Photo: Mike Sebold via Facebook
A diesel truck owner had to make the painful decision of scrapping his Ram 2500 after he had exhausted every option to save his truck. The state’s Department for Environmental Protection (DEP) mandated him to either return the vehicle to stock condition or scrap it.
Mike Sebold’s ordeal started in July when he listed the 2008 Dodge Ram 2500 diesel truck on Facebook Marketplace with the intention of selling it. You might want to pay attention to what you’re writing in these ads because New Jersey’s DEP picked up the info about missing emissions equipment and decided to act. Sebold was soon mailed a notice about several violations, including the attempt to sell a vehicle whose emissions equipment had been tampered with. They give him the choice of either returning the truck to the stock condition or scraping it.
The first option would’ve cost Sebold more than $10,000, money he didn’t have or was willing to spend, especially in the 60-day time frame the DEP gave him. He didn’t even delete the truck himself. He bought it that way, so he did not have the components to install them back. According to the law, he is prohibited from selling the truck without the emission parts in place. He couldn’t even sell the engine or the transmission, so his options were limited, to begin with.
The DEP gave him a deadline on September 25 to add the diesel particulate filter (DPF) and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valve back to the truck or have it destroyed. De-registering it and using it exclusively off-road was not an option, although Mike Sebold tried this path too. According to information obtained by The Drive, he now booked a slot to crush his truck on Friday, September 16.
Sebold’s story is a sober awakening for people driving vehicles with removed emission-control components. You can keep it under the radar for a long time, but you might attract unwanted attention once you’re in the market to sell it or even brag about it on social media. New Jersey’s DEP did not need more than a post on Facebook Marketplace to set in motion. They don’t even need to see the vehicle in person if the owner admits to illegal modifications in the vehicle’s listing.
The first option would’ve cost Sebold more than $10,000, money he didn’t have or was willing to spend, especially in the 60-day time frame the DEP gave him. He didn’t even delete the truck himself. He bought it that way, so he did not have the components to install them back. According to the law, he is prohibited from selling the truck without the emission parts in place. He couldn’t even sell the engine or the transmission, so his options were limited, to begin with.
The DEP gave him a deadline on September 25 to add the diesel particulate filter (DPF) and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valve back to the truck or have it destroyed. De-registering it and using it exclusively off-road was not an option, although Mike Sebold tried this path too. According to information obtained by The Drive, he now booked a slot to crush his truck on Friday, September 16.
Sebold’s story is a sober awakening for people driving vehicles with removed emission-control components. You can keep it under the radar for a long time, but you might attract unwanted attention once you’re in the market to sell it or even brag about it on social media. New Jersey’s DEP did not need more than a post on Facebook Marketplace to set in motion. They don’t even need to see the vehicle in person if the owner admits to illegal modifications in the vehicle’s listing.
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