Newbie applying for her Clean Air Sticker

[lesliemesones]

Hi everyone! I can't believe I own a new Prius! I went into test drive one this weekend and walked out the door as a new Prius owner. It was the last new one on the lot so I had to take white. I was not set on getting a new car and I was not planning on a Prius. In any case, I am keeping my fingers crossed that I can get a sticker. I drove to Fastrak this morning to exchange my transponder. Next I will mail in the DMV application but I need to make sure there are NO mistakes. I understand they will send it back if there are and I can't afford to lose time. I need your advice.

1. What should I do about my license number? I hear they are now sending it back unless you have one. My last license took at least 4 months to arrive.
2. How long should I wait for the car dealer to input the information? They said they do it on Monday and Wednesdays. I do not want my paperwork to beat that info to the DMV.
3. Any other tips??? My sanity depends on the sticker and I know that it is a race against time.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

[Sufferin' Prius Envy]

Welcome to PriusChat.

Since you did not place your location in your profile, I will make a bunch of assumptions [don't make us assume . . . place your location in your profile] . . .
. . . I assume you live somewhere in the San Francisco Bay area. Send in your application now. The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) will do the job without a license number. By the time the DMV recieves and opens your application, your dealer will have done their part.

There is a large track record of the DMV accepting the applications without the license number. Besides, if it is now true that you absolutely need the license number on the application, four months is cushion enough for even the DMV to return your application to you.

Enjoy the smug.

[lesliemesones]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Sufferin' Prius Envy @ Apr 18 2006, 12:48 AM) [snapback]241369[/snapback]</div>

Welcome to PriusChat.

Since you did not place your location in your profile, I will make a bunch of assumptions [don't make us assume . . . place your location in your profile] . . .
. . . I assume you live somewhere in the San Francisco Bay area. Send in your application now. The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) will do the job without a license number. By the time the DMV recieves and opens your application, your dealer will have done their part.

There is a large track record of the DMV accepting the applications without the license number. Besides, if it is now true that you absolutely need the license number on the application, four months is cushion enough for even the DMV to return your application to you.

Enjoy the smug.
[/b]

Thank you! I live in Oakland (I added that to my profile). I am going to go ahead and send it in and hope for the best. If they send it back for lack of license plate, I assume they would do that soon. I am also a little anxious about time because I will be on vacation next month. I feel like every day counts when it comes to these stickers. I cross the Bay Bridge every morning and this could save my sanity.

[highroute]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Bolivia @ Apr 17 2006, 10:28 PM) [snapback]241362[/snapback]</div>

I drove to Fastrak this morning to exchange my transponder. Next I will mail in the DMV application but I need to make sure there are NO mistakes. I understand they will send it back if there are and I can't afford to lose time. I need your advice.[/b]

There is already a very large record of information on this subject (applying for California clean air vehicle stickers) in the following forum thread:

http://priuschat.com/latest-of-HOV-sticker...ued-t11396.html

I suggest reading just the most recent two or three pages of that very long thread.

As I read these messages, it appears to me either that DMV is changing its procedures to come to grips with our problem (we can't fill in the plate number for a long time after a purchase of a new car) or that each of us is at the mercy of the whim of the individual clerk who opens our envelopes -- some clerks might hold onto our applications until our plate numbers come up in the system, others might send it back with a request to resubmit when we learn the plate number, and others might actually be "reserving" stickers for people who have submitted incomplete applications.

My own current status is still as shown in post #246 in the thread to which I referred you, above. You will see that several members have posted timelines of their experiences, like mine, and that we have been treated VERY differently for no apparent reason. Note Mr. Nilo's message in post #256: he purchased his car on March 3, the day before I purchased mine, and we both submitted applications with the plate number boxes left blank, yet his application was accepted immediately and mine was sent back to me.

All I can suggest is to use your best judgment. Good luck!

P.S. You might want to show your location as "Oakland CA" or even "Oakland CA USA" (as I do) in your profile. There are many places in the world named "Oakland".