California Law Smoked Tailights Illegal!

[rock1t]

yeah. i have been stopped numerous times for my taillights. i politely ask to get out of the car to show them where the d.o.t. is still on there, and then explain that this was a rare model and only 500 of them were made this way.

works every time.

 

[RUBBERBURNER]

Ive been pulled over for my smoked tails two times, both let me go because I explained my car is rare.........

hahahaha

If you take a picture (with flash) of the rear lights you can not see the refelective parts in them and the lights fade with painted lights ...
It's allso illegal in europe.If you get a collision the cops will point the finger at you for the poor visibility of the lights ...

 

[RicciDSM]

Just got a ticket. Argued with cop but here is final verdict:

California Law
1) Tail lamps must be red and easily visible from 500 ft behind. For cars newer than 1969, red and visible from 1000 ft behind.

2) Tail lamp units can not be modified unless modification is D.O.T. certified.

Just a heads up. Unless someone has actually fought the courts and won.

Damn CALI is pretty strict! Over here in PA the cops can be strict but tickets can easily be fought. Everytime I got pulled over for having tint/tinted lights etc in the past I either pulled the "my brother is a cop" card, or said I just bought the car and didnt have a chance to buy new lights

 

[nothingfiction]

Same thing goes for license plate covers here.

 

[Tanro]

Seems like Pontiacs had a crosshatch design in some tailights that looked black from far away with the lights off, and also I have nightshaded my tails to where they looked almost black, but still let plenty of light through when the brakes were pressed.

This is just another bullshit law infringing our rights that I would have to tell the judge to eat a dick and pay the ticket. But I wouldnt fix it.... period its my car I can do what I want. We live in the united states of america even though it becomes more and more like soviet russia every day.

 

[DeadlyPariah]

Seems like Pontiacs had a crosshatch design in some tailights that looked black from far away with the lights off, and also I have nightshaded my tails to where they looked almost black, but still let plenty of light through when the brakes were pressed.

This is just another bullshit law infringing our rights that I would have to tell the judge to eat a dick and pay the ticket. But I wouldnt fix it.... period its my car I can do what I want. We live in the united states of america even though it becomes more and more like soviet russia every day.

.... Right.... more and more like Soviet Russia every day. How about the fact that that Headlights were never allowed to be modded, and must always be DOT approved. With very little exceptions. I'd say that it's just the federal mandates are being implemented a lot more and more recently do to the type of obvious mods people do. That being said "illegal" was always "illegal". I'd say if it's anything like soviet russia, it has always been... since the only thing that has changed is people "enforcing" a policy that has already existed. Oh that sounds so...so communist to me

Sorry, not trying to flame. I just find it ironic when someone finally has a problem with something they say. Extremely ridiculous responces like......... Man things were way better in my day. Man we are going down the gutter as a country. What for enforcing long standing federal safety standards? Seems hardly something to burn up about, and hardly even relevent to calling us communist.

 

[AK Maniak]

.... Right.... more and more like Soviet Russia every day. How about the fact that that Headlights were never allowed to be modded, and must always be DOT approved. With very little exceptions. I'd say that it's just they federal mandates are being implimented a lot more and more recently do to the type of obvious mods people do. That being said illegal was always illegal. I'd say if it's anything like soviet russia, it has always been... since the only thing that has changed is people "enforcing" a policy that has already existed. Oh that sounds so...so communist to me

Sorry, not trying to flame. I just find it ironic when someone finally has a problem with something they say. Extremely ridiculous responces like......... Man things were way better in my day. Man we are going down the gutter as a country. What for enforcing long standing federal safety standards? Seems hardly something to burn up about.

I don't think he is complaining about the fact that those federal laws are enforced just the fact that they exist in general. I must agree to some extent that some of the laws regarding motor vehicles are ridiculous. For example, the darkest tint I can legally put on my car is 70% which is barely darker than some factory tint. I have been using 10% for the last 6 months and it doesn't hinder my ability to drive safely whatsoever. Just another bullshit way to make money off innocent people.

 

[Tanro]

Its not rediculous... Have you seen how many smoking bans there have been in the past couple years, the stupid ass reason would... you guessed it a surgeon generals report that 100% inconclusive.

The healthcare "reform" pure socialism

The government bailing out the automakers, more socialism.

Socliasm + People screwing me out of my rights = communism. All I have to say, is I smoke, own 3 guns, and drive a modded car so #### off.

