SACRAMENTO - The California Air Resources Board today announced that Autosales, Inc. has agreed to a settlement totaling $599,040 to resolve violations of the California laws related to the sales and marketing of illegal aftermarket performance parts and catalytic converters in California.

Air Resources Board investigators discovered that Autosales advertised and sold a wide range of aftermarket and performance parts that had not been evaluated by ARB and were used to modify the emissions control systems of California vehicles. California law prohibits the advertising, sales and installation of parts that modify the emissions control systems of vehicles unless the manufacturer can demonstrate that they do not also reduce the effectiveness of those controls.

“California law allows marketing and sales of aftermarket performance parts as long as they do not diminish the original emissions reductions capabilities designed into the vehicle,” said ARB Enforcement Chief James Ryden. “In order to protect public health, all aftermarket performance parts must be evaluated by ARB and determined to be legal before they are offered for sale in California.”

California’s anti-tampering laws are an important tool in reducing smog-forming emissions from motor vehicles. These laws allow manufacturers to sell a wide range of aftermarket performance and replacement parts, but only after they undergo an engineering evaluation that ensures that the modifications do not cause excess emissions.

Parts successfully completing this process receive an Executive Order exemption from the ARB that allows their sale and installation on pollution-controlled vehicles. California Law also requires manufacturers and distributors to take steps to ensure that consumers understand the legality of parts offered for sale and discourage illegal modifications to vehicles.

Of the full amount collected under the settlement, $449,280 will be paid to the California Air Pollution Control Fund, which supports efforts to decrease air pollution through education and the adoption of cleaner technologies. The remaining $149,760 of the settlement will be directed to the School Bus and Diesel Emission Reduction Supplemental Environmental Project, which helps fund cleaner school buses in California.

Modified vehicles that no longer meet California's emission requirements pose a significant health threat to California residents. They create higher amounts of smog-forming pollutants, which can then exacerbate respiratory ailments and negatively affect other health conditions such as shortness of breath, headaches, birth defects, cancer or damage to internal organs.