Cops, go suck a lemon.

Alright, these last few weeks have been hell. I just got my engine replaced, had my car for a few weeks now. Well June 27, that night me and my friend in his 2.2 Cavalier were racing somewhat, was going maybe 10 over the limit, cops pull us over, they gave us a choice, arrest us and impound our cars for street racing, or take a fine for something defective on the car's safe operation. We took the tickets, he was nailed $110 for bald tires, I was nailed $110 for the Neon Plate Cover, they called it "Obstruct Plate", even though you could see it clearly. Well a few days ago, I was pulled over, doing the speed limit, breaking no rules, pulled over by 3 cruisers, and comes up and says your neon plate cover is blocking your plate, i was like yeah it's coming off anyways, and then another cop comes up, my car running at the tiem with my lights and signal turned on to pull over, he starts pointing at my corners and bumper lense, cop comes back, your not allowed to have clear lenses, or bulbs that glow white, and so I was like that's f*cking stupid, he gives me a choice, take another $220 worth of fines for the plate cover and the lenses, or see him this Wednesday with no neon cover, and amber corners and bumpers. So I chagned the back plate already, which didnt bother me but for the front Im keeping the lense in and putting amber bulbs, so when i show him he doesnt say anything, and switch back few days after that. I cant believe it, like they didnt need 3 cruisers for that let alone make up stupid sh*t like that about clear lenses........hopefully after they leave me the hell alone because I am getting sick of them pulling me over all the time.....

You know the little disclaimer they always put on aftermarket parts - "Consult local traffic laws prior to installing .. blah .. blah .. blah".

Yup.

Sorry you had such a rough time, but they aren't going to make up new laws just to bust you. Play nice next time, show your ignorance, do what they ask, and ask for their advice. You might be suprised at how well you're treated. There are plenty of mods out there that don't break the law.

lol, my back plate is lit up with a green bulb, i have green bulbs in my clear corners and clear bumper lenses and cops look at my car all the time and watch me drive by them, i have even had a cop come up to me after i got out of my car and say the lights were cool. oh and my girl friends dad is a cop and he likes them too, lol

You know the little disclaimer they always put on aftermarket parts - "Consult local traffic laws prior to installing .. blah .. blah .. blah".

Yup.

Sorry you had such a rough time, but they aren't going to make up new laws just to bust you. Play nice next time, show your ignorance, do what they ask, and ask for their advice. You might be suprised at how well you're treated. There are plenty of mods out there that don't break the law.


Couldnt have said it better myself! :grinyes:

Well, you COULD be in jail with no more car now ... think about that.

The clear bulbs thing isnt made up. Hence is why when I blacked and cleared my headlights I just went with amber bulbs to avoid it all. Some cops are sticklers about that kinda stuff but most are not. It just depands on if your the lucky winner or not.

ya I`d say you`re lucky with the racing thing seeing as what had happened the previous week on the 400. 2 or 3 clowns racin up the highway cutting off the trucker and killing THAT driver in the process. I know you are aware of it as you are from Southern Ont. hope you pay attention to what Dalton MaGuinty is proposing man ,no more friggin racing on the streets in Ontario, bad bad news

Whats happening? I dont read the news ever :P

and this is why my car is stock looking and i dont live in California (not saying you do, but they're fucking Nazis about emissions)

sucks though :(

Yea Cali is frigen crazy out there! If you get caught street racing now, they impound your car and take it to the car crusher. :screwy:

Get over it. You're wrong, they're right.
And how do you "somewhat" race and only go 10mph over? What was the speed limit?

Get over it. You're wrong, they're right.
And how do you "somewhat" race and only go 10mph over? What was the speed limit?

+1!

So if you're guilty and even admit it, what's the problem?

Grow up!

i could have told you they were going to nail you for any other color but amber for turn signals in the front or red/amber rears. Neon plate too. Sylvania makes silver bulbs that glow amber get a set of em and you'll still have that clear look. In all honesty, i think you got off pretty lucky.

No way I like my blue eurolite bulbs that glow superwhite.

Some kids just never learn.

Some kids just never learn.

I'm starting to feel grandpa-ish, but ya, the kids need to learn the rules. It takes a certain kind of "balls in a rope nothing you can do" feeling to learn sometimes. I almost feel sorry for 'em.

I'm starting to feel grandpa-ish.

me too...at the ripe old age of 20 :uhoh:

No way I like my blue eurolite bulbs that glow superwhite.


... They're illegal for the street, both federal and state laws exist dealing with them - if you decide to run them, that's your decision to do so, but you will be dealing with cops and tickets, so you'd better get used to it now. It will only get worse as time moves on.

Remember, you're giving the cops probable cause to pull you over. They can decide to use the stop to look at you for more violations. And, as long as those lights are on your car, the cops are in the right to pull you over and there's nothing you can do to stop it, short of removing those lights (and the cops' PC).

