Question: Is Rebadge Legal (Toyota emblem on FR-S)

[RurumariGhost]

Originally Posted by #944_10_Series_FRS

So does the owner of a Lamborghini who rebadges his car to an Altima get pull over?

repoed

[fatalelement]

Originally Posted by Dustin2JZ

Just so guys know, the reason it illegal to rebadge a car to a different make is because it looks criminal to law enforcement.

Let's just say you commit a crime and witnesses say your in a tan 4 door Ferrari.
It's just like if you have blue LEDs or lights on your car you can get a ticket for impersonating a police officer. Cuz that guys 95 civic with Blu under glow looks just like a highway patrol car.


Luckily I live in Mississippi, so I don't have to worry about much street legal mumbo jumbo.

I'm pretty sure I could ride around in R34 skyline and claim its a 240 and get away with it.

Not to be combative, but can you cite any law for this? I can't find anything to suggest it's illegal. The impersonating an officer isn't actually the fine (it's a major felony crime to do that), there's specific statutes in the vehicle codes that prevent forward visible red or blue lights. They will likely try and slap an impersonating an officer charge on too, but a first day public defender could get that dismissed. Looking confusing isn't illegal, you can wear a disguise in public all you want. You can make your car look like a maserati with a body conversion, and it's not illegal to do that.

I've been looking for a while, and other than weird shady tickets and "being pulled over", I can't find any actual evidence this is a legal issue. Just because someone gets and pays a ticket says nothing about its validity.

[lantsalot]

Originally Posted by Ghost 86

I'm pretty sure on my title and insurance it says Toyota as the make. Even on my temp tag it said Toyota you should be fine it's like putting Honda emblems on an Acura you get pulled over show them where it says Toyota

Yup, my registration says this is a Toyota, so honestly I don't see how you can get in trouble for it legally. If anything, you're going to get in trouble for driving it around badged as a scion

[continuecrushing]

---Three guys in jail---

Inmate 1, to inmate 2 : "what you in here for?"
Inmate 2 : "I cut my ex-girlfriend, she had it coming."
Inmate 2, speaking to inmate 3: "what you in here for?"

Inmate 3: "I put a Toyota badge on my Scion"

Inmate 2 and 3, quickly back into the corner of jail cell, huddled together in the fetal position out of immense fear

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Shutter

---Three guys in jail---

Inmate 1, to inmate 2 : "what you in here for?"
Inmate 2 : "I cut my ex-girlfriend, she had it coming."
Inmate 2, speaking to inmate 3: "what you in here for?"

Inmate 3: "I put a Toyota badge on my Scion"

Inmate 2 and 3, quickly back into the corner of jail cell, huddled together in the fetal position out of immense fear

Around here inmates 1 & 2 would say "a what??????"

[Davev]

Based on a quick read of this thread-

#1- I am going to take all badges off the car. That should make it one of the most illegal cars in the county.

#2- rob a bank because if the witnesses can't see the make of the car I will be sure to get away

#3- make up a third party story that's unconfirmed but adds to mis information- oh yea baby- this is the most evil plan of all

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by fatalelement

Not to be combative, but can you cite any law for this? I can't find anything to suggest it's illegal. The impersonating an officer isn't actually the fine (it's a major felony crime to do that), there's specific statutes in the vehicle codes that prevent forward visible red or blue lights. They will likely try and slap an impersonating an officer charge on too, but a first day public defender could get that dismissed. Looking confusing isn't illegal, you can wear a disguise in public all you want. You can make your car look like a maserati with a body conversion, and it's not illegal to do that.

I've been looking for a while, and other than weird shady tickets and "being pulled over", I can't find any actual evidence this is a legal issue. Just because someone gets and pays a ticket says nothing about its validity.

I am with you!
Can't speak for each state but a quick search shows nothing anywhere on the net. Ontario law says absolutely nothing on the subject beyond "the vin identification plate must be affixed to the vehicle, legible and unaltered".
If badging was a legal issue here, my neighbour with his Lambo kit car(including all badging) on the 67 Volkswagen bug chassis (looks REALY cool until he starts it) would be doing life!

[Spacemane969]

I've been wondering this as well.

What about insurance? If I pay on a scion FR-S and rebadge it would there be any issues there?

[fatalelement]

You can rebadge whatever you want. You are not required to display identifiers on your vehicle. Otherwise a body kit would be illegal.

Look it up. Unless you're doing it for criminal purposes, you can go hog wild on whatever you want if it's not a safety hazard.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

[juliog]

Are the ///M badges legal on regular 3 series?

[Tcoat]

So..... Do owners in Europe, Japan, Australia, Etc.Et, rebadge as Scions to mess with people's heads??????

[fatalelement]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

So..... Do owners in Europe, Japan, Australia, Etc.Et, rebadge as Scions to mess with people's heads??????

I actually have read that Scion badges are somewhat popular in Japan for the same reason the Toyota badges are popular here. - import items are just as popular in enthusiast markets in Japan.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

[teamturbo]

Originally Posted by juliog

Are the ///M badges legal on regular 3 series?

Reminds me of a time when me and my older brother saw a badged 3 series ///M in a parking lot. We left the owner a sticky note on his windshield calling him out on it. We took personal offense since we were in the real deal.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by teamturbo

Reminds me of a time when me and my older brother saw a badged 3 series ///M in a parking lot. We left the owner a sticky note on his windshield calling him out on it. We took personal offense since we were in the real deal.

It is really only the true enthusiasts that even know what different badging even means. The general run of the mill person doesn't know, nor care, most of the time. I am not a huge BMW fan (not for any particular reason just never was) and you could badge any model as anything else and I would not have a clue it was wrong.
My wife drove an old beater AMC Pacer many years ago and my Dad found some plastic knock off (when such things were made in Japan not China) Porsche badges that he stuck on it. It was amazing how many people yelled at her for not taking care of such a "beautiful car"!
In fairness it is easy to see how they were confused as they looked SOOOOO much the same!