holy fix-it ticket Batman!

[GottaBeTRD]

So today, I was about to pull on to the freeway and there was one of our finest UHP's turning in front of me. He happened to be one of thesafety and inspection UHP's so that helped a ton.

Anyway I let him go so he could be ahead of me. (I have dark tint in the front and i didn't want to get caught.) well... I followed him for a couple miles and he started to go slower and slower, finally I had to pass him and sure nuff he pulls me over.

I thought for sure it was for the windows. but oh no! i guess My headlights are illegal? I tried to teach him about the projector and HID and how much safer it is then halogen, and how it's not blinding yada yada. He just said "I've never heard of that, all i know is HID's in a car not meant to have HID's is illegal" soo... yeah. then he started to see everything else illegal like my tint, my licence plate covers and whatever else he could point out. and wrote me a few fix-it tickets

I can understand the tint thing but everything else is absolutely ridiculous! My HID's are far from blue, I've had them in there for over 3 years, so yeah i guess the law is the law

So the purpose of this thread: I just might be selling my retrofit now. I don't know yet, I'm still in the WTF stages of this stupid situation.

What is ya'll experience with fixit tickets?

whats a thread without a pic

 

[sportrunner2001]

That sounds ridiculous to me, like he was looking around fro things to be wrong. I guess its his job so you can't get on about that too much.

Are the fix it tickets the ones where you have to fix the problem and prove it at the police station or is it just a single ticket?

Ive also been wanting a retro swap.... :thumb3:

 

[Dous]

That is dumb. Just get some headlights from a junkyard so the DMV/court can see that you fixed it....then simply put your retrofit back in place.

 

[02SE]

I knew you were up to no good when I met you...










No but seriously, they do tend to look out for vehicles that are obviously owned by an enthusiast, and look for reasons to pull you over. They really love to target Sportbikes...

 

[BrianSD_42]

why would you sell your retrofit lol.

just buy two new TYC headlights for $75, install them and then get your fix it ticket taken care of.

if a few months down the road you put the retorfits back in that is your prerogative. A fix it ticket is a mistomeaner at worst, possibly less than that. You could get 100 of them and it does not build a serious criminal record, all you have to do is get each one fixed and you can take it to any police station right? Its not like you have to keep going back to the same cop for a signature lol.

I suspect the fact that you have very cool, definitely not OEM looking HID lights is the reason he pulled you over. Blue Halos right?

There are so many cars with OEM looking HIDs that I doubt 99/100 cops would pull a 4Runner over if the light pattern looked OEM.

Myself ... I haven't had a front plate in 10 years with my 4Runner. I have received one fix it ticket for the front plate and had several other cops tell they quite literally "don't give a sh$t" about the front plate. In case you haven't figured it out yet ... I still don't have a front plate on any of my cars.

PS ... you can even sell the TYC headlight back on EBAY after you get it fixed. Just hope you don't see the same cop around.

 

[GottaBeTRD]

yeah, I'm looking at my options right now. I've got a pretty clean record now I don't want to get in that much trouble. I might be able to squeeze some halogen bulbs in my projectors for a temp fix. I really don't want to take everything apart again, It's gonna be a sad day for sure if i go that route.

It was crazy, I think the guy owned a 4runner or something cause he said that there was no way these were DOT approved and an OEM option.

But seriosly! My lights are probably the most plain lights there are! i see these punk kids in their riced out civics with purple lights no projectors. It blows!

I guess it was just bad luck for me

 

[SweetWaterSurprise]

Here in NJ a fix it ticket is just that. As long as its not a local township cop, I'd swap things out and then swap back. local cops make it a point to check months down the road, state boys keep moving.

 

[GottaBeTRD]

That sounds ridiculous to me, like he was looking around fro things to be wrong. I guess its his job so you can't get on about that too much.

Are the fix it tickets the ones where you have to fix the problem and prove it at the police station or is it just a single ticket?

Ive also been wanting a retro swap.... :thumb3:

yeah i guess you just fix it, show that you fixed it, then you're good to go

 

[snivilous]

You should really sell your retrofit. Like right now. And probably to me since I'm local, and since I'm not from UT I don't care about the law here

Utah seems kinda brutal with all the laws and stuff. Logan has like 36 cops, literally I see more cops driving to Walmart in a city of 30,000 than I had in all my life before moving here. Then you have the safety inspection stuff, which I never had heard about until moving here, etc. I'm still waiting to get pulled over for having my hi-lift strapped to the bumper, I'm sure that's illegal in some way...

 

[hrt4me]

well, in the event you do end up deciding to sell those HID projector retrofits, then I have some stock headlights to offer in trade...

 

[GottaBeTRD]

I'll let you guys know. The good news for you guys is I get kinda paranoid really easily, I've got OCD, ADD and all the above of whatever. Bad news is I'm not certain I can really go back to halogens. I drove my buddies corolla one night, and it was awful!!! I couldn't see a thing. My night vision is pretty bad, even with glasses. I tried to tell the cop that and he asked what my condition was?? lol I dont freaking know i just cant see at night dammit! Maybe i can get a doctor note?

 

[LittleCaesar]

Sometimes you have to love the South; cops here except for a few areas in VA don't care one bit, except when they want to check out your ride. SC doesn't even have vehicle inspections anymore, because 1/3 of the autos registered wouldn't be on the road today if they did.