Also if you get hit with a fix it ticket stating you need to change the bulbs and do so to show the court you have complied to the terms of the ticket and then switch them back and get pulled over again it will show up on your record. Cops will only deal with you on the same issuse so many times.

hmm... yeah in Ohio, you can only have White and Amber colored lights on the outside of your car. Dunno how you're getting away with it tho Jstump lol

i dunno either, lol

The only “blue” headlamps that are legal are HID/MH (High Intensity Discharge/Metal Halide) headlamps, which do not use a tinted incandescent bulb. Instead they have an encapsulated electric arc discharge tube, just like the old mercury-vapor street lamps, warehouse lights, and sports field lighting. European headlamps use the same three technologies as US headlamps, i.e. tungsten, halogen, or HID. (Europeans just have much better lighting standards.) The only permissible colors for front end vehicle lighting in North America and most European countries are clear (white) and yellow (No country requires yellow any more - most countries allow yellow but prefer clear.) In no case are blue-tinted bulbs used in any European O.E.M. headlamp.

Read the text of both Canadian Vehicle Safety Standard #108 and #108.1, and U.S. Department of Transportation FMVSS108. These are the headlamp specifications for highway use in Canada and the United States. Both specifications clearly state that the only permissible color for headlamps is clear. Now you're probably wondering why HID headlamps, which have a bluish appearance, are legal. It's because they're not actually blue, they just appear more blue than halogen lamps. The lamp envelope is clear quartz-glass. The output is higher in blue and blue-green wavelengths (just like the older mercury-vapor street lamps), but this is specifically noted and approved in CMVSS108 and 108.1, and US/DOT FMVSS108). A halogen or tungsten bulb that emits blue light is deemed a blue light, and is illegal on anything but emergency vehicles in Europe, the US, and Canada. The blue-tinted halogen bulbs are unsafe, ineffective, and illegal.

Retailers of these replacement “blue” bulbs try to feed you stories regarding the bulbs' use in Europe, so it seems that they do not know what they are talking about regarding vehicle headlamp regulations and applications in any country. These blue bulbs are not safe and are not legal. They may make your car look "cool" to you, but they make you look uneducated to the rest of us. (In other words, go back to Arkansas if you want tinted bulbs.) Stop playing with safety on MY highway. Take the blue-tinted bulbs out and install proper clear lamps.

Here is some technical information to help clarify the issue. You should show this to the retailer who is selling those illegal phony-blue bulbs you bought:

High-Intensity Discharge (HID/MV, Xenon-quenched) lamps are coming as standard equipment in some cars. They are not currently available as retrofit items. It is amazing that people are trying to sell the “benefits” of these lamps. Claims run from the plausible but not-quite-true “They're brighter!”, to the completely implausible “See three times farther!”, to the absurd. The fact is that the main advantage of these lamps is lower power consumption than normal lamps to generate the same relative light output. Current production HID headlamps consume about 42W each instead of the standard low-beam halogen headlamps at 45-55W each.

While the HID system is designed to last the life of the car, components are expensive. The arc power supply is a sacrificial item - if you're in a collision, it shuts itself down by shorting the output permanently so as not to shock rescue workers and/or start fires with the 250+ volt arc tube supply.

Beyond the cost, there is another disadvantage to these lamps: The light they produce is very high in blue and green wavelengths (near ultraviolet) . This is hailed by the marketeers as “producing light similar to natural sunlight”, and it makes the light “appear” brighter to the human eye, which is a nice bonus in dry weather.

Sadly for those ignorant BMW, Benz, and Lincoln drivers, these blue and green wavelengths reflect most readily off of airborne particles and water droplets (dust, rain, fog, snow) which means that with the HID lamps, back glare in inclement weather is greatly increased. This is much less of a problem with European-specification lamps, in which the low beam pattern is required to have a sharp cutoff with very little above-horizontal light. Unfortunately, the US DOT continues to demand inferior lights with lower output and a much less distinct cutoff. There is lots of stray light above the cutoff on all lamps on cars sold in the USA, which increases this back glare effect. This leaves domestic Lincoln drivers the real victims - most of which are old people who need every advantage they can get while driving in marginal conditions.

In Canada, both ECE (European) and DOT (USA) headlamps are permissible, so the degree of this back glare effect is widely varied (also present in DOT halogen lamps).

As a result or recognizing the glare problem (and apparent ignorance of DOT), some vehicle manufacturers offer replacement headlamp housings designed for European export (Chevrolet, for one) which are glass instead of the DOT plastic. These have significantly improved optics and low-beam cutoff patterns, and will tolerate higher-wattage lamps without melting. High-beam output is quite impressive. These can be costly, however. For example, export glass composite headlamps for a 1991-96 Caprice are $140.00 each, and do not include new lamp capsules. They accept the standard 9004 halogen lamp capsules and their replacements, as discussed later.

