Hi, Guest
06-13-2005, 10:43 AM
this is one of those sticky areas.
while they are not technically ILLEGAL they are not technicly legal either...
it works like this, the headlights are only illgeal if they are from a country like England where they are LHD as the lamps are aimed into oncoming traffic here. if they come from Germany or any other RHD country then you are fine and most cops wont care. however there is always going to be one cop out there that wont give a s**t, if you do not have a stamp or a decal, he is going to give you a ticket anyways. i have known many people out here who have had DOT appoved products and have their cars pass Vehicle inspections only to get a ticket and notice for another VI(which cost about $150cnd each time) just because the cop felt like being an asshole. took the car in for the VI, it passed again but the ticket was never dropped.
a friend of mine had a brand new BONE STOCK MB C230K, was driving around in richmond(probably fast) got pulled over, the cop gave him a road side check. the cop said the suspension was to stiff, the car was to low, the headlights were illegal because they were blue(OEM Xenon headlights :rolleyes: ), his tires were not street tires(OEM Mich tires). the cop ended up towing the car, giving him a VI notice and a fine for $350 for driving an unfit car for highway use. my buddy drove the car off the lot 3 weeks before and handn't even installed an seatbelt pads on it. the car was BONE STOCK. he went to the rcmp station the next day and bitched out the senior officer on duty and got the tickets dropped and his car back... but there is always going to be an asshole cop out there that is going to ride you into the ground. now i wasn't there to say my friend wasn't be a asshole himself but still... :blink: all over a bone stock car! go figure?
as for the tails, in most canadian provs there are regulations about reflector size and placement in relation to the ground. if you have a euro rear bumper for your ZX3 which have the rev and fog lamps then you are covered as the reflectors are in the rev and fog lamps in the bumper. if you are just running the tails then technically you are running an illegal setup as you do not have the propper rear reflectors. stupid yes but that is how it works. now the Sedan and Wagon european tails do have reflectors in them and are "legal" in that sense, however if a cop feels like being a dick he can make you produce the DOT or SAE stamp. personally, i have never had a problem nor has any of the focus guys out west with their cars and getting hasseled for illegal mods. if you talk to a cop in a polite understanding manner and know what you are talking about then most of the time they will be cool with you. if you act all stand-offish and try and bully them with your opinions/thoughts/what have you, then they will usually be pretty tight and put you thru the ringer.
as every prov is different, you need to check with your local DMV or online and get a copy of the MVA(motor vehicle act). there are sections about lighting requirements, how higher or low a car can be and many other section that have something to sayt about modifying cars... how loud your exhaust can be, under car neons, legal or illegal tires, etc....
if you know your MVA rules, next time you get pulled over you can defend your car propperly, just do it in a polite manner.
also if you ever feel a cop is stepping outside his rights, ask him to show you where in the MVA it says what he is claiming and what he is using to justify the issue at hand. once again, do this politely. and in the end do not be afraid to speak your opinion, just word it propperly... you cannot say the ticket is bullshit and the cop is being a jerk but you can say "you think the ticket is bullshit and in your opinion the cop is being a jerk in the way he is treating you!"
knowing the laws and your rights are very important when you modify cars, if you know them then cops wont be able to jerk you around or wont have a leg to stand on if they try and pull something over on you.
and like i have said before, always address an officer of the law politely and with respect and you will get it in return. and if you do not, then ask the officer why he is not being polite or respectful to you... in a polite and respectable manner! :)
did any of that actually make sense?
while they are not technically ILLEGAL they are not technicly legal either...
it works like this, the headlights are only illgeal if they are from a country like England where they are LHD as the lamps are aimed into oncoming traffic here. if they come from Germany or any other RHD country then you are fine and most cops wont care. however there is always going to be one cop out there that wont give a s**t, if you do not have a stamp or a decal, he is going to give you a ticket anyways. i have known many people out here who have had DOT appoved products and have their cars pass Vehicle inspections only to get a ticket and notice for another VI(which cost about $150cnd each time) just because the cop felt like being an asshole. took the car in for the VI, it passed again but the ticket was never dropped.
a friend of mine had a brand new BONE STOCK MB C230K, was driving around in richmond(probably fast) got pulled over, the cop gave him a road side check. the cop said the suspension was to stiff, the car was to low, the headlights were illegal because they were blue(OEM Xenon headlights :rolleyes: ), his tires were not street tires(OEM Mich tires). the cop ended up towing the car, giving him a VI notice and a fine for $350 for driving an unfit car for highway use. my buddy drove the car off the lot 3 weeks before and handn't even installed an seatbelt pads on it. the car was BONE STOCK. he went to the rcmp station the next day and bitched out the senior officer on duty and got the tickets dropped and his car back... but there is always going to be an asshole cop out there that is going to ride you into the ground. now i wasn't there to say my friend wasn't be a asshole himself but still... :blink: all over a bone stock car! go figure?
as for the tails, in most canadian provs there are regulations about reflector size and placement in relation to the ground. if you have a euro rear bumper for your ZX3 which have the rev and fog lamps then you are covered as the reflectors are in the rev and fog lamps in the bumper. if you are just running the tails then technically you are running an illegal setup as you do not have the propper rear reflectors. stupid yes but that is how it works. now the Sedan and Wagon european tails do have reflectors in them and are "legal" in that sense, however if a cop feels like being a dick he can make you produce the DOT or SAE stamp. personally, i have never had a problem nor has any of the focus guys out west with their cars and getting hasseled for illegal mods. if you talk to a cop in a polite understanding manner and know what you are talking about then most of the time they will be cool with you. if you act all stand-offish and try and bully them with your opinions/thoughts/what have you, then they will usually be pretty tight and put you thru the ringer.
as every prov is different, you need to check with your local DMV or online and get a copy of the MVA(motor vehicle act). there are sections about lighting requirements, how higher or low a car can be and many other section that have something to sayt about modifying cars... how loud your exhaust can be, under car neons, legal or illegal tires, etc....
if you know your MVA rules, next time you get pulled over you can defend your car propperly, just do it in a polite manner.
also if you ever feel a cop is stepping outside his rights, ask him to show you where in the MVA it says what he is claiming and what he is using to justify the issue at hand. once again, do this politely. and in the end do not be afraid to speak your opinion, just word it propperly... you cannot say the ticket is bullshit and the cop is being a jerk but you can say "you think the ticket is bullshit and in your opinion the cop is being a jerk in the way he is treating you!"
knowing the laws and your rights are very important when you modify cars, if you know them then cops wont be able to jerk you around or wont have a leg to stand on if they try and pull something over on you.
and like i have said before, always address an officer of the law politely and with respect and you will get it in return. and if you do not, then ask the officer why he is not being polite or respectful to you... in a polite and respectable manner! :)
did any of that actually make sense?