My sister got a ticket for tail lights and headlights, please help

[ArmenK]

My sister was driving my 2000 Honda Accord in souther California and was stopped by a cop and given a ticket for her headlights and taillights. Now I need to figure out what is legal and what's not. The tail lights we have on the car are similar to the stock tailights except for the top half is clear instead of pink. You can see a picture of these lights here. I left the stock light bulbs in the tail lights (yellowish white). The front lights are similar to these but without the black housing. They are actually the stock headlights with the amber strip at the bottom removed. The bulbs in the front headlights are fake xneons similar to
these.

 

[Mill]

Call and ask the CHP. Why did you rice the car out to begin with? Also this is pretty much a repost, as lighting is being discussed in another thread about a 2000 Accord.

Click here

You most likely have 72 hours to fix it.

 

[Ornery]

Hell, no problem, put the stock sh|t back on there! What's so hard about that? Hope it was worth it, having such a l337 setup and all!

 

[ArmenK]

the car is not riced at all... as you can see from the pages I linked to, the lights are very close to stock. I just think clear looks better than pink in the rear and clear looks better than amber in the front. I can put the stock tailights back in but the front is a different story since I removed the amber strips from the headlights and threw them away. Is it really illegal not to have an amber strip in the light? Im trying to read through the California vehicle code but its really long so its hard to find the info that I need.

 

[Mill]

Originally posted by: ArmenK
the car is not riced at all... as you can see from the pages I linked to, the lights are very close to stock. I just think clear looks better than pink in the rear and clear looks better than amber in the front. I can put the stock tailights back in but the front is a different story since I removed the amber strips from the headlights and threw them away. Is it really illegal not to have an amber strip in the light? Im trying to read through the California vehicle code but its really long so its hard to find the info that I need.

Yes it really is illegal, and yes you riced it out.

 

[rufruf44]

Gosh, the cops must be really bored. I can't imagine having that type of taillight is illegal, but who knows what kind of crazy law there'is in California. The front headlight is probably what snatch his attention and ticket.

 

[FrustratedUser]

What is illegal with those tail lights?

 

[iamwiz82]

i have noticed the laws on headlights starting to become less stringent. For example, no longer must you have amber colored parking lights(the ones in front), these can now be white. The side markers MUST be amber and MUST reflect amber, which your head lights do not have. You removed this and that is why it is illegal. Some new cars no longer have haver parking lights, Lexus and Mercedes, for example.

I'm not why the rears were illegal, though.

 

[amdskip]

Did you guys even look at his pics? They aren't really ricey at all

 

[Jzero]

Originally posted by: amdskip
Did you guys even look at his pics? They aren't really ricey at all

THe law doesn't have to do with whether or not they are ricey, it has to do with whether or not the color is legal.

 

[ArmenK]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82
i have noticed the laws on headlights starting to become less stringent. For example, no longer must you have amber colored parking lights(the ones in front), these can now be white. The side markers MUST be amber and MUST reflect amber, which your head lights do not have. You removed this and that is why it is illegal. Some new cars no longer have haver parking lights, Lexus and Mercedes, for example.

I'm not why the rears were illegal, though.

would it be enough if i put amber bulbs in the side marker?

 

[ArmenK]

Double post

 

[iamwiz82]

no, they must reflect yellow from the front side markers and red from the rear side markers. You could put amber reflective tape on the light to make it quasi-legal, but i dunno if they would buy that. I have seen this work, though.

 

[Jzero]

Wait a minute...you have white bulbs and white lenses where it should be colored?
Well THERE'S the problem.
Or at least part of it.

 

[NutBucket]

Has the law changed? Friend of mine worked for Santa Monica PD within the last year and asked them specifically about lights/lenses before changing anything on his Integra. He was told that there was no problem with having white makers/signals up front. I currently have clear markers and turn signals w/ white bulbs up front. It is my understanding there is nothing wrong with this.

EDIT: The back turn signals must be red or orange. So if you have clear lenses you must either use a red or orange colored bulb/LED.

 

[bigrash]

You should put up pics of the headlight and tail lights. Oh I don't mean the car's.

 

[iamwiz82]

there is nothing illegal about having front turn signals being white, however side markers must be amber.

 

[Mill]

You car must keep the reflective material no matter what.

 

[PaNsyBoy8]

if you don't like the orange look, spray your bulbs silver, they still blink amber, but look silver, so you dont' have that egg yolk effect

 

[ArmenK]

Originally posted by: Millennium
You car must keep the reflective material no matter what.

