Modified Exhaust Ticket Help
 

Just got a ticket for "modified exhaust to amplify noise." I have burnt titanium (obv doesn't look stock) Invidia n1 catback, the rest is stock. Ticket was from Chino, CA pd. I put in my silencers and took it to Rancho CHP, the officer immediately told me it HAS TO BE STOCK. I'm thinking he is just an asshole because the only law I found for modified exhaust is no more than 95db @ 3/4 redline and emissions. Pretty damn sure the n1 doesn't get THAT loud (especially with silencers in), and I still have both cat's.

Maybe I should try a different PD to write it off?
Thoughts / Experience?

From what I understand, as long as cat forward is unmolested, you can do anything cat back in cal. As long as it meets sound requirements.

You either caught the cop after he fought with his wife, or you are really loud, or you did something to piss the cop off.

"every passenger vehicle operated off the highways shall at all times be equipped with an adequate muffler in constant operation and proper maintained so as to meet the requirements of Article 2.5" - Does not say must be stock.

"The Department of Motor Vehicles may accept a dealer's certificate as proof of compliance with this article" - Call around and see if there is some exhaust shop that actually will measure it.

The measuring criteria is actually pretty stringent.

"The exhaust noise of vehicles manufactured after 1967 may exceed 95 dB(A) if the replacement parts are no louder than the original equipment" - Maybe this is what the second cop was saying?

Read all this:
http://www.bobsmuffler.com/noise.htm

trd is the best

Can you not just pay the fine?

I believe "fix it tickets" the person must show proof that the violation was corrected before they can pay.

The real source of the problem is "CA".

Paint the tips?

Man that sucks, I think your best bet is to try a different pd like you said. If that doesn't work keep returning (at different times) to get a different officer to sign off. Also be super nice when you come and try and chat them up before they look at the car. If that doesn't work you may be stuck with installing stock exhaust for the dam fix it ticket then switch back it's a bitch but I'm not sure that you have many other options. You can also try calling the pd to clairify the law before you arrive to test the waters if you might get another **** cop.

Yea I guess I gotta try multiple times.

I was thinking painting then with Plasti dip so they look"less modified". Don't think it can handle that heat though.

Yea, we got some dumb ass laws.

Save your money and don't wreck the look you paid so much for, either they're testing you to a law or they aren't.

Yes that other cop was an asshole. When he says it has to be stock politely reply "Oh I did not know that sir, what section of the vehicle code is that under so I can understand better?"

That's a bold strategy, Cotton!

Every ticket is required to reference the law that was allegedly broken, one of the foundations of the justice system of this country is to know what you are accused of, it's not an unreasonable response.

We're not talking about some bullshit 'don't tread on me' first nation assholes. When you smell shit and it's your money/privileges on the line do you hold your nose and eat it or do you send it back?

Hell I'll admit I'm wrong if anyone can come up with a California law that mandates factory exhaust from the emissions equipment back, but to my knowledge it does not exist and that officer was being a shitbag.

Police can pull you over for whatever reason. Just like my last ticket, the A Hole cop decided to write me a NON CORRECTABLE front license plate ticket which is $200. At the end, the judge dismissed it, and I only paid $25 bucks court fee.
If I were you, simply change your exhaust back and sign it off. There is no best way to do other than this. Changing an exhaust like 30-45mins max.

As someone who does not live in the USA but watches the news, is this not the point where they just shoot you? :burnrubber:

At least taser.

I got this same ticket this morning in CA, Invidia N1

I'm going to scheduled my inspection and put in the silencers and see if i can pass, the officer did mention "if you take it down there and it passes like it is, then ok" he chose not to sight me on my "aftermarket intake" aka Perrin inlet hose elbow.

he also sighted me for not having mudflaps.. my car is widebody and apparently that's a requirement FYI

Well now. That is a fun one I have never heard before.


sh27600.

"No person shall operate any motor vehicle having three or
more wheels, any trailer, or semitrailer unless equipped with
fenders, covers, or devices, including flaps or splash aprons, or
unless the body of the vehicle or attachments thereto afford adequate
protection to effectively minimize the spray or splash of water or
mud to the rear of the vehicle and all such equipment or such body or
attachments thereto shall be at least as wide as the tire tread.
This section does not apply to those vehicles exempt from
registration, trailers and semitrailers having an unladen weight of
under 1,500 pounds, or any vehicles manufactured and first registered
prior to January 1, 1971, having an unladen weight of under 1,500
pounds."


Looks like most States either have no requirement or they are only mandatory on large vehicles.


http://www.minimania.com/pdfile/Mud_Flap_Laws_NETA.pdf

Yea, I wondered how many others in CA with widebody modifications have been hassled about this? Because... I'm not going to install flaps.

Pick up some cheapass generic EBay ones that are wide enough and throw them in your trunk. If you get dinged again you can show you have them and just haven't installed them yet. Even if only a 50/50 chance of getting away with it there is still a chance it would work.

