Northern California, My cartel controls oil filter wrenches and plastic straws in Southern California, and if you move in on our turf we will go to war ( and kill many innocents in the crossfire).
Lol, as a bartender in California, I hate the straw law! Certain drinks NEED a straw: Bloody Mary, anything blended, ice tea, etc. you can still use them, but you have to request one. So it just forces bartenders to waste time making extra trips when someone asks for one! I’m assuming the other 57 counties (I think) don’t have a problem with people working on their cars! What’s up Sacramento county?
My residence has a TIG welder, gas axe, milling machine, metal lathe, air compressor, vacuum pump, cyclone separator, endoscope, IR camera, portable water pump, etc.
It laughable.....I dont consider myself a professional yet have 100k in tools even full diagnostic equipment. They'd shit if they would have used my street as a model.
Yep! And HOAs should be banned. I refuse to pay what amounts to another tax, to what amounts to a mini-government, for some overzealous jackass to tell me what I can and can't do with my home. I paid for the property, what I do with it (within reason of course) is not their business.
@@davidwarford3087 Maybe the first group do. In some cases, the builders form it. But either way, once one exists, they are (like herpes) nearly impossible to get rid of. In many cases, there is a note on the deed for each property or some other common concerns (like shared utilities) which make membership necessary in order to own the property. So the only way to avoid it, is to not buy the property. So maybe "illegal" is too strong of a word. Maybe the existence of an HOA should be "Conspicuously Advertised" on the front page of a property listing along with a detailed list of the fines and actions taken against residents. So that any potential buyer is made aware of the horse shit which may fly in their direction, before they look at the shiny granite countertops. I mean, if HOA activities are in the residents best interest, why not explicitly advertise them?
I lived in Sacramento for 5 years. I had a 69 Chevelle as my daily driver. I got out of there in the spring of 98. While I was there I changed the transmission in the driveway, and did my tuneups as well. I also got attempted car jacked, let a woman use my cordless phone to give her last dying words to her mother, had my car parts stolen, gas siphoned, two separate car theft attempts, and a drunk parolee blow a stop sign and t boned him in the Chevelle. I could go on. I’m back in my home state of Minnesota. I have to deal with long winters, but none of the insanity of Sacramento!
You're absolutely right. Greetings from Montreal! And yes, I do major repairs, e.g. timing belt, transmission swap, exhaust, I changed gears in a transmission. Controlled society, that's where we're going. It's sad seeing those coming from America, initially raised by people looking for freedom...
It's not about right or wrong but about getting control established. Pretty much is in effect laws of precedent . Not sure your being a ' certified ' mechanic or not . I am but how this ' law ' is telling you the owner regardless of ability you just have lost your Rights concerning your possessions .
This is all about a power grab, trying to force everyone to pay dealerships to work on their car(s) and putting the small, private shops out of business under the guise of political correctness. They'd love me though... - Pontiac forced me to purchase their "Special Water Pump Wrench" (I doubt anyone within 100 miles of me probably has that thing 😄)... - I manufactured a custom tool to hold the engine when I pull the transmission off of the back of it on my Subaru... - I spent three (3) months diagnosing / fixing an engine that had no heat during the winter, only to find out the coolant system was missing its thermostat. Once that was fixed, it developed a water leak which required the water pump to be replaced. After that the engine refused to turn over, even though the timing was correct, which was due to a ground off camshaft lobe on #4 cylinder. That car (1990 Pontiac) still runs to this day after spending $1000 in parts (though it sits now because it needs the engine rebuilt - compression's too low). - I bet 75% of my tools most people don't have and I'm just a shade tree mechanic! Tell those Silicone Valley politicians to pull the silicone implants out of their heads (and elsewhere), unless they want to quadruple my pay (before I'll even consider doing that). Nevermind that my cars run longer than most people's to begin with... Who the hell are they to tell me what I can / can't do? As if it's a malicious act to maintain / repair my car rather than working my arse off to line their pockets? F them! 🙄🖕
What is more interesting is that it is also establishing a definition of "home tools"...Hmmm. Home should not have X tool. That is tyrany breathing on your neck.
@@addiumuppicus5738 It's to stop some people who open up shop in the driveway. They can't say these are my cars everyday. This 50 gallon drum of used oil is for my use officer won't cut it. In Florida they say it's law that you can't change your own oil. Still do but it's so you can't run a shop in your driveway. Who want's that? Many foreigners in California who would pour the oil in the ground.
That kind of law should be held in contempt. A homeowner should be able to do anything they like within the privacy of their own property. I do hope there is a legal challenge.
I always assumed that the car Police had red and blue lights on them. There's far too many variables in that law to do anything but tie up the court system. " John, you were found flushing your radiator on a sunny Sunday afternoon. How do you plead ? " John: " Insanity, your Honor. I had to have been insane to have moved here. "
Gear pullers, pitman arm fork, ball joint tools, timing light, dwell meter, impact wrench, torque wrenches, brake tools, several wrench sets, several socket sets, feeler gauges, ignition wrenches, AC recharge tools, clutch pilot tools, jacks, stands, wheel chocks, on and on.... Lots of tools normally found in my garage and I'm an IT guy(and a gearhead).
tools in my residence : every handheld tool made in the last 40 years, every handheld power tool made in the last 20, table saw, drill press, cabinet saw, welding kit, rebar equipment, car lift(s), drive up and on car platform, bobcat with accessories, tractor with accessories, tire remount unit, power pain sprayer, power planer, air compressors, generators, ...
I spent 2 years doing a frame up rebuild on a Jeep in my carport. Neighbors would come by once in a while to check on the progress. Now I have a workshop in the back with a lift. I find it funny that the only polluting liquids that you might deal with on a major work are the same that you would get with doing minor work that they list.
Sounds like criminalizing poverty to me tbh. 90% of the repairs I've had to learn how to do myself were because I couldn't afford to take it to mechanic and couldn't afford to miss work.
This is one of the effects, yes. And reduced cost is the primary reason to do self repairs. The others being that you can verify the quality of the work, gain the knowledge to perform preventative diagnostics, etc. Drivers being self sufficient is safer, less polluting (because making a new car creates far more pollution than driving the old one) and also leads to drivers with a better understanding of how to drive safely and the limitations of their vehicles. I don't understand how this fear mongering works on people, convincing them it's safest to let some stranger at some place with a sign be responsible for everyone else's safety, without us having any way to actually verify if he knows more or performs more thorough work than any other random person. If people think that every certified mechanic knows what they're doing.. Ask them where they work. "Oh, you work in insurance.. So all your coworkers are rational, honest people who do legitimate work you'd trust your life with?" Of course, almost every person who isn't a liar has to answer "Hell no." I can either play the odds and hope I'm not the edge case who gets cheated for a high premium, or save money and be CERTAIN it was done right. The only question is whether I have the time, resources or desire to learn and implement what I've learned. Given those considerations all turn up true, it's a no brainer: DO IT YOURSELF.
I am not sure what they mean by tools commonly found at a residence but look at it this way. Tools such as air tools, compressor, torque wrench, ratchet sets and accessories, oil filter wrenches, sandblaster, grinder, etc are commonly found at my residence and they always will.
A number of years ago a city inspector told me I had to get rid of an old classic car I had behind my garage. I told him it wasn't a car anymore, it was now a mobile storage container. He shook his head and walked away. I never heard another word about it.
