What's required? - Registering a PD4106 in California as a motorhome

[matzeinusa]

Hi there!
I got my coach in Washington back in October and moved it to California where we live.
It's registered in Washington 'til next summer and I got a temporary license in California until end of December.
I have an appointment with the CHP (California Highway Patrol) to get it checked out since the DMV lady couldn't find all the VIN numbers and any odometer and wasn't sure how to register that bus.
I told her that it's registered as a motorhome in WA and that's what I wanted to do in California. She insisted in having it checked out by the CHP.

So, here are the questions: What is the minimum that needs to be in the bus to get it trough the CHP inspections and register it as a motorhome in California?
I was told it needs a bed and a functioning toilet. 
Has someone registered there 1961 GMC as a vintage car? Is there any advantage in that?

We are remodeling the whole bus and I wanted to start demolition before the CHP inspection but I wanted to know what should be in the bus when I show it to them in a few weeks....
Thanks!

[Dave5Cs]

First thing you may want to do is stop calling it a "Bus" because that make them think Commercial. If it was registered as a Motorhome or MH then it should be transfered as the same here if that is what it says on the title. If you went in and told them you wanted to register your "Bus" as a motorhome in California they get this glaze over their eyes and don't know what to do. The CHP will look at a regular DOT inspection as if you were a BUS in Livery and want to see your Commercial insurance and CDL license.
If they look at it as a Motorhome by some strange chance they will want a Brake inspection and see inside a living area that you can sleep in and cook a meal (could be an ice chest and a Microwave or Stove top to cook on) and a working toilet. And see your  regular California Driver's License Class "C". They may want a weight certification also.

Good Luck

[Utahclaimjumper]

 You will also find that your 06 does not have a :vin" number,,it predates the "vin" designations..Look under in the left front bay(in front of the left front wheel) under the drivers seat  and look at the frame for the chassis number (stamped on the frame)for the registration number that has been a matter of record since 1961.>>>Dan  I had my 62 registered there for 15 years as a motorhome)  Contact: westerngmcoach.com for info on the western gm chapter of the FMCA,,we have a dozen or so members that have 06s registered in that state.>>>Dan

[RJ]

NAME?? -

1) Cancel your CHP appointment.  You don't own a commercial bus, you own a 35' diesel pusher motorhome.  You don't want a commercial inspection, all you need is a VIN verification, which can be done by a DMV employee (that's who did mine).

2) Go to a different DMV office, taking the bus and it's WA registration with you (BEFORE you start demolishing the current interior!!), along with your bill of sale and other related paperwork.

3) Tell the DMV technician that you need to transfer your "motorhome's" registration from WA to CA.  As was previously mentioned, DO NOT USE THE WORD "BUS" or you'll be back in the rat hole you already are in.  CA does have a classification as "MH" for motorhome - that's how my MCI is listed on the registration/pink slip.  Always use the words "motorhome", "diesel pusher," or "coach" as you talk about your '06.

4) GMC put the VIN in two different places - on the dash plaque riveted to the dash above the handrail and fire extinguisher door in the entryway, and, as was previously mentioned, inside the exterior compartment underneath the driver on the side of the spare tire well.  My MCI also has a short VIN, and I had to remind the DMV employee who was verifying the number that my coach was built before the mandatory 17-digit VIN program began in 1980 - you probably will have to do the same.  The correct VIN for your coach will be PD4106-XXXX (with the "Xs" representing the last digits of your coach's VIN - which is actually the sequential production number, btw.)  If the dash plaque is missing, you'll have to convince whomever's doing the verification that the one downstairs is the only one that's on this coach.  (I've heard that the VIN is also stamped inside the tunnel in the first baggage bin, but I've never been able to confirm this rumor.)

5) GMC did not provide their buses with odometers until the 1977 FMVSS went into effect.  Since you bus predates 1977, it never had one unless someone replaced the OEM speedometer.  Most bus companies used a hubometer on the RR wheel to track mileage of their units, but even those often got swapped out, sometimes due to tire size changes, sometimes to correspond to the installation of a new powertrain.  So the mileage on your coach is "unknown", unless, of course, you do have a working odometer.

6) If you do get static from the clerk, politely ask to speak to a supervisor.  Continue to be polite, but firm.  Since the coach is already registered as a MH (which is should show on the WA title), there shouldn't be an issue, but if there is, keep escalating your request for a supervisor right up to that particular office's manager if you have to.  If they say you have to get the VIN verified by law enforcement, politely remind them that the DMV is also authorized to verify VINS, so please ask for the individual in the office who's been assigned that task to accompany you outside to complete that requirement.  They may balk, or try to pass it off with some excuses, but again, be polite, but firm and escalate up the supervision ladder.

7) When you do complete the registration, be sure to thank the DMV employees for their help, especially since this was one of the more unusual transactions which required additional steps to complete.

I had to go thru the same hoops when I registered my MCI in CA after buying it in NH.  In my case, the office (Clovis, CA) was very accommodating, and the employee who verified the VIN was so excited to do so, he asked for a tour of the inside - then wanted to know how he could find one for himself and his family!  Had to chuckle at that one!

One other tip - next year handle your renewal either by mail, internet or at a Triple A office!  (Unfortunately you can't initially register an out-of-state vehicle with AAA. . .)   

FWIW & HTH. . .




PS:  Here's a little-known thing you can do when registering a vehicle in CA if you'd like to have it go to another family member should you pass away, without them having to go thru a huge hassle transferring ownership.  Simply add their name to the registration/title under yours with "TOD" in front of their name.  "TOD" means "Time Of Death" and is completely legal and simplifies the ownership transfer immensely.  This was shared with me by a Triple A DMV technician, and he even showed me the place in the internal handbook where the instructions on how to do it were found.  It's one of the things the DMV's done right, but hardly anyone knows anything about it!

