[soundman98]

ok, so here's the legal response when it comes to lighting laws. on my last car, i did a lot of customization of the lighting, because it combined my electronic and automotive hobbies. in the process, i started reading and learning where US laws are currently on any and all vehicle lighting.

per Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, Section 108, which is entirely about vehicle lighting, all housings are self-certified as a completed, complaint assembly by the manufacturer of the assembly, including the bulbs specified by that manufacturer. any alteration whatsoever of a housing once it has left the factory makes the entire housing illegal. period. that means, any films/coatings/sprays(it makes no difference if the coating is clear or opaque), or any bulb deviation from what is stamped into the bottom of the housing will make the entire assembly unfit for use on american roads. the law in written in such a way that a small scratch could be considered 'damage', as the lighting assemblies are considered precision assemblies, and that small scratch can affect the housings light output. show me one car over 10 years old without a few scratches in any of the lighting assemblies...

i did a lot of research into attempting to get my modified tail light assemblies certified. the short answer is that the law is written specifically to only allow manufacturers to offer any automotive lighting solutions. there are no paths to independent self-certification.. aftermarket housings is a magical grey area, as they're both manufacturers, and they don't ask permission to put the stamps on them. so the housings while having the appropriate stampings on them, the majority of the time rarely comply the requisite laws on output or intensity difference between functions.

the only legally correct answer per FMVSS 108 to anyone that wants to run a different bulb/housing is that they need to replace the entire vehicle with something that contains that lighting assembly from the manufacturer.

this is the state of automotive lighting in america, where the only winners are corporations who have bent the country to their will.

knowing this, it means that we as consumers are all losers. we are free to install any and all bulb styles and aftermarket housings as we want on our cars, but must know that the risk is that at any point throughout the judicial system, the cards are stacked against such moves, and we must rely on being a small problem in a large system where many of the law enforcers are oblivious to the applicable laws in a very small subset of a specific category.

all of this is to say that if an officer of the law were to take the time to familiarize themselves with the current federal laws (i'm not even getting into state laws, or local ordinances) on vehicle lighting that all states by law must uphold, there are very few cars that are legal anywhere if they're older than 5 years, which interestingly encourages everyone to replace their vehicles more often...

which is why i still modify my vehicle lighting. if i'm fvcked every which way i look into it, i'm going to take my time and enjoy it in some way.