Appearance & Detailing Interior & Exterior Appearance Modifications

Taillights Blackouts illegal??????

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Old Jan 24, 2006 | 06:58 PM
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Default Taillights Blackouts illegal??????

Well, I used to have a set of blackouts over taillights of my trans am, they do look great and light is not obstructed. I was stopped and given a warning to take them off by local police. Are these blackouts illegal in Texas? Any links where this is stated? A friend of mine also got stopped because of blackouts on his 1997 formula..... difference is he DID get a ticket.
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Old Jan 24, 2006 | 07:04 PM
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I would imagine it's illegal in all states, it says for off-road use only right there on the box.

the laws are trying to tell you how tacky they look
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Old Jan 24, 2006 | 07:29 PM
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From the Texas DPS site
any device that impairs the required effectiveness of headlamps, taillamps, reflectors or etc is prohibited
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Old Jan 24, 2006 | 07:51 PM
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I used model car spray on tint to tint my rear taillights and I think it looked pretty badass. I had them incredibly dark too. During the day you couldnt see my brake lights. Never got stopped. Sold them to a friend and he has yet to have a problem after having them for 4 months. I plan on doing it again to mine, just not so dark. Guess Texas cops are just more picky about that stuff.
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Old Jan 24, 2006 | 09:37 PM
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I'm fairly sure that blackouts are illegal in all 50 states when on the highway. They're meant for shows and such. It depends how bored your local cops are if they try and pick on you about it. I had some DOT blacked out halogen lights on my 86 S10 and a cop tried to write me up for them but said he couldn't because it was daytime. He did write me up for window tint and a tinted license plate cover. I had the lights on my Camaro tinted for most of the summer last year and never got bothered but they were a medium spray tint and not plastic blackouts. You're lucky you only got a warning.
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Old Jan 24, 2006 | 09:47 PM
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Illegal...maybe....when I had mine on I had the first set SHATTER in a drive through car wash, and when I purchased a replaced set, they were both stollen from my car within 2 weeks....
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Old Jan 24, 2006 | 09:48 PM
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I've been pulled over with my tinted taillights installed, the cop was harassing me because I had 35% tinted windows... never mentioned the taillights tho. All depends on how the cops are.
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Old Jan 24, 2006 | 09:50 PM
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ive talked to an IL state cop, and he even looked at the taillights, said they were fine

ive had them on for about 1 1/2 years now with no problems
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Old Jan 24, 2006 | 09:58 PM
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I want some bad... what brand??
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Old Jan 24, 2006 | 10:09 PM
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i bought some GTS from autozone, like $35
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Old Jan 24, 2006 | 10:17 PM
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Niteshades is the way to go, IMO, paint it on and it won't warp your taillights.
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Old Jan 24, 2006 | 10:22 PM
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Plastic blackouts always have and always will look tacky. Spray tint them and they look a million times better.
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Old Jan 24, 2006 | 10:26 PM
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Originally Posted by GETGONE
Plastic blackouts always have and always will look tacky. Spray tint them and they look a million times better.
i like how you make your opinion sound like a fact, personally i like my plastic blackouts

besides i didnt know about the spray tint untill after i bought them, 1.5 years and still no warping
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Old Jan 24, 2006 | 10:43 PM
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Originally Posted by LiquidFire350
i like how you make your opinion sound like a fact, personally i like my plastic blackouts

besides i didnt know about the spray tint untill after i bought them, 1.5 years and still no warping
yeah yours look good, im considering getting them with the black rims
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Old Jan 24, 2006 | 10:51 PM
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Far away they may look OK but up close they look like *** to me because they stick out. They also fall off pretty easy. I was racing a guy who had them on at the dragstrip and he was was faster than me and it was flapping like crazy on the back. When he hit the turn off it came flying off. I stopped and picked it up. His other one wasn't far from falling off either. I never had that problem with spray tinted lights.
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Old Jan 24, 2006 | 11:00 PM
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you have to take the taillights out to put mine on, but i do agree with you, spray on looks much better, kinda wish i knew about that before i bought them

oh well, i dont think they look bad the way they are now, so im happy
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Old Jan 25, 2006 | 11:20 AM
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Never had a problem with mine, I like the way they look on my car. The only issue is now I have to KEEP them on because over the years my taillight lense started melting from the heat building up between the lense and the cover. Im most likely going to buy some new aftermarket taillights and ditch the covers altogether.
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Old Jan 25, 2006 | 11:52 AM
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I have a set on my 99 WS6 and for like 4 years now in illinois ive only had 1 problem and that was in a small town with cops that had nothing better to do. Even then he only told me that it was a little dark. The cop thought i didnt have my lights on because he was in a parking lot then when he caught up to me and realized i did have my lights on he just told me they looked a little dark but thats it he just let me go. I say anyone that wants they just put them on and if you dont ever hear anything then dont worry about it. But im pretty sure they are technically illegal.
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Old Jan 25, 2006 | 02:01 PM
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Originally Posted by GETGONE
Far away they may look OK but up close they look like *** to me because they stick out. They also fall off pretty easy. I was racing a guy who had them on at the dragstrip and he was was faster than me and it was flapping like crazy on the back. When he hit the turn off it came flying off. I stopped and picked it up. His other one wasn't far from falling off either. I never had that problem with spray tinted lights.
*note to self - plastic blackouts are faster than spray tinted ones....*

Some cops just sort of ... um....dick around half the time.... if one gets bored enough they'll find something to harrass you for even if you drive a stock 84 chrylser minivan.
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Old Jan 25, 2006 | 04:12 PM
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I had them on my car (looked badass by the way) and I had been followed by cops numerous times and had never been pulled over before and then one day I got pulled over and he gave me a hard time about them (I think I pissed him off because I slowed down to the posted speed limit through a construction zone, and I didn't know there was even a cop behind me because my window was all fogged up from the dew). I took them off (needed to anyway to clean them) and havn't put them back on yet since I need new adhesive and my car's getting painted soon so I'd have to take them back off. I've been considering the tint though, I don't know how well that'd look on a 3rd gen since the taillights aren't flat all the way accross.
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