TJ said it best

What country can persvere its liberties if there rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance let them take arms. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural maneuar. - Thomas Jefferson

I think its about that time.

 

[DeadlyPariah]

Its not rediculous... Have you seen how many smoking bans there have been in the past couple years, the stupid ass reason would... you guessed it a surgeon generals report that 100% inconclusive.

The healthcare "reform" pure socialism

The government bailing out the automakers, more socialism.

Socliasm + People screwing me out of my rights = communism. All I have to say, is I smoke, own 3 guns, and drive a modded car so #### off.

TJ said it best

What country can persvere its liberties if there rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance let them take arms. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural maneuar. - Thomas Jefferson

I think its about that time.

The smoking bans are another story entirely. That is just a ridiculous balled up mess. The fact that most bans were passed on a EPA study done in what.... 96 that 2 years later was thrown out for being cherry picked. Yet, our own citizens of the good ole US of A who were non smokers. Used that same exact study to enforce bans that suppressed freedoms of others. I find obcene. If it was passed on solid ground then maybe I'd feel differently. But that is just personal opinion.

I still find a flaw in the idea that a long held standard being enforced is concieved as Oh our nation is going to the toilet. It was already there, we've been in the toilet since any of use were put on this green earth.

Maybe the problem is more that a lot of laws are written to be loosely interpreted. Sure smoked out headlight "might not on all occasions cause safetly hazards" But what about the people that mod halogen headlamps to HID's causing a mass ammount of glare to oncomming traffic, because they don't properly mod them. halogen, and Xenon filements are at opposite angles. So when put in the opposing housing cause different reflective angles. That actually impede the vision of oncomming drivers.

Also socialism, and communism are 2 different idealisms. Let alone the fact that neither of them are totalitarianism, which I think is more what you are getting at. that being said, everyone is entitled to there opinions. I am just expressing mine, and you are expressing yours. I don't mean to offend by doing so

Also....sorry for bringing this thread slightly off-track

 

[AK Maniak]

The smoking bans are another story entirely. That is just a ridiculous balled up mess. The fact that most bans were passed on a EPA study done in what.... 96 that 2 years later was thrown out for being cherry picked. Yet, our own citizens of the good ole US of A who were non smokers. Used that same exact study to enforce bans that suppressed freedoms of others. I find obcene. If it was passed on solid ground then maybe I'd feel differently. But that is just personal opinion.

I still find a flaw in the idea that a long held standard being enforced is concieved as Oh our nation is going to the toilet. It was already there, we've been in the toilet since any of use were put on this green earth.

Maybe the problem is more that a lot of laws are written to be loosely interpreted. Sure smoked out headlight "might not on all occasions cause safetly hazards" But what about the people that mod halogen headlamps to HID's causing a mass ammount of glare to oncomming traffic, because they don't properly mod them. halogen, and Xenon filements are at opposite angles. So when put in the opposing housing cause different reflective angles. That actually impede the vision of oncomming drivers.

Also socialism, and communism are 2 different idealisms. Let alone the fact that neither of them are totalitarianism, which I think is more what you are getting at. that being said, everyone is entitled to there opinions. I am just expressing mine, and you are expressing yours. I don't mean to offend by doing so

Also....sorry for bringing this thread slightly off-track

What you said about the laws being loosely interpreted is IMO the biggest problem. Cops should be enforcing the law, not determining what each law means in a certain application or scenario.

 

[ramsack]

Next time anyone gets pulled over for smoked tails not being red when the lights aren't on, tell the cop to go to a Subaru dealer and look at those tail lights, and then ticket every single new OEM car that leaves the lot. There are other cars that are the same way. The reflector still needs to reflect on the sides, but retroreflectors are very efficient and won't be affected much by a small layer of tint. They may not look like they'll work, but they will reflect almost just as much light.

 

[AK Maniak]

Next time anyone gets pulled over for smoked tails not being red when the lights aren't on, tell the cop to go to a Subaru dealer and look at those tail lights, and then ticket every single new OEM car that leaves the lot. There are other cars that are the same way. The reflector still needs to reflect on the sides, but retroreflectors are very efficient and won't be affected much by a small layer of tint. They may not look like they'll work, but they will reflect almost just as much light.

I've only gotten warnings because I just told the cop that I bought the car that way. But up here almost everyone blacks out there lights. Some even black out their headlights

 

[1997_GSX]

I used to have tinted tail lights that crap is ghey I took them off after 2 months, never got tickets but everybody is murdering their cars. I think its dumb .

