So a couple weeks back I drove out to LA for my moms graduation. On the way home I ended up passing by a CHP. I knew they had to be waiting up for me cause they pulled in between two semis. Sure enough after passing by they pull behind me and pull me over. I'm thinking well guess I finally get a speeding ticket, must be my time. But for 2-3 mph over? Fine, what ever.

First thing out of the officers mouth, I pulled you over today for tinted headlights and taillights. ????????????????? I'm totally caught off guard and in shock over what I just heard. I'm thinking, wait what? Thinking back over all the modifications done to my car, taillights never enter the picture. They are bone stock. No tinting, no covers, oem, equipped as from the factory. Must be the honeycomb design. But surely if it was illegal, the DOT wouldn't have approved the design and allowed Firebirds from 1998 to 2002 to be sold as they were.

So I'm asked to turn on my headlights and I do. Of course they flip up and shine bright as any. Came back and said my headlights were fine. I'm thinking, no ****. Guess only a CHP officer can mistake body panels for headlight covers/tinting.

The officer also said my window tint was illegal. 35% on my front windows. After looking up Cali law upon my return home, sure enough can't have **** on the front windows. But seriously is 35% really that dark? I am within legal limits in AZ, which is 33% on the front windows.

So I ended up being "given a break" by getting a fix-it ticket for my tint. Still waiting for the paperwork to get mailed out to me. They are expecting me to remove my tint, drive out to Cali to get signed off that my tint was removed, drive back to Phoenix, get my tint put back on. This all sounds rather annoying.

My question to Tech is this, anyone else with a 98-02 Firebird get pulled over because you happened to buy said vehicle and drive it as it is?

 

That sucks... I was under the impression that as long as your vehicle meets the regulations for the state or county it is registered in you couldn't get a ticket from another state. I know plenty of people who live in California but have their vehicle registered out of state for smog reasons and have never had any issues.

 

Lame. But it brings up a good question to ponder, how can people get busted for tinted headlights if there are cars with the flip up headlights

 

Just pay the Fine..

 

fix it ticket plus 15 bucks just get it signed off


had that happen in my red camaro 2 months ago in rancho the chp went out of his way to pull me over for tint 35% as well hardly noticeable i was like dam that was a close one good thing i was in the v6 haha then there could have been big problems in the other cars

 

This is interesting... How can they give you a non moving violation such as tinted tail lights and tinted windows if your car isn't registered in Cali?

 

Exactly, unless I perhaps planned to be driving regularly in California, that ticket would go straight into the wastebasket.

 

Id call up a lawyer and ask their advice.

My take is this though. If you conform to your states laws, then that is it. End of case unless you are traveling through GA which can legally ticket you if you are out of state.

Ive been pulled over in my Formula for not having a front license plate before but I lived in a no front plate state and was just traveling my family in Texas. Didnt get a ticket but it was annoying as it happened 4 times that trip.

 

I believe there's a no Helmet law in Arizona, so if I cross the border from Arizona to California would it be perfectly fine to ride around without a helmet ?

 

I haven't been to California in like 5 years. So it's not like I travel there a lot or at all for that matter.

 

Tinted head lights, lol.

 

Thats different, for 1 it is posted when you travel into nevada / california from arizona that you need to wear a helmet.

2. It is not a condition ON the vehicle.

When you register and smog your vehicle in one state you agree to abide by those laws. Now if the laws are the same in both states (ie front license plate) then you would still have to abide by the ticket. They assume people will just pay it... I would still contact someone to make sure.


Just odd that he would pull you over only for something that wasnt an issue.

 

if i lived in oklahoma where there is no emissions, i wouldn't be expected to go do emissions when i came into arizona. UNLESS, i changed the registration over. get a lawyer's advice on this one. they can't expect people to visit the state and change their vehicles to their laws when they're not registered there.

 

How is it different if it's a law ? That's like me taking my car to Vegas with the tinted front windsheild that it has and I receive a ticket for it and trying to fight it. I'm sure it's ilegal there and I know for a fact it's ilegal here in California.

 

That cop needs a new job..lol

 

However, his tint IS legal in his home state.

 

But the front window tint is legal in his registered state. So your analogy is invalid.

 

Yeah that cop was wrong, if it is legal in the state in which you are registered then he has no standing, I would contact a lawyer and ask if they do free consultation and verify this. This guy was just trying to be a *****.

 

******* cops need to get a life and a real job and stop pestering people over retarded non-existent ****. **** pisses me off when I hear stories like this...

1. AZ does in fact have a no helmet law

2. You shouldn't have been given a ticket if your car conforms to laws from your registered state.

3. I hate this state...

/rant...

 

Vette310 you sir are a moron, end of story.