Hmmm... but according to the Sacramento County building permit website, I can paint my whole house in Sacramento without a permit. I guess if you put the paint on a house rather than a car it magically removes all of those nasty "chemicals" that are hurting people. No, this just has to do with car regulation (or should I say over-regulation) in California. Great video Steve, thanks.
Can the farmer in the "agricultural area" repair his tractor? His hay truck? Agriculture requires frequent mechanical repair of many types of vehicles.
I live in the county next door. Every time I see a prop 65 warning I want to go the the statehouse and put up a banner that says "prop 65.5 warning - People inside this building are a cancer".
If a government says you can no longer repair your own car, I would assume that the government would now be responsible to cover the cost of your repairs.
Excellent video. I'm a mechanic and it's great to see someone who not only knows about the law but also about car maintenance. I'm becoming addicted to this channel.
A strap wrench is commonly used for removing tight lids on jars and other things but can easily be used to remove an oil filter if it has been put on more than hand tight. This is definitely a tool that is found in many homes.
It’s ok to rebuild your engine and transmission as long as you do it with a hammer, screwdriver and pliers. I was blown away when I heard about this law until I saw it was in California. Just today I was at autozone and saw a bin of universal extensions at the counter that had a sticker that read they are made of materials that may cause cancer. They were solid steel! WTF? Prop65.
Sacramento County would *HATE* my residence, and the tools in my garage... 35g air compressor, lathe, mill, drill press, band saw, table saw, router table, 107lb Mousehole Forge blacksmith anvil, propane 3-burner blacksmith forge, propane smelting/casting furnace, 2 welders on a welding cart, Kendon motorcycle lift (1000lb capacity), engine hoist, engine stand, triple-stack 44" toolbox... Man, that state and it's municipalities are freaking NUTS! I figure the anvil and forge would push those idiots off the deep end!!!
I live in a residence. Every tool I own is _normally_ found in my residence. Therefore, every tool I own is normally found in _a_ residence (specifically mine).
You're next. They will be coming to confiscate your tools soon so that you can't commit the unspeakable act of checking your tire pressure or something and you may not a "certified mechanic".
@9:25, when a can says "this product contains chemicals known to the state of California to cause cancer in humans", my first thought is boy, I'm glad I dont live in California. No risk of cancer here!
Circa 1985 in Arlington, Va, I had pulled over in a nice neighborhood after dropping someone off to investigate a noise my 72 Dart was making (a plug wire had come off of the cap). An officer stopped and asked if I needed help and told me I was not allowed to work on my own car and would call for a service vehicle/mechanic. I explained to him I had fixed the issue and was ready to go. He then told me the residents of that area were not allowed to work on their own vehicles and a hood being up could result in a citation (mobile service excluded). Big stately homes and most of them I saw did not appear to have garages. As for the ag thing, every farm I grew up around had a repair shop/area. Hard to comprehend for this small town upstate NY kid working as a mechanic.
A person has a car with a leaking radiator, and it takes 1/2 gallon to top it off every 4 months. And, a leaking valve cover gasket which leaks 1 qt oil every 2 months. The owner cannot afford big bux a shop would charge, but a friend can resolve the issues for a reasonable cost, but cannot due to the law. Sooooo, the owner of the car is leaking chemicals all over town. (scratching my head) This makes sense HOW?
The State laws aren't really well thought through. I got cited for taking 21 tires (that were illegally dumped on my farm) down to the legal disposal facility. If I would have only taken 7 tires per trip, it would have been legal for me to transport them. It was the California Air Qauloty Board that cited me (based on the trash transfer stations reporting me).
Back in 1993,I was caught up with this in Illinois. My moms the greatest!! I grew up on a racetrack. Blew my engine 1 night. Pulled it, rebuilt it and went to school the next day. Law came to the house while I was in school and my mom said " do you see a broken car in the driveway, if not why are you here?" Lol
The ban in agricultural areas is ludicrous. Almost all farm equipment can be repaired on site, by definition any vehicles owned by a farm is farm equipment.
This is an incredibly ludicrous law. I have $40,000 worth of tools at my residence and I can and will do everything from any automotive system and I have the tools for it, INCLUDING lathe and other machine work. I have never been a professional mechanic, I am retired but have 57 years of experience working on vehicles of many types and I WILL do what I have to do to keep my families vehicles in running condition! As for having a vehicle that is not in running condition for more than 24 hours is so insane I have no words.
I'm also extremely concerned how they included property zoned as agriculture in this because farmer need to work on their equipment to be able to keep up with the demands/breakdowns to be able to product the food we eat.
As a Californian, I am ashamed. I spent my youth working on and restoring cars with my friends and find the idea of outlawing such an enjoyable and productive activity detestable.
They’re worried about home values. As a realtor I would use the sight of home mechanics as added value of the neighborhood. “Your neighbors can help you and save you thousands of dollars”
right and there needs to be some standards, especially in towns where the property/tax values are higher. Before they had these laws, someone in my town turned his property into a junk yard (old washing machines/vehicles and all kinds of other junk just sat all over his property)...for over 10 years, nothing was done. this was a property that was very visible, near a town park where you had many cars coming and going.
My entire family, regardless of their actual profession, grew up as hobbyist machinists, welders, mechanics and carpenters. Like a typical farm family, but a bit more excessive. Our neighbors typically love us. Shop wants $3,500 and 7 days? Dude, gimme 3 hours and $40 and I can get you to work on time. Same for roofs, basement leaks, plumbing, servers, or anything else. I grew up in an extremely pragmatic family. Our neighbors love us. Leaving a car parked for 3 days during a frame weld is a bit ugly, sure.. But also a learning experience because your kids can come over and I'll explain to them how it all works while I'm doing the work. Only one neighbor doesn't like us. Know why? He lost the bid on the property, wants to do anything possible to get us out so he can expand his current lot. Problem is, I fixed the city's work truck when it lost a CV axle on the horrible road in front of my house: Normally they wouldn't accept a resident's help, but this was during that blizzard last year that took out half the state, so they were grateful for anyone who could get the truck moving again in a timely manner, and the only issue was an improperly seated C-Clip, which I have a whole box of on a shelf so I just have to change that out and reinsert the axle to the transmission and they were good to go. Took less than an hour, since the truck sat high enough I didn't need to jack it up except for the last part of sliding the axle in for all of 30 seconds.. So they're not in any hurry to fine me if I make small technical mistakes. That, and this house was about to be condemned before I started fixing it up. It's certainly not the prettiest house, but in 3 years it's value went from $12,000 to $43,000... So if anything, my constant work is improving property value at a rate incomparable to most who would've chosen a property like this one.
I noticed that you mentioned agricultural zones in the list of zoning locations that this law applies. So, does that mean the farmers can't work on their farm equipment either?
What about a Prius when the mechanical skills are rudimentary if you need to replace the battery where the 29 or 30 cells may have some juice in them. When you come right down to it, an after market battery will cost about $1500. Chris Fix did a great video where he bought a Prius with a dead, dead, and dead battery for about $2000 or $2500. No neighborhood-destroying juices and a car that he could sell for $6000 to $8000 or get 50,000 or more miles for a $4000 investment. He put the new battery and plastic parts back in for what appeared to be 4 or 5 hours and it hummed away. It hit the road with no more noise than you get from your LED flashlight on high beam. I love your analyses . Keep up the great work.
