yeah. engine is pretty much bone stock as i'm pretty much done with ever messing with smog/emissions-related stuff on a daily driver. i got that out of my system when i was in my 20s.

the cop that pulled me over called in a 2nd cop and this dood is the one that went through my entire engine and undercarriage with a flashlight. it looked like he was looking for missing cats and/or a nitrous line lol. when they couldnt find anything illegal in the engine, he starts giving me a hard time about the jdm clear side markers and kept saying "why did you do that? why would you do that? my motorcycle is amber. yours need to be too. why would do something like that?" LOL i just shrugged my shoulders hahah

"why did you do that? why would you do that? my motorcycle is amber. yours need to be too. why would do something like that?" Should have said, for the same reason you woke up this morning and decided to be a ****.

LOL!! i mean i get that technically, clear sidemarkers are illegal, but damn... he didnt have to be such an asshole about it.

i see where a lot of LEO's are coming from in terms of "just doing their job" and i understand it can be hard to distinguish "illegal street racers" to just "a modified car" at first sight. fine. im not mad i got pulled over as i knew it was going to happen one day with my exhaust. but f'n ey... a state ref ticket?! even after they inspected that my engine is all stock with all smog equipment. and i was respectful and polite to both of them the whole time. oh well. you win some and you lose some i guess.

I'm surprised he still gave you a state ref ticket even though you had both your cats in.

same here :/

btw ive been wondering when i would see your car again but now i try to avoid that damn tunnel altogether and take the long route around pershing instead now hahhaha

Haha, I still go through there at lunch time, but to and from work, I use the 405/105 as much as possible.

"it can be hard to distinguish "illegal street racers" to just "a modified car" at first sight" Oh totally, but thats the thing, the difference between an illegal street racer and a modified car, is your not in the act of illegally street racing. Its just such garbage. By his dumb logic, a Vespa with small wing is an illegal street racer.

actually, the reflector part needs to be amber, not just the light that emits from a side marker. this is why even though JDM/Euro cars have "clear/white" reflectors, when they become DOT-approved they all change to amber/orange reflectors up front.

that said though, having amber bulbs light up behind the clear side marker definitely reduces the chance of a ticket A LOT, to almost zero. but if the cop wants to be a d*ck, he can still give you a fix-it ticket for that. that's why you'll never see a DOT-approved clear/white side marker. :(

I stand corrected - from the 2015 CA vehicle code directly - I was looking at the foglight section earlier when i mis-spoke.

"A vehicle shall also be equipped with an amber reflector
on the front near the left side and a red reflector on the rear
near the left side. The reflectors shall be mounted on the
vehicle not lower than 16 inches nor higher than 60 inches
above the ground and so designed and maintained as to be
visible during darkness from all distances within 500 feet from
the vehicle when directly in front of a motor vehicle displaying
lawful lighted headlamps undimmed."


Full Vehicle Code online - https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/wcm/co...0-d9470b4262f3

shit. maybe it was updated in the past few years? i remember i got a ticket for this back in the early 00s in my honda lol. the cop didnt care i had amber bulbs cuz my clear corner still reflected "white" when light was shined on it :/

Funny thing is, my 04 xb came with clear side markers / amber bulbs, and i got that new off the dealer lot..

Each year i get a new copy of the VC, for kicks i'll check some of the past years and see when the change was applied.

I got pulled over in LAX a couple days ago strictly because of my exhaust. Maybe it was the same cop. It was some Filipino looking guy on a motorcycle. He pulls me over and asks me, "do you know why I pulled you over?". I looked at him a little confused because I was obeying the law and he says "I pulled you over because of your exhaust". Then proceeds to ask me to pop the hood. Comes back and says "Your intake is legal because it's not the big cone type". I figured I should keep my mouth shut about that and told him that everything on my car is 50 state legal, including the exhaust. He tells me he can check and proceeds to look under my car. I tell him all cats are there and it passes emissions and sound dB. Then he says "Ok. I'm pushing myself here, but just don't do anymore to your car that would increase pollution. There are cars out there that go overboard. By the way, your car looks great. Take care" and walked away.

First time being pulled over in LAX and first time being pulled over strictly for an exhaust. Felt like I was living in 1998 again.

Should of got his number so you can run any new mods passed him since he feels is his business to ask you not to lol. He didn't have blue skin and a flat-top did he? He fits the description of Captain Planet... Don't pollute kids

fuck, sounds like the same cop that pulled me over near LAX, except him and his back up buddy were assholes! i was polite to both of them too. maybe i should've been proactive about saying i have all my smog equipment stock and it passes all the tests lol. congrats on the pass tho!

i now drive a new way to/from work and avoid LAX area altogether :/