 

[AK Maniak]

I used to have tinted tail lights that crap is ghey I took them off after 2 months, never got tickets but everybody is murdering their cars. I think its dumb .

To each his own. But I've always wondering why people on this forum seem to hate on anything that isn't OEM. Very large group of narrow minded people if you ask me

 

[nothingfiction]

To each his own. But I've always wondering why people on this forum seem to hate on anything that isn't OEM. Very large group of narrow minded people if you ask me

Agreed

 

[1997_GSX]

To each his own. But I've always wondering why people on this forum seem to hate on anything that isn't OEM. Very large group of narrow minded people if you ask me

I had them both. Now I think they look like crap and my car looked like crap too see, everybody is tinting there tail lights so I am going the different route especially in town:
YouTube - 1997 Eclipse GSX Brian Crower 280 Cams.

 

[AK Maniak]

I had them both. Now I think they look like crap and my car looked like crap too see, everybody is tinting there tail lights so I am going the different route especially in town:
YouTube - 1997 Eclipse GSX Brian Crower 280 Cams.

I wasn't necessarily calling you narrow minded, sorry if it came off that way. I guess we like two different things though because I loved the blacked out look of you car in that vid. If it were mine I would just black the windows out completely and call it good.

 

[DeadlyPariah]

To each his own. But I've always wondering why people on this forum seem to hate on anything that isn't OEM. Very large group of narrow minded people if you ask me

+2 It gets pretty annoying that anything that is possibly creative at all can be tagged as crap for not being OEM by some

 

[nothingfiction]

how do these rims look? "they suck, get a set of evo rims or 3G rims and it will be tight"

what do you think of these sparco seats? "they blow, get some from an avenger or a gsx in all black leather"

what do you think of these rusty coilovers, got them from a galant. "dude thats so sweet"

 

[DeadlyPariah]

how do these rims look? "they suck, get a set of evo rims or 3G rims and it will be tight"

what do you think of these sparco seats? "they blow, get some from an avenger or a gsx in all black leather"

what do you think of these rusty coilovers, got them from a galant. "dude thats so sweet"

HAAHAAHAA so so agree

 

[AK Maniak]

how do these rims look? "they suck, get a set of evo rims or 3G rims and it will be tight"

what do you think of these sparco seats? "they blow, get some from an avenger or a gsx in all black leather"

what do you think of these rusty coilovers, got them from a galant. "dude thats so sweet"

haha thats hilarious. but you pretty much summed things up around here

 

[tsi4g63dohc]

in martinsburg wv ive had my tailights blacked out for a year and a half, my girl got pulled over for a loud exhaust once but let her go ### he realized he was stupid, cops have rode behind me plenty of times, never got in trouble for em , one of the cheap inspection guys wouldnt inspect it tho bcuz of them...

 

[DeceptivePerfor]

Understand that California has been enacting these laws to try and ban aftermarket cars. I have seen on TV Specials where they nail guys for lowered suspension, just having aftermarket exhaust, and some law called the intent to race law. Pretty messed up where they can stop and harass you because you have a modded car.

Also, cops and laws are going to become even stricter and they are going to target us (Car Guys) in general. The towns, cities, states, etc are broke. So, they are going to be bigger asses about enforcing laws. You will no longer get that 5-10 mph speed cushion. This is going to be a way of life and we are going to have to fight to try and keep the goverments out of our car funds and segment of life.

There is an organization, I see write ups in my Mustang Magazines periodically that talk about the court battles they are fighting. By the looks, if it was up to the Goverment we would all drive mid size cars or econo boxes and have no aftermarket period. Some states have tried to ban certain factory vehicles from being sold and/or able to be owned in their state. (If I rember correctly it was Vermont or Connecticut that tried that.)

 

[VTEC KILLR]

I have a 97 VW GTI that i daily drive. The local cops LOVE to harass me when im in my talon because loud exhaust. But the other day i got pulled over because my tail lights were tinted in the VW. Well, it has the factory taillights in it......I tried to explain to the retarded cop that it came factory that way, but like i said he is retarded. I got a warning to change them or next time i'll get a fine..........Oh well, maybe some ### clear euro style would look good........ok maybe not.

 

[Chrispy0530]

how do these rims look? "they suck, get a set of evo rims or 3G rims and it will be tight"

what do you think of these sparco seats? "they blow, get some from an avenger or a gsx in all black leather"

what do you think of these rusty coilovers, got them from a galant. "dude thats so sweet"

lool, this is so true.