If you can't work on your own car, why don't they say that you can't work on your own house, or cut your own grass, or enjoy anything that is yours. It makes no sense to call citizens, criminals if they are working on their own car on their own property.
Isn't there something inherently unconstitutional about legislating what people may or may not do on their own property or in their own home? I would have to think so
No. You can’t manufacture methamphetamines, build bombs, dump hazardous chemicals down the drain, etc. on your own property. This ordinance is completely idiotic, but your point is also quite false.
@@danlewis6157 those are all inherently illegal activities. They are illegal no matter when or where you do them. Working on your car is not only not inherently illegal, but is a necessity.
I am 65 years old and have through the years I have gathered and inherited a large number of tools. I feel like a normal person in rural America and am an apt DIY person. I read study and learn. Very considerate of others and my surroundings. What is normal? A young person probably won’t have the tools I have, my grandson asked me how I got all the tools I have. My answer, “Time, money and a Father who instilled within me a strong work ethic and also left me some wonderful tools, in which I have added to through my own years.” That is the normal way among those I know. I will leave my tools to my grandsons if they want them-that is normal. I live in rural America because I enjoy the freedom to live on my own property. You got it🎯-such laws are stupid.😎
I can't understand how anyone of a certain age doesn't have many of the tools he named. My surprise would be to not find them on the bulk of properties in the area I reside. These tools are falling off the shelves at Lowes, Home Depot, Harbor Freight, and on and on.
I live in Sacramento County and I had no idea this was a law. I’ve done all kinds of repairs here and my neighbor runs a business in his driveway repairing cars. They don’t enforce this law but they sure felt good writing it .
They will enforce it as soon as they want to convict you of something. Like most of these obscure meaningless laws, when you piss off the wrong people they can throw all kinds of legal violations at you that they need not enforce for anyone else.
Surely you remember the exercise in law school where you were asked to draft a law that your class-mates would pick apart. This statute, while it seems clearly intended to prevent people turning private residences into repair shops, seems very inartfully drafted Perhaps they went to Pepperdine
A vaguely written law benefits those that the law was written to impact. The fact the law is so vague it would never be able to fully implemented. I don't have a garage so a lot of my work is done right in my driveway. A major repair to you might be a minor repair to me. Just today I had to swap some tires around due to a flat. I own jacks, battery impacts, breaker bars, ratchets, sockets, wrenches, screw drivers, nut drivers, pry bars, die grinders, DA sanders, air hammers, mini sledges, etc, etc, etc. If I don't own a tool and need it I go buy it. Those tools are normally found in MY home, so I could argue that I am not affected by the law.
I am sure the county had a gooood lawyer write this up before they passed this. I worked for a company that had cooling towers to cool water down. Took my grandson by the place one day when he was about 8 and he said look at all the polution that they are putting in the air, another day taking him to school we past by some timber land that had been planted in pine trees some 30 years before and he says look at them destroying the envireonmant by cutting down those trees.I had to have a talk with him both times to correct what he was taught in school each time. Steam off of a colling tower is water evaperating removing heat from the water, where do you think lumber comes from to build houses, somebudy has to plant the trees and take care of them for lumber.
There are even oil filter sockets for a specially designed filter housing. What if you broke a bolt, now you need a drill, and tap and die set. Are those typical homeowner tools? How about allen keys? Multimeter? What about zip ties?
Indeed. I'm a 64yo lady and own a variety of tools-- for instance, 2 diff filter wrenches, which I now use to open jars-- and bought at WalMart. HOA's are Overboard on this one.
My Hyundai Sonata has a 4cyl engine and I can replace the spark plugs in about 15 minutes. Minor repair, right? My daughters Hyundai Sonata has a V-6 engine requiring partial disassembly of the intake manifold to access the back 3 spark plugs. Major repair?
It's all about taking older and reliable cars off the roads and make people buy new, modern cars. Modern cars are designed to be put to a car dealer, even for some breake pads, cause you can't do it anymore. They need to be calibrated and the electromic "brain" has to be reset... You also need some special tools to change the spark plugs (if you're able to find them). The list goes on and on. Fix it as long as it runs!!!
I guarantee that there is a Sacramento county commissioner with a grudge against a neighbor who repairs autos in his driveway. I promise you that is the case.
I read this and imagined a Cali comissioner having brunch on the patio. Spilling his mimosa all over himself when he suddenly hears Karl Childer's yell "it aint got no gas innit!" The final straw.
“One has not only a legal, but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.
I guarantee this law was written due to guys like my buddy who maintains a JUNKYARD in his front yard, takes up every parking spot on the street, and thoroughly frustrates his neighbors. Too bad the lawmakers are so stupid that they make a net that kills every fish in the ocean, vs crafting a net that singles out the prey fish.
I agree with this sentiment. Where I live, the ordinance prohibits nonrunning vehicles stored outside of a carport/garage. Generally this isn’t enforced- I have a clearly in-progress project in my driveway and never bothered. However two others in the neighborhood got dinged- one has five half-parted out trucks in his yard and the other put up a out-of-code tarp/PVC pipe “shed” up and called it a carport. So “spirit of the law” here results in me being allowed to do major work yet keep the neighborhood from being a dump. However, California’s new law sounds much more restrictive to even basic work…
Isn't it wonderful when laws are passed that can't possibly be enforced consistently, but are just there to do add-on charges or harass people who don't have the means to fight it in court?
I suspect the automotive repair industry would have more to do with laws like this than HOA types. They want to protect their business from shade tree mechanic competition.
Probably the same local officials who don't want work vans/trucks parked in their towns. God forbid people think their residents work for a living. That would drag down home values. /sarcasm
Interesting that "agricultural" zones are included: How di they think farm equipment is maintained: They don't drive them ti Juffylube. Given your example of the crank repair: Once the engine is out of the car it is no longer a vehicle so it is no longer a problem (Written in non-existent but badly needed Sarcasm font)
Thank you for having the common sense and courage to discuss who should and should not be making laws. Florida gated community HOA's are notorious for this kind of stuff, all based on the questionable presumption that seeing somebody honorably stewarding their 2nd largest investment by properly maintaining their car somehow lowers the property value of everybody else's home.
They would fall over seeing the garage here. I'm a retired ASE Master Auto Tech. With a Advance Level Engine Performance Systems Specialist Certification. I would dare them to tell me I can't work on my own car. Inside or outside. I have roughly $80.000 of tools. To me that's my normal tools in home. LOL Thanks for the awesome videos.
Years ago I had a contract to buy a house in Flossmore Illinois.The next day after I submitted the contract I found out they had a law that you could not park a pickup truck on your property.Since I owned a pickup I called the agent and told them the deal is off.Some one brought a lawsuit against that town and that stupid law was changed.
Most statues governing what you can do at your home are usually lobbied by local industry in said business. This could be construction, gardening, painting and auto care.
Very true. Do you know what it's called when business gets the government to enforce their monopoly? It's called f_scism. (I can't even type the word with all the letters without being cens_red. )
Wrong. A contractor performing a service for a paying customer wouldn't classify as a person working on their own vehicle at their own residence. Besides the contractor is a trained professional usually wearing a uniform and getting paid to fix your car. You see..that's a paid for service being performed and people who pass laws love money! As long as they see the little white vans with guys in uniforms, with company names and advertising all over them, you could probably form your own militia and print some made up service name on the vans and the people who wrote or enforce the law wouldn't give it a second look to see what your actually doing. If they had a company called Mobile Engine Rebuilds, you could hire them to rebuild your engine in your driveway and no one would say a word because your not working on your own car at your own house. Your paying someone to do it. That's money changing hands and that's something they love to see. The rich who write these laws love to pay for service for everything because they can afford it! That's just how it works. Jpol.
