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30+ Years of  Expert Retail Dealer Operations and Manufacturer Experience - Approved Course

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DMV – New Dealer Occupational License Course (CA) 6 Hour Course

Curriculum

  • 11 Sections
  • 106 Lessons
  • 12 Weeks
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  • Section 1: Welcome and Table of Contents & Recent Occupational Licensing Rule Changes and Reminders
    11
    • 1.1
      Welcome
    • 1.2
      1.1 DMV Online Occupational Licensing Portals
    • 1.3
      1.2 Electronic Records
    • 1.4
      1.3 Business Hours / By Appointment Only
    • 1.5
      1.4 Privacy Disclosure Rules
    • 1.6
      1.5 Sales Tax Due to DMV at Time of Transfer
    • 1.7
      1.6 Temporary License Plates (TLP) Attachment Problems and Solutions
    • 1.8
      1.7 Assembly Bill 516 – Online ROS
    • 1.9
      1.8 AB 1274: Smog Exemption Extended to 8 Model Years
    • 1.10
      1.9 Reminders – Changes 2018 and Older
    • 1.11
      Section 1 Quiz
      4 Questions
  • Section 2: Car Buyer's Bill of Rights
    6
    • 2.1
      2.1 The Car Buyer’s Bill of Rights (AB 68)
    • 2.2
      2.2 Vehicle Condition Forms
    • 2.3
      2.3 “Certified” Used Vehicle Advertising Rule under the Car Buyer’s Bill of Rights
    • 2.4
      2.4 Finance Charge Limits between 2% and 2.5%
    • 2.5
      2.5 Bill of Rights Kit
    • 2.6
      Section 2 Quiz: Car Buyer’s Bill of Rights
      6 Questions
  • Section 3: Dealer Bonds, Title and Registration Procedures
    14
    • 3.1
      3.1 $50,000 Dealer Bond
    • 3.2
      3.2 Exceptions: $10,000 Bond
    • 3.3
      3.3 Bond Company Recommendations
    • 3.4
      3.5 E-Mail Alert System
    • 3.5
      3.7 Completing Titles for Transfer
    • 3.6
      3.8 Other Transfer Requirements
    • 3.7
      3.9 Power of Attorney
    • 3.8
      3.10 Registration Fees
    • 3.9
      3.11 Out-of-State Deliveries
    • 3.10
      3.12 Out of Country Sales
    • 3.11
      3.13 Administrative Service Fees (“ASF”)
    • 3.12
      3.14 Reports of Sale
    • 3.13
      3.15 Other DMV Registration and Miscellaneous Forms
    • 3.14
      📂 SECTION 3 Quiz : Dealer Bonds, Title and Registration Procedures
      5 Questions
  • Section 4: Main & Branch Location Requirements, Off-site Displays, Temporary Branches
    5
    • 4.1
      4.1 Location Requirements
    • 4.2
      4.2 Branch Locations
    • 4.3
      4.3 Off-Site Vehicle Displays
    • 4.4
      4.4 Temporary Branch Locations
    • 4.5
      Section 4 Quiz: Main & Branch Location Requirements, Off-site Displays, Temporary Branches
      2 Questions
  • Section 5: Auto Brokers
    8
    • 5.1
      5.1 Auto Broker’s: Endorsement, Log, Agreement
    • 5.2
      5.2 Deposits and Refunds
    • 5.3
      5.3 Trust Account
    • 5.4
      5.4 Brokering Agreement and Fee; Licensed Retail Dealers Only
    • 5.5
      5.5 Advertising INSTRUCTOR SCRIPT: Autobrokers must comply with specific advertising rules. When advertising your brokering services, you must clearly identify yourself as a broker. You cannot advertise in a way that makes consumers believe you are selling vehicles from your own inventory when you’re actually brokering vehicles from other dealers’ inventories. Transparency is the key principle. You cannot advertise a specific vehicle at a specific price unless you have a written agreement with a selling dealer to provide that vehicle at that price. Advertising a vehicle you don’t have and can’t guarantee is misleading. If a customer responds to your ad, comes to your dealership, and you can’t deliver the advertised vehicle at the advertised price, you’ve engaged in deceptive advertising — and potentially bait-and-switch tactics, which we’ll cover in Section 9. All advertising by autobrokers must include your dealer license number and disclose that you are a broker. This applies to all advertising channels — newspaper, online, radio, television, social media, third-party listing sites. If you run an ad that says “2024 Toyota Camry — $28,000” without disclosing that you’re a broker and that the vehicle is at another dealer’s location, that’s a problem.
    • 5.6
      5.6 Consignment
    • 5.7
      5.7 Conditional Sales Contract; Requirements
    • 5.8
      Section 5 Quiz: Auto Brokers
      5 Questions
  • Section 6: Motor Vehicle Financing & Sales and Use Tax
    11
    • 6.1
      6.1 Terms of Financing
    • 6.2
      6.2 Computing Interest Rates
    • 6.3
      6.3 A.P.R.
    • 6.4
      6.4 Computing Monthly Payments
    • 6.5
      6.5 Truth in Lending
    • 6.6
      6.6 Contract Not Executed
    • 6.7
      6.7 Breach of Conditional Sales Contract
    • 6.8
      6.8 Repossession
    • 6.9
      6.9 Foreign Language Contracts
    • 6.10
      6.10 Sales and Use Tax
    • 6.11
      Section 6 Quiz
      5 Questions
  • Section 7: History Disclosure, Odometers & Safety Equipment Vehicle
    12
    • 7.1