Yup, here in Honolulu one of the guys in the local FT86 club failed "Reconstructed Inspection" because of the widebody. He was told the car needed mudflaps. So one of the other members made the mudflaps for him then it passed, "Recon". Of course he took off the homemade mudflaps after he got the sticker for "Recon". :lol::lol::lol:

I had a local sheriff give me the eye and he wailed his siren at me when I was driving to work the other day. I was like WTF I'm not speeding. Then realized it was probably my Valenti taillights or he was just being a asshole who wished he was a full fledged cop. :lol:

For OP:

https://www.bar.ca.gov/FormsPubs/Fac...ification.html

Relevant text:
The exhaust ticket fine varies from city to city. Is it worth a few hours labor if your exhaust is too loud?

You can pay prior to fixing but if you don't fix it, there's no proof it passes and the next time OP gets pulled over for a loud exhaust, they have no defense.

I got a "modified emissions" fix-it ticket once in ~2002 or so. I paid the $450 fine and the ticket simply went away...

We have 95db, Oregon's shit laws have 88db AND it's measured at 20', good luck with that... the stock exhaust is like 83.5db.

https://www.oregonlaws.org/ors/815.250
http://www.oregon.gov/odot/dmv/docs/vcb815.pdf

In this case, the real source of the problem is "police officers that don't know the laws they are attempting to enforce". But hey, let's all pretend Oregon's laws are way better.

Everything you said is accurate.

I participated on the committee that basically got CA BAR to actually enforce the 95db test program at BAR referee stations about 15 years ago. The program worked well and everyone was happy, but then it ran out of money and basically we're back to the original system of "officers cite whenever they want and enthusiasts don't have much to defend with" situation.

There's many laws that people break, whether knowingly or otherwise. And to make matters worse, it varies a lot from state to state.

-alex

*cite

He was cited on sight at the site.

The point being good luck with your argument with the cops at the time of the stop.

LOL, I never said they were better, and I don't recall ever hearing about a noise ticket on this or another forum (MC) I'm a member of. There are any number of assholes in this city who I would LOVE to see get ticketed but it never happens.

Could be our cops just "drive by and smile" with this issue as well.

A. The interaction in question occurred when @ExTempo took his car to be inspected to reduce the fine on the ticket, not during a traffic stop, it is perfectly reasonable to ask why your car is failing when you've taken time out of your day to meet with an officer and comply with the law, the officer failed to provide a valid explanation for why the vehicle would not pass.

B. At the time of the stop the officer must record the law you are accused of violating on the ticket. I'm not advocating arguing with LEO's during traffic stops, any infraction will be documented and can be addressed at a later date in court or during a vehicle inspection. It's now that later date for the OP and he's getting tossed a bag of shit instead of receiving a reasonable inspection.

I must have misunderstood your earlier post, as I thought you were saying the stop WAS the time.

Could be, but I'd rather the cops enforce the law(s) equally (even if the law was unfair/unjust) rather than "let's just ignore it when it is convenient"

I'd rather see more people get bogus tickets for Oregon's exhaust sound limit, so that there is an active campaign to get the laws changed. Otherwise, 88db just screws everyone over.

But yes, it's only a California problem as you said. Ignorance is bliss.

-alex

How do you know? Do you follow each and every one around all the time and see if they get tickets? If you don't see it yourself it doesn't happen?


Don't know what other forums you frequent but I have seen just as many or even more threads on noise tickets issued on others. Was pretty much a daily event on both the Evo and DGM forums I was on.

...and yet I hear a hundred Mustangs, Challengers & Camaros rumble around the streets at high volumes, getting thumbs up from Johnny Law. BOO!

http://knownpeople.net/wp-content/up...rada-photo.jpg

Yes, I follow them. Or, seeing the same shitheads over and over again. Perhaps they just have the ticket-and-fixit came figured out.

know and understand the violation you were written up for. next time you go to get the fix-it ticket written off if it still doesn't pass then you need to say that you looked up that violation and that to the best of your knowledge the vehicle is now compliant with the changes you made and if it isn't passing then they need to explain what is currently out of code for that violation.

Exactly.

Update: Late, i got my ticket extended.. procrastination

Rolled up to my State Inspection center this morning with the silencers installed, and the guys pretty much told me out front "it's going to fail"
Got to talking with them a little more (and turns out were cool guys) especially one rep who told me the silencers need to be welded in place for this to be a viable fix. He did reveal to me it really only needed to be a technical weld.. so even just tack welding in silencer bolt would be enough.

They gave me the option to remove the silencers and try the Db test, if i didn't pass no charge and i could work out what to do from that point.

Long story short, I passed without silencers installed. 94.3 Db (0.7 under the states required 95.00 Db limit) Invidia N1 Cat back only :party0030:

The last part is reference to how a 96db Stock s2000 is legal.

Good for you!

This is why people can't take these tickets at face value just because you don't like it. The law is strict and concise on the limits of sound, so if you are below it you are 100% good to go for any future encounters.

-alex