What is a major repair? Anything that is not a minor repair. Oh, thank God these people are here to explain these complicated issues to us! Somebody give that genius lawmaker an award!
Sacramento overengineers the law so much that I can't have my dog on a tether in my own front yard longer than it takes to complete minor tasks. So if I want to replant my garden or fix a fence, I can't have my dog with me. I can see how they are trying to address animal abuse, but telling a moral and ethical dog owner to keep the dog in the house or backyard while working in the front yard is ludicrous. I train dogs... I was in my front yard training my puppy. With my other two dogs on their tethers. And was issued a warning from animal control!!!!! Welcome to Sacramento County. 15 miles up the road in Folsom, we received warnings because our ski boat sat in my driveway for 3 days. Well kept yard, clean boat.... But we can't come home from a day on the water and park my boat in my driveway until we head out next weekend. Park my new car in front of my house? Better move it. Let it sit for 3 days, get a citation or towed. Sick in bed, big deal. Away for a long weekend, tough. Don't park in front of your house. Dogs? You can have 3. We have 2 service dogs. Can only have one more. Have 3 dogs, need a service dog... Gotta get rid of a dog. Sacramento is so overregulated. Good intentions, buttheads passing the laws. No different than the law Steve discusses here. Sacramento is ridiculous.
I'm sorry to tell everyone this, but this has been happening everywhere for a long time. I've lived in several places...I'm a mechanic....where I couldn't work on my car and certainly not anyone else's. And, whenever something is vague in a law, it's for their benefit, not yours. It's not so you can use it as a loophole, it's so they can throw you under the bus for something not specifically mentioned in the law. 😡😡😡
What about changing the thermostat? On my Audi Quattro, you have to replace the entire housing (Which is plastic-ughh), which requires the removal of the fuel rail & injectors, upper coolant pipe, various vacuum hoses and the throttle body and intake manifold. So draining the coolant is necessary. However I have all the tools I need, being employed in maintenance and tool and die, and back in the day, I took 4 years of automotive repair, where my last class, you had to tear apart and rebuild an engine, and get it running to pass the course. So I have the gear to catch and handle any of the chemicals.
Geez, Sacramento county's council's heads would collectively EXPLODE if they ever saw my house, garages and shop. I probably have $50,000 worth of TOOLS alone. LMAO
As a woman who can work on her own cars occasionally, I have all the tools mentioned and more. I guess I broke the law when I recharged the A/C on my Firebird? Wow. I live in an HOA in Sac County and yes, I get harassed, like leaving boxes on my porch for UPS pick up! Just another day...by the time I get a notice it's handled. They need to get over themselves. We are just trying to get by the best we can without bothering anyone.
Years ago we lived in a neighborhood where (we were unaware) NO vehicle maintenance was allowed where it could be observed from the street. Our neighbor called the police while I was in the process of replacing the brake pads on one of our cars on our driveway, but by the time the police arrived the job had been completed. I was issued a warning and they left. About a week or so later I called the police to report that the neighbor who had called them on me was performing maintenance on his car within view of the street. When they arrived they asked what the problem was, and I pointed out that he was washing his cars on his driveway. They seemed confused until I pointed out that he was performing vehicle maintenance. They issued him a warning and he never spoke to me again. Stupid laws.
Also, busybody neighbor. The busybody is one step below a Nazi.
That offered you the great benefit of teaching your neighbor to mind their own business and the big plus of them not talking to you again. I had a boss fire me because the job required be to park on the grass. When I pulled back onto the rode the curb was so high it set off the motion detector in the spy camera. I hurried to catch up to the other 10 trucks in our group and he said I had "wound out the engine". He knew little about our job and the trucks all had RPM limiters to prevent over revving the engine. Well he fired me. So I kept checking the online court records and a year later he showed up. He got a ticket for speeding in a company vehicle (I recall it was outside our service area and during working hours). We are required to report traffic violations and I figured he had not. So I printed out the court record and mailed it to the regional VP. Two weeks later he was gone. Karma
Time to move.
@@brucedeville9053 We did!
Bad neighbor. Who needs to talk to him.
I propose we use Jay Leno's house as the standard of what tools are normally found in a residence.
You have my vote for 2020, should you decide to run as President of USA.
Might as well get rid of all in-house mechanics, from trucking businesses to law enforcement!
You don’t need to replace minor car parts, you need to replace minor politicians
Wowo some minor politicians have very good laws there should be a Balance
How about "all of them in power right now"?
So tell me this why dis Mr. Trump signed Civil forfeiture. I think he was sorounded by nit so good people.
True
@@citizenfriendly3845 Trump Signs New Law To Protect Innocent Small Business Owners From IRS Seizures
For the first time in nearly 20 years, Congress has reined in civil forfeiture, which lets the federal government permanently confiscate property without ever filing criminal charges. Following unanimous approval by Congress, President Donald Trump last week signed the Taxpayer First Act (H.R. 3151), an overhaul of the Internal Revenue Service that includes the Clyde-Hirsch-Sowers RESPECT Act. Named after Institute for Justice clients Jeff Hirsch and Randy Sowers, two small-business owners who had their bank accounts raided by the IRS, the RESPECT Act curbs the IRS’s power to seize cash for “structuring” offenses.
As a retired mechanic and auto parts salesmen I know many people with automotive tools at their home. I still have all my tools and more since I quit working on car’s for a living 30 years ago. These stupid laws is why we left CA 2 years ago. Love living in a state and city where nobody bothers you.
My teenage niece built an airplane in her driveway. In Sacramento county. A neighbor complained and told the officer "there's laws against working on vehicles in your yard." The officer told the neighbor, "really? I work on my car all the time. And that's a classic Piper Cub, not really a vehicle under California vehicle code. There's nothing I can cite her for."
A J-3! Now I am jealous. Maybe that was the neighbor's problem!
good Cop, but I'm sure there are some bad cop assholes who'll write the citation.
Good job niece!
“Common sense has become so rare that it could be classified as a super power.” - some tee shirt I saw years ago.
Look if you're gonna come out here with great zingers like this, I've just _gotta_ see what you say in other sections around here! Thanks for the giggles.🤗🇨🇦
I need that t-shirt. Great comment by the way.
The common sense is often a disaster.
We have a concertive government, the result of the common sense.
It’s a DISASTER.
I already know I'm a superhero. Well, more likely a supervillain. Because common sense in today's world is offensive and even criminal, but no less super.
So now I get to smuggle oil filter wrenches along with plastic straws into California.
Only Northern California, My cartel controls oil filter wrenches and plastic straws in Southern California, and if you move in on our turf we will go to war ( and kill many innocents in the crossfire).
Lol, as a bartender in California, I hate the straw law! Certain drinks NEED a straw: Bloody Mary, anything blended, ice tea, etc.
you can still use them, but you have to request one. So it just forces bartenders to waste time making extra trips when someone asks for one!
I’m assuming the other 57 counties (I think) don’t have a problem with people working on their cars! What’s up Sacramento county?
@@boataxe4605 🤣😭
My residence has a TIG welder, gas axe, milling machine, metal lathe, air compressor, vacuum pump, cyclone separator, endoscope, IR camera, portable water pump, etc.