      7.1 Condition of Vehicle: Known Damage, Re-manufactured INSTRUCTOR SCRIPT: As a dealer, you have an affirmative obligation to disclose known material facts about the condition of every vehicle you sell. This isn’t just about being honest — though it is that too — it’s a legal requirement. If you know a vehicle has been in a significant accident, has frame damage, has flood damage, has been re-manufactured, or has any other material condition that would affect a reasonable buyer’s decision to purchase, you must disclose it. The key word is “known.” You must disclose what you know. Now, the question becomes: what are you expected to know? As a professional dealer, you are held to a higher standard than a private party seller. You’re expected to conduct reasonable inspections of the vehicles you sell. If a vehicle shows obvious signs of prior damage — mismatched paint, uneven panel gaps, welding marks on structural components — and you didn’t notice because you never looked, a court may find that you “should have known” and treat it the same as actual knowledge. Re-manufactured vehicles — sometimes called rebuilt or reconstructed vehicles — carry specific disclosure obligations. If a vehicle’s title is branded as salvage, rebuilt, or re-manufactured, that brand must be disclosed to the buyer in writing. Simply hoping the buyer notices the brand on the title isn’t sufficient. You must affirmatively disclose it. The disclosure should be on a separate form that the buyer signs, acknowledging that they’ve been informed of the vehicle’s title status. 💡 Real-World Example A dealer purchases a vehicle at auction that looks clean — nice paint, good interior, runs well. The dealer doesn’t run a vehicle history report. The dealer sells it to a customer, who later discovers the vehicle was declared a total loss after a flood in another state. The title was “washed” — the salvage brand was removed when the vehicle was re-titled in a state with less rigorous title branding laws. The customer sues the dealer for failure to disclose. Even though the dealer didn’t know about the flood damage, the court may find the dealer was negligent for failing to run a basic vehicle history check — something a reasonably prudent dealer would do.
    • 7.2
      7.2 Vehicle History Disclosure
    • 7.3
      7.3 Odometers
    • 7.4
      7.4 Duty to Record Mileage
    • 7.5
      7.5 Unlawful Actions
    • 7.6
      7.6 Repossessed Vehicle Odometer Disclosure
    • 7.7
      7.7 Signatures
    • 7.8
      7.8 REG 262 Form (Vehicle/Vessel Transfer Form)
    • 7.9
      7.9 Division 12 Safety Equipment
    • 7.10
      7.10 Leased Vehicles / Wholesale between Dealers
    • 7.11
      7.11 Safety Equipment List
    • 7.12
      Section 7: Quiz
      3 Questions
  • SECTION 8: Smog Rules and Advertising
    11
    • 8.1
      8.1 Smog Requirements and Exceptions
    • 8.2
      8.2 Smog Certificate Duration
    • 8.3
      8.3 Smog Fee
    • 8.4
      8.4 Bureau of Automotive Repair (“BAR”)
    • 8.5
      8.5 Advertising; Definition, Misprints, Rules
    • 8.6
      8.6 Document Preparation Fee
    • 8.7
      8.7 Time Limits
    • 8.8
      8.8 Use of Terms
    • 8.9
      8.9 Cash vs. Credit
    • 8.10
      8.10 Buyers Guide & Foriegn Language Contracts
    • 8.11
      Section 8 Quiz
      5 Questions
  • SECTION 9: Warranties, Dealer Plates and Unlawful Acts
    17
    • 9.1
      9.1 Warranties; “Lemon Law”, 18 months/18,000 miles
    • 9.2
      9.2 Disclosure Statements
    • 9.3
      9.3 Warranty Returns
    • 9.4
      9.4 Implied Warranty of; Merchantability, Fitness
    • 9.5
      9.5 Express Warranty
    • 9.6
      9.6 Dealer Plates/”Special Plates” (use of)
    • 9.7
      9.8 Vehicle Delivery
    • 9.8
      9.7 Trailers
    • 9.9
      9.9 Misuse of Plates; Illegal Uses
    • 9.10
      9.10 Duration/Expiration/Penalty/Display
    • 9.11
      9.11 Lost Plates or Stickers
    • 9.12
      9.12 Tow Dollies
    • 9.13
      9.13 Unlawful Dealer Activities
    • 9.14
      9.14 “Bait and Switch”, “Bird Dog Fees”
    • 9.15
      9.15 Fraud
    • 9.16
      9.16 DMV Enforcement Actions
    • 9.17
      Section 9 Quiz
      4 Questions
  • SECTION 10: Avoid Buying a Stolen Vehicle and Helpful Tips and Advice
    20
    • 10.1
      10.1 Stolen Vehicles & Helpful Tips and Advice
    • 10.2
      10.2 Frequently Asked Questions
    • 10.3
      10.3 Corrections on Report of Sale Forms (REG 51)
    • 10.4
      10.4 “Unwind”, Void/Canceled Used Vehicle Report of Sale
    • 10.5
      10.5 Used Vehicle Rollbacks
    • 10.6
      10.6 Electronic Lien and Title (“ELT”)
    • 10.7
      10.7 Customer Demands Title
    • 10.8
      10.8 Multiple Transfers
    • 10.9
      10.9 Duplicate Title Application
    • 10.10
      10.10 Transfer of California Registration Only (Goldenrod Registration)
    • 10.11
      10.11 Transfer Only
    • 10.12
      10.12 Bonded Transfers
    • 10.13
      10.13 Non Resident Vehicle Transfers
    • 10.14
      10.14 Vehicles with Unavailable Records
    • 10.15
      10.15 Waiver of Fees and/or Penalties
    • 10.16
      10.16 Title Errors and Corrections
    • 10.17
      10.17 Temporary Operating Permit
    • 10.18
      10.18 Transporter Permit
    • 10.19
      10.19 DMV Forms
    • 10.20
      SECTION 10: Avoid Buying a Stolen Vehicle & Helpful Tips
      6 Questions
  • Wrap Up
    1
    • 11.1
      Wrap Up

