Has anyone gotten hassled by cops for aftermarket tail lights and/or side markers?

[soilent]

I want to replace my tails and side markers with some aftermarket stuff. I won't be going with smoked tail lights or anything like that, but perhaps something that isn't 100% street legal, as a lot of aftermarket stuff is. I was curious if anyone with those mods has had trouble with cops for it.

[ryoma]

as long as your tail light is DOT compliant, you should be fine. if you are not sure if it is DOT compliant, the tail light should have a red reflector that lights up from the side I believe. as for side markers, it varies state by state. I think in California, it has to be amber and can't be any other color.

[DemonRawr]

It really depends on where you live and how the police officers are in your area. Ultimately, it also up to your own luck, just like running with window tint and no front license plate where it is illegal to do so.
A lot of people in the Bay Area run non DOT approved tail lights; however, most never really called out for running them. My friend for with smoked Valenti's for example, never had a problem in the years that he had them, but I did hear of a case in which a girl with the clear blue Valenti's did. That is probably due to the color standing out as opposed to the other color option.

[Rifle]

Never have I ever.

Maryland/Pennsylvania area.

[LaertesSon]

Ive had smoked Valentis for over a year now and I've never been bothered. Highly recommend them too!!

Edit: Atlanta area, not very strict about that stuff anyway...

[go_a_way1]

Non DOT here and no issues

[FR-Sky]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VALENTI-12-1...ZWgzMF&vxp=mtr
I am planning to get this 1, is this DOT approved?

[LaertesSon]

Those are the ones I have and I believe they are DOT. Careful with eBay though. Lot of fakes out there. Got mine at modbargains for a good price

[RobertPaulson]

i've got dot approved toms clears and clear sidemarkers that i've been running for over 2 year now. never had a single problem.

[extrashaky]

Originally Posted by ryoma

as long as your tail light is DOT compliant, you should be fine. if you are not sure if it is DOT compliant, the tail light should have a red reflector that lights up from the side I believe. as for side markers, it varies state by state. I think in California, it has to be amber and can't be any other color.

Side markers are also covered under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108, which says they have to be red or amber. You can have clear lenses, but only if you have red or amber bulbs underneath so that they don't shine white at night. Generally speaking, any light that faces rearward (or to the side into the eyes of multi-lane traffic behind you) has to be red or amber to preserve the night vision of the people following.

As for OP's question, most cops have no idea what is DOT compliant and what isn't as long as you don't draw their attention. For example, white side markers with white lamps will draw their attention because they're annoying to the people behind you. Blacked out tails may draw their attention if they're so dim it looks like the tail light is out. Generally the things that would draw their attention most are the things that are annoying to other drivers, so if you're running those without any thought to how you're affecting the people around you, you deserve the ticket anyway for being a jerk.

Occasionally there's some cop who is just an asshole looking to break people's balls. But most don't. Keep your original equipment. If you get a ticket, it's going to be a fix-it ticket, where you just put the OEM lighting back on and get a cop to sign off on the ticket that the equipment violation is repaired to get it dismissed.

[theadmiral976]

Originally Posted by extrashaky

Side markers are also covered under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108, which says they have to be red or amber. You can have clear lenses, but only if you have red or amber bulbs underneath so that they don't shine white at night.

Just to be clear, I think the front sidemarkers must glow amber under US law. Any rear sidemarkers are red (the twins don't have these, rather the OEM tails have red light illuminating the sides of the car). IMHO it's a good thing to have the front sidemarkers glow amber and to make sure that any aftermarket tails glow red along the rear sides. This really can help drivers get a good profile of your vehicle as you are driving in the dark. I know I've found it really helpful on two-lane roads and even when passing vehicles on the freeway. In case you don't believe me, look at a semi-truck when on the interstate at night...it really can help orient you to the truck's length and closing speed.

[DuMa]

non dot here in CA. gotten pulled over last week for speeding 58 in a 45 zone but he never once mentioned my tails. It was at night too.

[Kiske]

I deleted my side markers and the only time someone notices is when I park next to a stock car...

[ed_423]

as long as they are illegal, they will have the rights to give you a citation. and it's not something you can argue with since it's illegal.

but in regards to if they actually care or notice, that's all gonna be luck.