LED headights? (Page 6/6)
Daryl M MAR 09, 01:10 AM

quote
Originally posted by theogre:

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Daryl M:
I find this conversation interesting. Obviously there are some places where these equipment issues are strictly enforced, band other places where nearly no equipment is even checked unless said equipment Causes an obvious issue. It would be interesting to see where everyone commenting is located.

Doesn't matter where people lives... Depending on region, most drive in other Towns, Counties, States, even different Countries.

Local Police often ignore problems but Nearly All Police can or will Stop you for Any Light Problems not just HL problems.
Anyone claiming whatever "Legal" at "home" is Legal elsewhere are only fooling themselves or lying to others.

State and other agencies can and do use speeding, light problems, and more Primary Offense reasons to Stop Out of State Drivers then "Go Finishing" looking for Drugs etc.
Southern State Tags driving North on I95 etc get stopped in VA, MD, NJ, DE and PA for any Primary Offense in that state.
Live in one state and work in another next to home state can still get stopped in the work state more often like 1 guy I know got stop 2x in work state for light problems for installing a cutout ram sticker over taillights. While he whined,,, others hind laughing because boss was LEO going a "Picard Facepalm."
Many get stopped for having Fog/Drivers lights on w/o meeting the rest of rules to use them.
Many get stopped for having "Rally lights" on front or on a "roll bar" and other Aux light On or w/o covers driving on the street.
Many get stopped for having other light on, like lights under the car, when parked and forget to turn them off before pulling out of McD etc.

Related issue is Studded Tires. Stud Rules change by State including Start and End Dates where they allow them at all.
Example: Is a small stretch of I90 when goes between NY, OH thru PA and PA would Stop every OH and NY drivers w/ Studs because PA didn't have same start/end dates or was Banned. Many would drive from say Binghamton NY into PA w/ Studs got stopped too. PA state and towns got Many Thousands of $ per year just for Studded Tires on Out of State cars. Much more when they find Big Tickets items or arrest you for whatever.

Many drive across Northern Boarder can get stopped by Police in either country plus US and CA Customs.

That's just in the US... Others places can be much harder just to Pass Inspections.
Canada has some different rules/laws in different Provinces w/ some inspections are sticker then others sim to US states. Think BC Gov now shows inspectors to look for ECE mark on HL but can't find link now.
Meanwhile a "quick" overview of a car Passing UK MOT... (Is ~ 1 hour to watch a real passing MOT) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBORGEXmlYU
But read the MOT Rules updated in 2019... @ https://mtta.org.uk/mot-ins...-passenger-vehicles/
In Short, Light Rules Now says...
quote
Existing halogen headlamp units should not be converted to be used with HID bulbs. If such a conversion has been done, you must fail the headlamp.

From 4. Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment - MOT inspection manual: cars and passenger vehicles - 4.1.4. Compliance with requirements
Other parts of light rule are made to block LED and other HL "upgrades"...

quote
Defect -- Category
(a) Headlamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements -- Major
(b) Product on the lens or light source which obviously reduces light intensity or changes emitted colour to other than white or yellow -- Major
(c) Light source and lamp not compatible -- Major
(d) Mandatory headlamps, intended to be a matched pair, are not the same shape, size or colour -- Major

Major = Fail and often Do Not Drive until fixed and Cops will see a Failing MOT when they "run a Tag." [/QUOTE]

I'm sure all you say is true, but in the western (not coastal) states these issues are largely not a big deal. I think there is more of an independent anti-government attitue that is not seen as much in the East or Canada. Just my take.
Spadesluck MAR 09, 01:01 PM
At the end of the day its an individual choice, your car. Now I now the argument can be had that lights blinding other cars but to be honest there are some ridiculous bright lights coming out of the factory on the newer vehicles. In all my years of driving I have never been pulled over for the illegal use of bulbs. Only thing remotely close was a cop pulling me over thinking I had my brights on and he just wanted to warn me before hitting the highway. Of all the things we do to our cars the LED light debate seems to bring up the most "illegal" talk. Cat delete, EGR delete, to loud of mufflers etc...these do not even get the same rhetoric, its ridiculous in my opinion.
Daryl M MAR 09, 04:27 PM

quote
Originally posted by Spadesluck:

At the end of the day its an individual choice, your car. Now I now the argument can be had that lights blinding other cars but to be honest there are some ridiculous bright lights coming out of the factory on the newer vehicles. In all my years of driving I have never been pulled over for the illegal use of bulbs. Only thing remotely close was a cop pulling me over thinking I had my brights on and he just wanted to warn me before hitting the highway. Of all the things we do to our cars the LED light debate seems to bring up the most "illegal" talk. Cat delete, EGR delete, to loud of mufflers etc...these do not even get the same rhetoric, its ridiculous in my opinion.