The important thing to remember is that both ECE and DOT headlamp specifications have very strict limits on headlamp intensity. HID lamps are not granted exemption from these limits, so claiming that they're "brighter" simply is not true. The foot-candle at distance measurements must be within federal specifications. ECE and DOT standards do not address light output wavelength - yet.

Some retailers have begun selling halogen bulbs dipped in blue “coating” (paint) of one description or another, usually including the name “Xenon”, and describing them as being “just like the HID lamps in Mercedes”. Nothing could be further from the truth. These hand-dipped bulbs are not approved by any regulatory agency anywhere in the world and decrease the performance of your headlamps. Wagner, Sylvania, Osram and Philips Lighting were at one point pursuing legal action against the marketers of these painted-blue bulbs, not only because some of them have been using those company's trade names illegally (by painting their xenon-filled lamps and re-marketing) but also because these reputable companies understandably wish to distance themselves from this kind of Beavis-and-Butthead product. Product managers and lamp engineers at each of these companies all were aghast at the concept of these bulbs. You would be well advised to be afraid, too.

If you want brighter light, try the higher wattage xenon-quenched H-4 lamps available from Wagner. They have a clear envelope, are legal in North America, and do produce whiter light than lamps filled with more conventional halide gasses. The Wagner part number for the 9004 lamp replacement is BP9004BL. While not HID blue/green, these are xenon gas-filled lamps and output greater usable light at 65/85W.

If you still want to look like you’re related to the Clintons, buy the capsules and power supply from your local dealer and make a true, legal HID conversion. Be prepared to have all kinds of electrical noise problems on everything from your car stereo to the PCM, ECM, Theft-Loc, Pass-Key, remote locks and starters, and other systems. You could completely disassemble the front end to install the required shielded wiring, but then you would have gone through all of that to have inferior lighting.

If HIDs are so hot, why are ALL aircraft (private, commercial, and military) avoiding their use for landing lights, where 2-mile visibility is critical?

Happy motoring.

Get over it. You're wrong, they're right.


I fail to see any reason for a discussion, or even for a thread in this situation.

What is so complicated about taking responsibility for your actions? Do parents not teach that anymore? When you put illegal parts on your car you run a risk. And if you're not willing to accept the consequences if you get caught, stop doing it.

Why is it called "common sense" if so few people actually possess it?

...so why didn't you close the thread? lol

Would you prefer I close it?

Would you prefer I close it?
NO.

I like sucking on Lemons every know and then, and I'm not a cop.

But I did sleep at a Holiday Inn Express once.

State law in Wi is Front light color: White and amber only.
Rear light color: Red and amber only for lights constantly illuminated. White for back-up.
Side markers and turn signals: White and amber only.
No undercarriage lighting is allowed while vehicle is moving on a road.

The exceptions are Emergency,municiple, and police vehicles.

Any other color is a violation, and is the policing officer's perogative whether to issue a violation, or a warning.

I got plenty of warnings when I was much younger.
For lights (blue and green), and window tint.

I used to think the bright white turn signals were cool...but then I grew out of them.

I just recently installed Z24 clear front bumper lenses on my non-Z24 coupe, but i also had the Sylvania bulbs that are blue glass but light up the amber color. To tell you the truth, it looks much nicer (I can take pictures if you would like) and it is still legal. I also just purchased clear side markers for next to the headlight, but I will be getting probably the metallic series bulbs (the amber bulbs dipped in silver)...i'm not sure. I may just get regular amber 194's...we will see.

Either way, getting an attitude with a police officer is definately not the way to go. Sure, rant about it here, or with friends, where it is not to their face so you can vent, but be polite and curteous and do what they ask of you, and you will be fine.

One example: Back when I was 17 (young and dumb), a buddy of mine and I were pulled over for street racing...he was behind me on a 2 lane road and I had just gotten a y-pipe and high-flow cat installed on my car (89 Maxima). We both were polite and such, and the cop gave us tickets for 1)unsafe speed for road features (there was construction going on at the beginning of the street) and 2) speed exhibition.

it was my first ticket so I ended up getting the speed exhibition dropped and no points on my license, so I lucked out, but regardless--calm, polite, and curteous are the way to go. Police will be much easier on you if you show respect than if you act like a teenager who is better than everybody else.

not sure about those sylvania silver bulbs but i have a set of the silver amber lights from some other company and the packaging does say off road use only. I know my buddy was pulled over in his f150 for blue head lights and the cop asked to see the packaging to see if they were dot etc.. they were not and we had to change them out right there on the road (lucky originals were in the truck still.
Here in winnipeg the police set up check stops on cruising nights to pull people over and check safety items ,suspension, lights etc.

are 5000k octane blue headight bulbs illegal? if they are illegal in tennessee,the cops have been nice to me because i got pulled over for doing 8 miles over the speed limit,they let me go. I use them everyday.