I will bet fellow member 93toy (NC state trooper) has written a few tickets.

 

[TheArkMaster]

It was crazy, I think the guy owned a 4runner or something cause he said that there was no way these were DOT approved and an OEM option.

But seriosly! My lights are probably the most plain lights there are! i see these punk kids in their riced out civics with purple lights no projectors. It blows!

Me in my subaru haha. I had purple fogs. Now my dad drives it and likes the purple fogs :lol:

How about going down to a lower k and taking the halos off? That will at least no get noticed, but still give good light output right?

Sometimes you have to love the South; cops here except for a few areas in VA don't care one bit, except when they want to check out your ride. SC doesn't even have vehicle inspections anymore, because 1/3 of the autos registered wouldn't be on the road today if they did.

I will bet fellow member 93toy (NC state trooper) has written a few tickets.

What do you have to say on the topic? [MENTION=57349]93toy[/MENTION]

 

[snivilous]

I'll let you guys know. The good news for you guys is I get kinda paranoid really easily, I've got OCD, ADD and all the above of whatever. Bad news is I'm not certain I can really go back to halogens. I drove my buddies corolla one night, and it was awful!!! I couldn't see a thing. My night vision is pretty bad, even with glasses. I tried to tell the cop that and he asked what my condition was?? lol I dont freaking know i just cant see at night dammit! Maybe i can get a doctor note?

I'll trade you my bumper lightbar and stock headlights for your retros, that way you won't notice they are halogens since you'll have LEDs

 

[dapslappy]

maybe johnny law is wrong

I thought for sure it was for the windows.

Frequently Asked Questions | Utah Department of Public Safety. "Utah Law permits the use of window tint on vehicles registered here in Utah. ...driver and front seat passenger side windows must not allow less than 43 percent light transmittance."

"I want to install some "after-market equipment" on my vehicle, but I’m not sure whether it is legal or not. Who can I check with?

Whenever you have concerns regarding the legality of anything having to do with modifications to a vehicle registered in Utah, you may contact the Safety Inspection Section at (801) 965-4889 for assistance."

And

Are 'Blue' Xenon HID Headlights Legal? - Law and Daily Life
seems the NHTSA technicality is any rewiring and modification of existing wiring and/or the color of the light produced.

 

[KidVermicious]

i guess the law is the law

That's right. You're a lawbreaker and a bad person and you should feel bad.

 

[Kung]

That's right. You're a lawbreaker and a bad person and you should feel bad.

Yep. And your punishment is to sell the HID's to me. *nod*

 

[GottaBeTRD]

you guys crack me up! and i knew the law for the windows, but 43% is absolutely pointless! but what do ya say?

[MENTION=92884]snivilous[/MENTION] are you serious?

 

[the great him]

so not to be a jerk or debbie downer, but i have mentioned this before to guys who run HIDs... THEY ARE ILLEGAL. both DOT and NHTSB state that unless your your vehicle came with them then they are a no go... just cause your HID kit you bought said DOT on it, does not mean it is DOT for your vehicle(if it had come that way and you are just replacing a bad bulb or bad ballast, then you would be fine). and even with that, the moment you yourself modify something that is DOT, it is no longer DOT ie your projector retrofit. i think it is the NTHSB that has a code and or fine that basically states there is a $6000 fine for each piece of equipment in violation to a HID light modification... thats $6000 for the bulb, $6000 for the wire harness, $6000 for the ballast, and thats just on one side. and it doesnt stop there, they can fine the owner, operator, installer, seller, and the manufacture if caught. so basically you could be facing a $36,000 minimum fine if that officer was a jerk about it, and thats just for being the owner/operator... he could push that all over again for you being the installer too.

this is one reason why most major lighting companies like PIAA, IPF, HELLA, have all stepped back from the HID lighting and made LED so popular... LIGHTFORCE and KC are really the only major players still in the HID market. but they are strictly for off road use and racing. yes while LEDs are less strain on electrical system and more efficient, they do not have the reach out and light up the road a mile out that HID systems can do.

while im no state trooper or state police, i have several close friends who are and i work with them and others all the time. and im sure 93toy will account to this as well, laws are gonna vary state to state on what they will allow.

you have done the best thing possible here, by putting them into a projector setup. one question i have for you though is where did you get/what projectors are you using? are they out of like an acura, or a mercedes, or bmw...? cause if you got projectors from a vehicle that came with HID projectors and you retrofitted them into your vehicle you might and i say might, have a fighting chance at using them.

 

[I_bRAD]

My night vision is pretty bad, even with glasses. I tried to tell the cop that and he asked what my condition was?? lol I dont freaking know i just cant see at night dammit! Maybe i can get a doctor note?

Those dark tinted windows help your night vision much?

Your lights MIGHT be better. Your lights MIGHT meet federal requirements (but probably not) but unless you paid to have them certified by the NHTSA then you're arguing conjecture. You had illegal lights. the cop gave you a ticket. I'm assuming you knew the risk before you installed them.

PS- before you start digging yourself in deeper the doctor isn't going to give you a note for brighter lights, he's going to tell you that you are not allowed to drive at night!