8.1 Smog Requirements and Exceptions

8.1 Smog Requirements and Exceptions

 

California’s smog check program is administered by the Bureau of Automotive Repair and is one of the most comprehensive vehicle emissions programs in the country. As a dealer, you need to understand which vehicles require smog certification when you sell them and which are exempt.

The general rule for retail dealer sales is: a valid smog certificate must be provided for all gasoline-powered vehicles that are required to be smog-checked at the time of sale. Now let’s talk about the exemptions — the vehicles that don’t need a smog check.

First, vehicles within 8 model years of their manufacture date are exempt, thanks to AB 1274 which we covered in Section 1. Remember that vehicles in their 7th and 8th exemption years still require the $25 smog abatement fee. Second, diesel-powered vehicles manufactured before 1998 are exempt. Third, electric vehicles and other zero-emission vehicles are exempt — no tailpipe, no smog check. Fourth, certain historic vehicles and vehicles with permanently assigned model year plates may be exempt depending on their year.

An important exception for wholesale-only transfers: smog certification is not required when a vehicle is transferred between licensed dealers in a wholesale transaction. The smog obligation attaches when the vehicle is sold at retail to the end consumer. So if you buy a vehicle at auction (wholesale) and it doesn’t have a current smog certificate, you don’t need one to complete the purchase. But before you sell it at retail, you’ll need to get a smog check — and the vehicle needs to pass.

 

⚠ Key Compliance Point

Smog Certification Exemptions:

•  Vehicles within 8 model years (AB 1274) — $25 abatement fee for years 7-8

•  Diesel vehicles manufactured before 1998

•  Electric and zero-emission vehicles

•  Wholesale transfers between licensed dealers

All other gasoline-powered vehicles sold at retail by a dealer require a valid smog certificate at the time of sale.

 

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8.2 Smog Certificate Duration
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