Almost every blue collar guy I know has filter wrenches, torque wrenches, tire plug kits, etc.
You mean real Americans? I know hot women who wrench on their own shit !
It laughable.....I dont consider myself a professional yet have 100k in tools even full diagnostic equipment. They'd shit if they would have used my street as a model.
trying to turn the entire county into an HOA!
Yep! And HOAs should be banned. I refuse to pay what amounts to another tax, to what amounts to a mini-government, for some overzealous jackass to tell me what I can and can't do with my home. I paid for the property, what I do with it (within reason of course) is not their business.
@@greentland Home owners are the people that initially form HOAs though
@@davidwarford3087 Maybe the first group do. In some cases, the builders form it. But either way, once one exists, they are (like herpes) nearly impossible to get rid of. In many cases, there is a note on the deed for each property or some other common concerns (like shared utilities) which make membership necessary in order to own the property. So the only way to avoid it, is to not buy the property. So maybe "illegal" is too strong of a word. Maybe the existence of an HOA should be "Conspicuously Advertised" on the front page of a property listing along with a detailed list of the fines and actions taken against residents. So that any potential buyer is made aware of the horse shit which may fly in their direction, before they look at the shiny granite countertops. I mean, if HOA activities are in the residents best interest, why not explicitly advertise them?
“If you don’t understand cars, don’t write laws about cars.” I’ve been saying the same thing about gun laws for years.
Dude great insight...
@Frank Heuvelman Everyone in the United States should have unfettered access to firearms...
@Frank Heuvelman Ooh, I guess you put me in my place...
@Frank Heuvelman 😕 please word so I can understand you...
@@richardwhite3177 we need more people to stand up and defend the constitution
Once I close the door to my garage, I’m pretty much going to do what I want in there.
For now. Let's hope it stays that way.
I lived in Sacramento for 5 years. I had a 69 Chevelle as my daily driver. I got out of there in the spring of 98. While I was there I changed the transmission in the driveway, and did my tuneups as well. I also got attempted car jacked, let a woman use my cordless phone to give her last dying words to her mother, had my car parts stolen, gas siphoned, two separate car theft attempts, and a drunk parolee blow a stop sign and t boned him in the Chevelle. I could go on. I’m back in my home state of Minnesota. I have to deal with long winters, but none of the insanity of Sacramento!
Remember kids Sacramento is a democrat run shit hole
@@steelisthemeal amen brother! Haven’t missed it.
You're absolutely right. Greetings from Montreal! And yes, I do major repairs, e.g. timing belt, transmission swap, exhaust, I changed gears in a transmission. Controlled society, that's where we're going. It's sad seeing those coming from America, initially raised by people looking for freedom...
@@formula112967 I am not aware about such law. Different countries stop liberty in different ways... It's just sad.
Being a mechanic, I'm working on my cars and everything else I own and the government is not going to tell me I can't.
It's not about right or wrong but about getting control established. Pretty much is in effect laws of precedent . Not sure your being a ' certified ' mechanic or not . I am but how this ' law ' is telling you the owner regardless of ability you just have lost your Rights concerning your possessions .
This is all about a power grab, trying to force everyone to pay dealerships to work on their car(s) and putting the small, private shops out of business under the guise of political correctness.
They'd love me though...
- Pontiac forced me to purchase their "Special Water Pump Wrench" (I doubt anyone within 100 miles of me probably has that thing 😄)...
- I manufactured a custom tool to hold the engine when I pull the transmission off of the back of it on my Subaru...
- I spent three (3) months diagnosing / fixing an engine that had no heat during the winter, only to find out the coolant system was missing its thermostat. Once that was fixed, it developed a water leak which required the water pump to be replaced. After that the engine refused to turn over, even though the timing was correct, which was due to a ground off camshaft lobe on #4 cylinder. That car (1990 Pontiac) still runs to this day after spending $1000 in parts (though it sits now because it needs the engine rebuilt - compression's too low).
- I bet 75% of my tools most people don't have and I'm just a shade tree mechanic!
Tell those Silicone Valley politicians to pull the silicone implants out of their heads (and elsewhere), unless they want to quadruple my pay (before I'll even consider doing that). Nevermind that my cars run longer than most people's to begin with...
Who the hell are they to tell me what I can / can't do? As if it's a malicious act to maintain / repair my car rather than working my arse off to line their pockets? F them!
🙄🖕
What is more interesting is that it is also establishing a definition of "home tools"...Hmmm. Home should not have X tool. That is tyrany breathing on your neck.
@@addiumuppicus5738 It's to stop some people who open up shop in the driveway. They can't say these are my cars everyday. This 50 gallon drum of used oil is for my use officer won't cut it. In Florida they say it's law that you can't change your own oil. Still do but it's so you can't run a shop in your driveway. Who want's that? Many foreigners in California who would pour the oil in the ground.
I am not a mechanic, but I will work on anything I want to in my yard.
That kind of law should be held in contempt. A homeowner should be able to do anything they like within the privacy of their own property. I do hope there is a legal challenge.
I always assumed that the car Police had red and blue lights on them. There's far too many variables in that law to do anything but tie up the court system. " John, you were found flushing your radiator on a sunny Sunday afternoon. How do you plead ? " John: " Insanity, your Honor. I had to have been insane to have moved here. "
Scott , would McNaughton agree with your plea? (g)
"It's not an oil filter wrench, officer...it's a jar-lid loosener."
Well done.
How many mechanics do you see complaining about having to use a screw driver to remove said filter by stabbing it?
Gear pullers, pitman arm fork, ball joint tools, timing light, dwell meter, impact wrench, torque wrenches, brake tools, several wrench sets, several socket sets, feeler gauges, ignition wrenches, AC recharge tools, clutch pilot tools, jacks, stands, wheel chocks, on and on.... Lots of tools normally found in my garage and I'm an IT guy(and a gearhead).
tools in my residence : every handheld tool made in the last 40 years, every handheld power tool made in the last 20, table saw, drill press, cabinet saw, welding kit, rebar equipment, car lift(s), drive up and on car platform, bobcat with accessories, tractor with accessories, tire remount unit, power pain sprayer, power planer, air compressors, generators, ...
I would wager to guess that whoever wrote that law has a vested interest in others not being allowed to work on their cars.
It almost sounds like a page out of a HOA
Bingo!
The local auto repair industry must be a powerful lobby.
I spent 2 years doing a frame up rebuild on a Jeep in my carport. Neighbors would come by once in a while to check on the progress. Now I have a workshop in the back with a lift.
I find it funny that the only polluting liquids that you might deal with on a major work are the same that you would get with doing minor work that they list.
Sounds like criminalizing poverty to me tbh. 90% of the repairs I've had to learn how to do myself were because I couldn't afford to take it to mechanic and couldn't afford to miss work.
This is one of the effects, yes. And reduced cost is the primary reason to do self repairs. The others being that you can verify the quality of the work, gain the knowledge to perform preventative diagnostics, etc. Drivers being self sufficient is safer, less polluting (because making a new car creates far more pollution than driving the old one) and also leads to drivers with a better understanding of how to drive safely and the limitations of their vehicles.
I don't understand how this fear mongering works on people, convincing them it's safest to let some stranger at some place with a sign be responsible for everyone else's safety, without us having any way to actually verify if he knows more or performs more thorough work than any other random person.