I have to agree about the ridiculous part. I realize many in the east don't have this issue, but in the west we have "open range". That means that cattle are allowed to wander at will. If you hit one of these animals, you pay up to 3 times their value to the owner and are responsible for fixing your own car. I'd rather be able to see that black cow at night. If I hit one in a Fiero, I'd probably be dead.
theogre MAR 09, 09:57 PM

quote
Originally posted by Daryl M:
I'm sure all you say is true, but in the western (not coastal) states these issues are largely not a big deal. I think there is more of an independent anti-government attitue that is not seen as much in the East or Canada. Just my take.



quote
Originally posted by Spadesluck:
At the end of the day its an individual choice, your car. Now I now the argument can be had that lights blinding other cars but to be honest there are some ridiculous bright lights coming out of the factory on the newer vehicles. In all my years of driving I have never been pulled over for the illegal use of bulbs. Only thing remotely close was a cop pulling me over thinking I had my brights on and he just wanted to warn me before hitting the highway. Of all the things we do to our cars the LED light debate seems to bring up the most "illegal" talk. Cat delete, EGR delete, to loud of mufflers etc...these do not even get the same rhetoric, its ridiculous in my opinion.

Again, Your local police often ignore many problems on local cars... Even "State Police" often will ignore local cars often w/ major problems.

Delete Emissions parts are covered here and many other places and often say is illegal too. This may get "less press" only because won't cause a wreck.
Over Bright HL on "new" cars often have "upgrades" installed by owners or have other problems. I rarely see problems Cars w/ Factory Installed HID or LED because are aimed right unless vehicle is uneven loaded like crap in trunk, overloaded, etc. Some new cars have self-leveling HL for this reason but they often only help w/in set of conditions or they break.

In AZ etc many often won't drive state to state or only to next state.
In other places, like many areas East of Mississippi, you can easily drive thru several states in a few minutes to a few hours.
Is common to drive DC to NYC or even to Boston in a day and have a target on your back most or all of the way depending on your tag. Driving just Philly to NYC has you driving in many jurisdictions, more so if you don't use limited access roads.

Example:
You have guns and think will travel w/ them w/ AZ tags to hunt in Maine and drive on I95 and NJTP from DC...
DC bans most guns so visiting si.edu like air & space w/ your car can be bad. (Park&Ride to take WMATA train can have problems too depending where you park outside of DC.)
NJ have Gun and Ammo bans.
If you get to NYC... NYC has gun bans Worse then NYS.

If you use PA TP, will likely still go thru NJ and NYC.
Avoid NJ and NYC is possible but NYS and others now bans a lot of guns, mag > 7 rounds, etc.

The Point... You better hope that any cops in those areas only write you for an Equipment Violation for crap HL or other light problems and doesn't search your car.
NJ searches you/car and find Just One Hollow Point round then go to jail. HP is Banned in NJ and That alone is a Felony even w/o a gun. CCW in your state? NJ and many others doesn't recognize them and will go to jail if carrying. But Have Guns/Ammo in the Trunk w/ more locks... Beside Bans of some gun types and just what types depend on state or worse... Just have a ban gun or other parts can be very bad. Many areas have "Gun Free School Zones" and Any Gun in them even multi-locked in the trunk then driver and everyone else in the car can get arrested.
dremu MAR 10, 12:03 AM
And the Coast Guard will pull you over for LED fire extinguishers. Especially the "upgrade" ones from the Fiero Store.

-- A
theogre MAR 10, 11:12 AM

quote
Originally posted by dremu:
And the Coast Guard will pull you over for LED fire extinguishers. Especially the "upgrade" ones from the Fiero Store.

-- A

Funny. Not.
If you own or operate a boat requiring to have Fire Extinguishers and Coast Guard etc inspects it finding them missing or not USCG approved then you can have big problems and large fines. Most FE are Not USCG Certified. Only a fraction of units make by most companies are made for boats or airplanes.

USCG, Harbor Patrol and others can board any boat and search for nearly any reason. Way easier then cops stopping most cars.
Most places also extend DUI to boat operation. A lot of fools "go boating," get drunk doing so and get arrested. Worse legal problems and many News Press if they cause a wreck DUI.

During last year, a lot of boats sold to morons w/o a clue everywhere for a "safe" thing to do. No sign it will stop this year except can't find any in many places. Just a few weeks ago, Friend even sold a small boat still need work after big storm flooded it w/ rain water sitting on a trailer. (Drain plug out but rain too fast plus loose crap block the drain.)