The tail lights are identical to the stock lights except for the top being clear instead of pink. As for the front, I removed a plastic amber strip that may have been reflective. Heres what I've found from the vehicle code so far that applies:
25100. (a) Except as provided in subdivisions (b) and (d), every
vehicle 80 inches or more in overall width shall be equipped during
darkness as follows:
(1) At least one amber clearance lamp on each side mounted on a
forward-facing portion of the vehicle and visible from the front and
at least one red clearance lamp on each side mounted on a
rearward-facing portion of the vehicle and visible from the rear.
(2) At least one amber side-marker lamp on each side near the
front and at least one red side-marker lamp on each side near the
rear.
(5) Combination clearance and side-marker lamps mounted as
side-marker lamps and meeting the visibility requirements for both
types of lamps may be used in lieu of required individual clearance
or side-marker lamps.

25950. This section applies to the color of lamps and to any
reflector exhibiting or reflecting perceptible light of 0.05 candela
or more per foot-candle of incident illumination. Unless provided
otherwise, the color of lamps and reflectors upon a vehicle shall be
as follows:
(a) The emitted light from all lamps and the reflected light from
all reflectors, visible from in front of a vehicle, shall be white or
yellow, except as follows:
The emitted light from all lamps and the reflected light from
all reflectors, visible from the rear of a vehicle, shall be red
except as follows:
(1) Stoplamps on vehicles manufactured before January 1, 1979, may
show yellow to the rear.
(2) Turn signal lamps may show yellow to the rear.
(3) Front side marker lamps required by Section 25100 may show
yellow to the rear.

24953. (a) Any turn signal system used to give a signal of
intention to turn right or left shall project a flashing white or
amber light visible to the front and a flashing red or amber light
visible to the rear.

 

[Dragnov]

Originally posted by: rufruf44
Gosh, the cops must be really bored. I can't imagine having that type of taillight is illegal, but who knows what kind of crazy law there'is in California. The front headlight is probably what snatch his attention and ticket.

I never understood why people say this. Like cops that give tickets for improper lights, tinted front windows, jaywalking, etc. I'm glad that they do this... they do their job instead of just letting em go on by. Follow the law, if you don't... dont' start complaining that you got a ticket/fine.

 

[boyRacer]

Originally posted by: Gr1mL0cK

Originally posted by: rufruf44
Gosh, the cops must be really bored. I can't imagine having that type of taillight is illegal, but who knows what kind of crazy law there'is in California. The front headlight is probably what snatch his attention and ticket.

I never understood why people say this. Like cops that give tickets for improper lights, tinted front windows, jaywalking, etc. I'm glad that they do this... they do their job instead of just letting em go on by. Follow the law, if you don't... dont' start complaining that you got a ticket/fine.

I have no problem with that... but i better see them pulling over anyone else that has this stuff on. I see so many cars over here that do not comply with the freakin law... but i don't see them getting pulled over... cops simply pass by them... hardly look at them even.

i don't know how your car looks like but if you have all sorts of wings sprouting out of there then that's probably why. if you that kind of car, once you get pulled over... that's citation heaven right there. simply putting a small sticker is considered ricing nowadays. i don't see how changing your light assembly is considered ricey... but you should've kept the amber strip... they're really picky about that.

 

[Brutuskend]

Well I didn't read all the posts in this thread, so someone may have allready said this.

I would think that if it's YOUR car, it's YOUR ticket and not her's.

The Cops in Cali. can be real pricks. At least they were when I was stationed down there in the 70's.

Good luck.............

 

[SuperSix]

There's a REASON car manufacturers spend millions of dollars ensuring DOT approval.
I doubt you'll win if you contest it, but hey, who am I to tell someone to stop spinnging their wheels.. Lord knows you can't in that Honda..

 

[Kevin]

Originally posted by: Gr1mL0cK

Originally posted by: rufruf44
Gosh, the cops must be really bored. I can't imagine having that type of taillight is illegal, but who knows what kind of crazy law there'is in California. The front headlight is probably what snatch his attention and ticket.

I never understood why people say this. Like cops that give tickets for improper lights, tinted front windows, jaywalking, etc. I'm glad that they do this... they do their job instead of just letting em go on by. Follow the law, if you don't... dont' start complaining that you got a ticket/fine.

Because they are irrelevant. How many accidents do you know of that were cause by tinted windows? Even with jaywalking, if its safe to cross (read no cars coming in either way), why should you have to walk to the corner where you have to worry about more traffic, both head on and turning...