If people think that every certified mechanic knows what they're doing.. Ask them where they work. "Oh, you work in insurance.. So all your coworkers are rational, honest people who do legitimate work you'd trust your life with?"
Of course, almost every person who isn't a liar has to answer "Hell no."
I can either play the odds and hope I'm not the edge case who gets cheated for a high premium, or save money and be CERTAIN it was done right. The only question is whether I have the time, resources or desire to learn and implement what I've learned. Given those considerations all turn up true, it's a no brainer: DO IT YOURSELF.
_"The more numerous the laws, the more corrupt the government."_
- Publius Tacitus
"tools not normally found in a home" is the most ivory tower mindset I ever heard in a law.
So true!
Yeah what's supposed to mean,it sounds like someone though things not found in my house (not normal people 😂)
I am not sure what they mean by tools commonly found at a residence but look at it this way. Tools such as air tools, compressor, torque wrench, ratchet sets and accessories, oil filter wrenches, sandblaster, grinder, etc are commonly found at my residence and they always will.
same here, as well as multiple power saws, welding machine, power drills, and much more.
A number of years ago a city inspector told me I had to get rid of an old classic car I had behind my garage.
I told him it wasn't a car anymore, it was now a mobile storage container. He shook his head and walked away. I never heard another word about it.
Hmmm... but according to the Sacramento County building permit website, I can paint my whole house in Sacramento without a permit. I guess if you put the paint on a house rather than a car it magically removes all of those nasty "chemicals" that are hurting people. No, this just has to do with car regulation (or should I say over-regulation) in California. Great video Steve, thanks.
Can the farmer in the "agricultural area" repair his tractor? His hay truck? Agriculture requires frequent mechanical repair of many types of vehicles.
Excellent point!
No they cannot these days... It is getting absurd.
Not if John Deere has anything to say about it he can't.
I was wondering the same thing.
I live in the county next door. Every time I see a prop 65 warning I want to go the the statehouse and put up a banner that says "prop 65.5 warning - People inside this building are a cancer".
My property my rules, I have almost every tool available for construction mechanic foundations and farming and guerilla warfare.
If a government says you can no longer repair your own car, I would assume that the government would now be responsible to cover the cost of your repairs.
Exactly!
Just another law to continue the transformation from a free market to a controlled market. Probably brought about due to lobbying by the motor trade.
Excellent video. I'm a mechanic and it's great to see someone who not only knows about the law but also about car maintenance. I'm becoming addicted to this channel.
A strap wrench is commonly used for removing tight lids on jars and other things but can easily be used to remove an oil filter if it has been put on more than hand tight. This is definitely a tool that is found in many homes.
It’s ok to rebuild your engine and transmission as long as you do it with a hammer, screwdriver and pliers.
I was blown away when I heard about this law until I saw it was in California. Just today I was at autozone and saw a bin of universal extensions at the counter that had a sticker that read they are made of materials that may cause cancer. They were solid steel! WTF? Prop65.
Sacramento County would *HATE* my residence, and the tools in my garage... 35g air compressor, lathe, mill, drill press, band saw, table saw, router table, 107lb Mousehole Forge blacksmith anvil, propane 3-burner blacksmith forge, propane smelting/casting furnace, 2 welders on a welding cart, Kendon motorcycle lift (1000lb capacity), engine hoist, engine stand, triple-stack 44" toolbox... Man, that state and it's municipalities are freaking NUTS! I figure the anvil and forge would push those idiots off the deep end!!!
They can take my wrench out of my cold dead hand.
hahahahahaha
I live in a residence. Every tool I own is _normally_ found in my residence. Therefore, every tool I own is normally found in _a_ residence (specifically mine).
You're next. They will be coming to confiscate your tools soon so that you can't commit the unspeakable act of checking your tire pressure or something and you may not a "certified mechanic".
@9:25, when a can says "this product contains chemicals known to the state of California to cause cancer in humans", my first thought is boy, I'm glad I dont live in California. No risk of cancer here!
The purpose of the law is simple. Money. They want you to go to a shop and pay for the work to be done for increase in tax revenue.
Xenia, Ohio has an ordinance like this. We also have 4 auto parts stores. They don't try to enforce it because it can't be enforced.
Circa 1985 in Arlington, Va, I had pulled over in a nice neighborhood after dropping someone off to investigate a noise my 72 Dart was making (a plug wire had come off of the cap). An officer stopped and asked if I needed help and told me I was not allowed to work on my own car and would call for a service vehicle/mechanic. I explained to him I had fixed the issue and was ready to go. He then told me the residents of that area were not allowed to work on their own vehicles and a hood being up could result in a citation (mobile service excluded). Big stately homes and most of them I saw did not appear to have garages. As for the ag thing, every farm I grew up around had a repair shop/area. Hard to comprehend for this small town upstate NY kid working as a mechanic.
A person has a car with a leaking radiator, and it takes 1/2 gallon to top it off every 4 months. And, a leaking valve cover gasket which leaks 1 qt oil every 2 months. The owner cannot afford big bux a shop would charge, but a friend can resolve the issues for a reasonable cost, but cannot due to the law. Sooooo, the owner of the car is leaking chemicals all over town. (scratching my head) This makes sense HOW?
Exactly it's the same as what Steve pointed out about the traffic. This kinda stuff doesn't solve anything. Just creates more more problems.
The State laws aren't really well thought through. I got cited for taking 21 tires (that were illegally dumped on my farm) down to the legal disposal facility. If I would have only taken 7 tires per trip, it would have been legal for me to transport them. It was the California Air Qauloty Board that cited me (based on the trash transfer stations reporting me).
Back in 1993,I was caught up with this in Illinois. My moms the greatest!! I grew up on a racetrack. Blew my engine 1 night. Pulled it, rebuilt it and went to school the next day. Law came to the house while I was in school and my mom said " do you see a broken car in the driveway, if not why are you here?" Lol
The ban in agricultural areas is ludicrous. Almost all farm equipment can be repaired on site, by definition any vehicles owned by a farm is farm equipment.
Common Sense is a flower that does not grow in everyone's Garden
You would hope that the auto parts stores would fight this.
This is an incredibly ludicrous law. I have $40,000 worth of tools at my residence and I can and will do everything from any automotive system and I have the tools for it, INCLUDING lathe and other machine work. I have never been a professional mechanic, I am retired but have 57 years of experience working on vehicles of many types and I WILL do what I have to do to keep my families vehicles in running condition! As for having a vehicle that is not in running condition for more than 24 hours is so insane I have no words.
A lot of what he says applies to guns too.
Politicians write laws on guns, without knowing anything about them.
I'm also extremely concerned how they included property zoned as agriculture in this because farmer need to work on their equipment to be able to keep up with the demands/breakdowns to be able to product the food we eat.
MONEY IS BEHINE THIS
If they cannot lock the farmers out with software, they will get the police to do it.
oh oh oh. John Deere says if you work on your tractor yourself you void the warranty; all work must be done by a certified john deer mechanic.
As a Californian, I am ashamed. I spent my youth working on and restoring cars with my friends and find the idea of outlawing such an enjoyable and productive activity detestable.
They’re worried about home values. As a realtor I would use the sight of home mechanics as added value of the neighborhood. “Your neighbors can help you and save you thousands of dollars”
True
The thing that destroyed home values is the crash of 2008 2009
The economic collapse
The bankers and the politicians destroyed the home values
right and there needs to be some standards, especially in towns where the property/tax values are higher. Before they had these laws, someone in my town turned his property into a junk yard (old washing machines/vehicles and all kinds of other junk just sat all over his property)...for over 10 years, nothing was done. this was a property that was very visible, near a town park where you had many cars coming and going.