Good Luck! 

[matzeinusa]

Ok. Sounds good. Thanks for all the hints.
I let you know what happens...

[pd4501-771]

Hi RJ

You guys have to physically take the bus to the DMV even though it was registered as MH in another state previously? They won't do a simple title transfer with the same designation? I don't get the VIN verification either. Do they waste time verifying every pre-1980 vehicle? Wow I thought things were bad here! Got to love it right. Take care

Tom

[B_K]

Tom, many times a VIN verification is required when transferring from out of state
I've had to do it in IN, KY and AR before and ONCE in TN.

But the time in TN was because I was titling a p/u I bought out of CA.
I asked the lady at the DMV why I needed a VIN verification on this truck but never ever needed one before and she told me it was because it was from CA and there is a lot of stolen vehicles from there shipped out of state and re-titled in other states. ( I didn't necessarily buy what she was telling me, but went along w/it merely to get my truck titled in TN.)
She was also very leery of the fact that I only wanted to transfer the title and not register it.
But since CA made dad register it for a year with our TN address instead of issuing him a "TEMP" tag to drive it home on I insisted on getting my yrs worth out of those CA plates!

OH and I won't get into the story where Cody an I got pulled over in it w/expired CA tags (yes I forgot to transfer)
and Cody just happens to say to me in front of the cop "What couldn't you at least steal an out of state truck with good tags?"
  BK 

[RJ]

You guys have to physically take the bus to the DMV even though it was registered as MH in another state previously?

Californication requires a VIN verification when registering an out-of-state vehicle for the first time. Most DMV offices hand you a form (which you can also download from their site if you know where to look) and tell you to have a police officer inspect/verify the VIN, then make another appointment to continue the process. Oh, and don't forget to get it smogged or you'll be making another trip to the DMV...

In my case, one of my customers is a CHP officer, and he's the one who told me about just taking the coach directly to DMV. They don't really want the word to get out about the fact they can verify VINs, which is the primary reason for handing you a form, thus making it inconvenient for you, not for them...  I also found the form online and filled out as much as I could in advance, which, btw, surprised the clerk, but helped speed up the process... She started to become adamant about having a LEO finish filling out the form until I told her the CHP instructed me to have the DMV do the verification, at which time a supervisor then became involved. It was all quite comical, actually!  But I walked out 20 minutes later with new plates and a "MH" designation on my title.

One other tip: Small rural offices are often a lot easier to deal with than large metropolitan ones!

FWIW & HTH...

[Cary and Don]

Get the form. Don't confuse the ding bats at DMV.

There are people that can do the vin check for you.  Anybody with a resale license in CA can fill out that form. Know where the vin number is located before they show up and point to it for them. LOL If you have a permit you can drive it to them. It cost us $100 for somebody to come out. Well worth the price.

Make sure they mark it as Diesel. Very Important. Ours was and despite all my yelling at the DMV personnel the title came back gas. What a mess. So, even if you are at DMV for three hours, do not leave with their paper work wrong. The old, "They will fix it before sending the title" is bull. Then you have to have it checked again.

If you go to the CHP they can check anything the want to. Like brakes, weight, lights, etc. etc.

Don and Cary

[Iceni John]

Is this form the Form 256 Statement Of Facts?   https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/wcm/connect/5a40cbcc-a9a9-4a42-ac43-a8564fa552c0/reg256.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CONVERT_TO=url&CACHEID=5a40cbcc-a9a9-4a42-ac43-a8564fa552c0   In Section E there is a box for Body Type change.   Or is it a different form that has to be used?

As soon as I have something resembling an interior I'll get my bus, oops, my 40 foot diesel pusher motorhome, re-registered as a Housecar (or whatever California calls RVs) instead of its present Automobile with a Bus body.   I plan on visiting some out-of-the-way DMV office to do this  -  when I first bought it the seller and I went to a small DMV office he knew of near Fresno at 4.45 on a Friday afternoon.   Even after a slight "readjustment" of the original pink slip to make it acceptable to the clerk, I was out of there in ten minutes with my new plates.

John

[pd4501-771]

No VIN verification here in Illinois. (yet anyway).

[matzeinusa]

Haha. Fun stories.
So, go to the DMV website to get the forms and the process. If you can read it's not that difficult to figure out which form you need to fill in.
Also, you don't need a smog check/cert for a 1961 PD4106!

Knowing where the VINs are located and having a satisfactory answer to the missing odometer question are key to success. That's what I didn't know originally and they don't let you get by with "... there is only one VIN on the vehicle..."

Anyway, I was persistent today despite the big fat "Referred to CHP for verification" on the  paperwork. Meaning I reminded the lady politely that they can do the verification and I have figured out where the VINs are since they referred me to CHP.
So, around the office she went... to another desk ... to the managers office and back she came ... got a board and some paperwork and off we went to the Bus (emmm motorhome :-) .
I reminded her that GMC didn't put odometers on my vehicle until 1977...
I didn't have to explain that the VIN is different.
But she wanted to write it as PD4I06... - with an "I"....  
and 10 minutes later I got license plates and tags.
Yay!!!

Thanks to RJ for the script and encouragement!
Will cancel the CHP appointment tomorrow.
Now we can start demolition.
I will be back with more questions.... I am sure.
Matt

[chessie4905]

By the way.... We have COACHES. Busses are YELLOW and haul school kids. My dad drilled that fact into us for years and to anyone that referred his 4104 as a "nice bus".

[Dave5Cs]

Actually Buses are yellow....
If you google it Busses are kisses?....
Just saying
Dave

[matzeinusa]

My coach has yellow stripes!
:-)
Matt