My entire family, regardless of their actual profession, grew up as hobbyist machinists, welders, mechanics and carpenters. Like a typical farm family, but a bit more excessive.
Our neighbors typically love us. Shop wants $3,500 and 7 days? Dude, gimme 3 hours and $40 and I can get you to work on time.
Same for roofs, basement leaks, plumbing, servers, or anything else. I grew up in an extremely pragmatic family. Our neighbors love us. Leaving a car parked for 3 days during a frame weld is a bit ugly, sure.. But also a learning experience because your kids can come over and I'll explain to them how it all works while I'm doing the work.
Only one neighbor doesn't like us. Know why? He lost the bid on the property, wants to do anything possible to get us out so he can expand his current lot. Problem is, I fixed the city's work truck when it lost a CV axle on the horrible road in front of my house: Normally they wouldn't accept a resident's help, but this was during that blizzard last year that took out half the state, so they were grateful for anyone who could get the truck moving again in a timely manner, and the only issue was an improperly seated C-Clip, which I have a whole box of on a shelf so I just have to change that out and reinsert the axle to the transmission and they were good to go. Took less than an hour, since the truck sat high enough I didn't need to jack it up except for the last part of sliding the axle in for all of 30 seconds..
So they're not in any hurry to fine me if I make small technical mistakes.
That, and this house was about to be condemned before I started fixing it up. It's certainly not the prettiest house, but in 3 years it's value went from $12,000 to $43,000... So if anything, my constant work is improving property value at a rate incomparable to most who would've chosen a property like this one.
I noticed that you mentioned agricultural zones in the list of zoning locations that this law applies. So, does that mean the farmers can't work on their farm equipment either?
What about a Prius when the mechanical skills are rudimentary if you need to replace the battery where the 29 or 30 cells may have some juice in them. When you come right down to it, an after market battery will cost about $1500. Chris Fix did a great video where he bought a Prius with a dead, dead, and dead battery for about $2000 or $2500. No neighborhood-destroying juices and a car that he could sell for $6000 to $8000 or get 50,000 or more miles for a $4000 investment. He put the new battery and plastic parts back in for what appeared to be 4 or 5 hours and it hummed away. It hit the road with no more noise than you get from your LED flashlight on high beam.
I love your analyses . Keep up the great work.
If you can't work on your own car, why don't they say that you can't work on your own house, or cut your own grass, or enjoy anything that is yours. It makes no sense to call citizens, criminals if they are working on their own car on their own property.
Isn't there something inherently unconstitutional about legislating what people may or may not do on their own property or in their own home? I would have to think so
No. You can’t manufacture methamphetamines, build bombs, dump hazardous chemicals down the drain, etc. on your own property. This ordinance is completely idiotic, but your point is also quite false.
@@danlewis6157 those are all inherently illegal activities. They are illegal no matter when or where you do them. Working on your car is not only not inherently illegal, but is a necessity.
I am 65 years old and have through the years I have gathered and inherited a large number of tools. I feel like a normal person in rural America and am an apt DIY person. I read study and learn. Very considerate of others and my surroundings. What is normal? A young person probably won’t have the tools I have, my grandson asked me how I got all the tools I have. My answer, “Time, money and a Father who instilled within me a strong work ethic and also left me some wonderful tools, in which I have added to through my own years.” That is the normal way among those I know. I will leave my tools to my grandsons if they want them-that is normal. I live in rural America because I enjoy the freedom to live on my own property. You got it🎯-such laws are stupid.😎
I can't understand how anyone of a certain age doesn't have many of the tools he named. My surprise would be to not find them on the bulk of properties in the area I reside. These tools are falling off the shelves at Lowes, Home Depot, Harbor Freight, and on and on.
I live in Sacramento County and I had no idea this was a law. I’ve done all kinds of repairs here and my neighbor runs a business in his driveway repairing cars. They don’t enforce this law but they sure felt good writing it .
They will enforce it as soon as they want to convict you of something. Like most of these obscure meaningless laws, when you piss off the wrong people they can throw all kinds of legal violations at you that they need not enforce for anyone else.
Surely you remember the exercise in law school where you were asked to draft a law that your class-mates would pick apart.
This statute, while it seems clearly intended to prevent people turning private residences into repair shops, seems very inartfully drafted
Perhaps they went to Pepperdine
It's OK to poop in the streets though. Way to go CA.
Ha ha a ha a ha ha ha aaaaa
A vaguely written law benefits those that the law was written to impact. The fact the law is so vague it would never be able to fully implemented. I don't have a garage so a lot of my work is done right in my driveway. A major repair to you might be a minor repair to me. Just today I had to swap some tires around due to a flat. I own jacks, battery impacts, breaker bars, ratchets, sockets, wrenches, screw drivers, nut drivers, pry bars, die grinders, DA sanders, air hammers, mini sledges, etc, etc, etc. If I don't own a tool and need it I go buy it. Those tools are normally found in MY home, so I could argue that I am not affected by the law.
I am sure the county had a gooood lawyer write this up before they passed this. I worked for a company that had cooling towers to cool water down. Took my grandson by the place one day when he was about 8 and he said look at all the polution that they are putting in the air, another day taking him to school we past by some timber land that had been planted in pine trees some 30 years before and he says look at them destroying the envireonmant by cutting down those trees.I had to have a talk with him both times to correct what he was taught in school each time. Steam off of a colling tower is water evaperating removing heat from the water, where do you think lumber comes from to build houses, somebudy has to plant the trees and take care of them for lumber.
This law is about control, not cars. Typical left coast ... or any other left state.
There are even oil filter sockets for a specially designed filter housing. What if you broke a bolt, now you need a drill, and tap and die set. Are those typical homeowner tools? How about allen keys? Multimeter? What about zip ties?
I've got every tool just about made to work on cars and motorcycles. I've got 5 torque wrenches and 4 floor jacks. plus many specialty tools.
I would argue that any tool or device sold in a retail outlet (Autozone, Napa, Harbor Freight, etc) is a "tool normally found in a residence".
Indeed. I'm a 64yo lady and own a variety of tools-- for instance, 2 diff filter wrenches, which I now use to open jars-- and bought at WalMart. HOA's are Overboard on this one.
My Hyundai Sonata has a 4cyl engine and I can replace the spark plugs in about 15 minutes. Minor repair, right? My daughters Hyundai Sonata has a V-6 engine requiring partial disassembly of the intake manifold to access the back 3 spark plugs. Major repair?
I have a torque wrench in my house. Also, I have the other tools you listed as well.
It's all about taking older and reliable cars off the roads and make people buy new, modern cars.
Modern cars are designed to be put to a car dealer, even for some breake pads, cause you can't do it anymore. They need to be calibrated and the electromic "brain" has to be reset... You also need some special tools to change the spark plugs (if you're able to find them). The list goes on and on.
Fix it as long as it runs!!!
I wouldn't buy one of those piece of crap vehicles.
I have all the tools you mentioned and an air compressor, welder, grinders, cherry picker, engine stand and thousands of other tools at my house.
If you live in a tent city downtown can you work on your shopping cart?
yes, as long as you defecate on the sidewalk & drop your needles on the streets.
I guarantee that there is a Sacramento county commissioner with a grudge against a neighbor who repairs autos in his driveway. I promise you that is the case.
I read this and imagined a Cali comissioner having brunch on the patio. Spilling his mimosa all over himself when he suddenly hears Karl Childer's yell "it aint got no gas innit!"
The final straw.
“One has not only a legal, but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.
I guarantee this law was written due to guys like my buddy who maintains a JUNKYARD in his front yard, takes up every parking spot on the street, and thoroughly frustrates his neighbors. Too bad the lawmakers are so stupid that they make a net that kills every fish in the ocean, vs crafting a net that singles out the prey fish.
I agree with this sentiment. Where I live, the ordinance prohibits nonrunning vehicles stored outside of a carport/garage. Generally this isn’t enforced- I have a clearly in-progress project in my driveway and never bothered.
However two others in the neighborhood got dinged- one has five half-parted out trucks in his yard and the other put up a out-of-code tarp/PVC pipe “shed” up and called it a carport.
So “spirit of the law” here results in me being allowed to do major work yet keep the neighborhood from being a dump. However, California’s new law sounds much more restrictive to even basic work…
How many people working at auto part stores just lost their job because the parts store closed up? CA is insane.
Can I bill the people who passed this law for the extra costs forced on me by this law?
Isn't it wonderful when laws are passed that can't possibly be enforced consistently, but are just there to do add-on charges or harass people who don't have the means to fight it in court?
Ammunition for neighbor disputes!
I suspect the automotive repair industry would have more to do with laws like this than HOA types. They want to protect their business from shade tree mechanic competition.
If torque wrenches are outlawed then only outlaws will have torque wrenches
You'll have to pry my torque wrench from my cold dead hands.
Timeless Metal Classics Lol! Use a torque wrench go to jail.
I don't think they'd be able to pry the wrench from your hand as pry bars would be illegal too.
Probably the same local officials who don't want work vans/trucks parked in their towns. God forbid people think their residents work for a living. That would drag down home values. /sarcasm
They will be grateful when their a/c breaks down in 90+ heat and repairman lives next door.
Interesting that "agricultural" zones are included: How di they think farm equipment is maintained: They don't drive them ti Juffylube. Given your example of the crank repair: Once the engine is out of the car it is no longer a vehicle so it is no longer a problem (Written in non-existent but badly needed Sarcasm font)
Thank you for having the common sense and courage to discuss who should and should not be making laws. Florida gated community HOA's are notorious for this kind of stuff, all based on the questionable presumption that seeing somebody honorably stewarding their 2nd largest investment by properly maintaining their car somehow lowers the property value of everybody else's home.
Agricultural? So farmers can't work on their farm equipment?
They would fall over seeing the garage here. I'm a retired ASE Master Auto Tech. With a Advance Level Engine Performance Systems Specialist Certification. I would dare them to tell me I can't work on my own car. Inside or outside. I have roughly $80.000 of tools. To me that's my normal tools in home. LOL Thanks for the awesome videos.
yup! me too!
"If you don't know about cars you shouldn't be writing laws about cars"... Tell that to the people writing computer or internet laws 🤣
That DMCA yo
Years ago I had a contract to buy a house in Flossmore Illinois.The next day after I submitted the contract I found out they had a law that you could not park a pickup truck on your property.Since I owned a pickup I called the agent and told them the deal is off.Some one brought a lawsuit against that town and that stupid law was changed.
Most statues governing what you can do at your home are usually lobbied by local industry in said business. This could be construction, gardening, painting and auto care.
Very true. Do you know what it's called when business gets the government to enforce their monopoly? It's called f_scism. (I can't even type the word with all the letters without being cens_red. )
I guess the guys who do mobile windshield repair/replacement are screwed.
Wrong. A contractor performing a service for a paying customer wouldn't classify as a person working on their own vehicle at their own residence. Besides the contractor is a trained professional usually wearing a uniform and getting paid to fix your car. You see..that's a paid for service being performed and people who pass laws love money! As long as they see the little white vans with guys in uniforms, with company names and advertising all over them, you could probably form your own militia and print some made up service name on the vans and the people who wrote or enforce the law wouldn't give it a second look to see what your actually doing. If they had a company called Mobile Engine Rebuilds, you could hire them to rebuild your engine in your driveway and no one would say a word because your not working on your own car at your own house. Your paying someone to do it. That's money changing hands and that's something they love to see. The rich who write these laws love to pay for service for everything because they can afford it! That's just how it works. Jpol.
There will be secret clubs where people gather to work on their cars under the cover of darkness.
First rule of car club, you don't talk about car club
What is a major repair? Anything that is not a minor repair. Oh, thank God these people are here to explain these complicated issues to us! Somebody give that genius lawmaker an award!
Gosh, I wonder which lobbying group "suggested" that law.
Sacramento overengineers the law so much that I can't have my dog on a tether in my own front yard longer than it takes to complete minor tasks. So if I want to replant my garden or fix a fence, I can't have my dog with me. I can see how they are trying to address animal abuse, but telling a moral and ethical dog owner to keep the dog in the house or backyard while working in the front yard is ludicrous.
I train dogs... I was in my front yard training my puppy. With my other two dogs on their tethers. And was issued a warning from animal control!!!!! Welcome to Sacramento County.
15 miles up the road in Folsom, we received warnings because our ski boat sat in my driveway for 3 days. Well kept yard, clean boat.... But we can't come home from a day on the water and park my boat in my driveway until we head out next weekend.
Park my new car in front of my house? Better move it. Let it sit for 3 days, get a citation or towed. Sick in bed, big deal. Away for a long weekend, tough. Don't park in front of your house.
Dogs? You can have 3. We have 2 service dogs. Can only have one more. Have 3 dogs, need a service dog... Gotta get rid of a dog.
Sacramento is so overregulated. Good intentions, buttheads passing the laws.
No different than the law Steve discusses here. Sacramento is ridiculous.
I'm sorry to tell everyone this, but this has been happening everywhere for a long time. I've lived in several places...I'm a mechanic....where I couldn't work on my car and certainly not anyone else's.
And, whenever something is vague in a law, it's for their benefit, not yours. It's not so you can use it as a loophole, it's so they can throw you under the bus for something not specifically mentioned in the law. 😡😡😡
What about changing the thermostat? On my Audi Quattro, you have to replace the entire housing (Which is plastic-ughh), which requires the removal of the fuel rail & injectors, upper coolant pipe, various vacuum hoses and the throttle body and intake manifold. So draining the coolant is necessary. However I have all the tools I need, being employed in maintenance and tool and die, and back in the day, I took 4 years of automotive repair, where my last class, you had to tear apart and rebuild an engine, and get it running to pass the course. So I have the gear to catch and handle any of the chemicals.
Geez, Sacramento county's council's heads would collectively EXPLODE if they ever saw my house, garages and shop. I probably have $50,000 worth of TOOLS alone. LMAO
Oil changes, Radiator flushes and air/fuel filter replacement are maintenance, not repairs.
One of the major automotive repair franchise had this statute passed
As a woman who can work on her own cars occasionally, I have all the tools mentioned and more. I guess I broke the law when I recharged the A/C on my Firebird? Wow. I live in an HOA in Sac County and yes, I get harassed, like leaving boxes on my porch for UPS pick up! Just another day...by the time I get a notice it's handled. They need to get over themselves. We are just trying to get by the best we can without bothering anyone.