How Legal Is Your Car?

[325iCabrio]

Fuck you people who rock no insurance like it's cool btw.

I've driven with expired plates and no license plate in the front. That's about the extent of it--it's not worth the high fines for other things.

[backtrail69]

My Eta.... Euro Bumpers, no sidemarkers, euro ellips and HIDs. My 325is... smoked sidemarkers, smoked tails, smoked headlights, smoked turns, no cat, loud exhaust and thats it. 2002 doesn't have insurance or current tabs, but it is in storage and I haven't driven it in months. It is legal every other way.

[Mike325]

I guess for me just the hids. Damn, I am a goody two shoes:p

My accord has tint that is too dark.

[Mastrcruse]

Just a question. Why would HID's and euro ellips be illegal? Cars come with HID's now a days so why can't one upgrade. What is the big difference between euro ellips that make them illegal?

I'm all legal, I think. I have smoked side markers but have amber and red bulbs in them.

[Van Westervelt]

Euro ellips have a much more aggressive cutoff, allowing more light output. HID's are illegal unless fitted from the factory in the housing they are being used in. To be legal it have to be DOT approved. For any HID use to be legal, it can only be approved inside a housing at the same time. Thats why all kits are either foreign so they care not, or say "For offroad use only" somewhere in/on them.

(Most cops see HID's and look the other way, unless you are asking for it. They see them as a high end vehicle option still.

[JasonC]

Well i live in PA so we have inspections. My e30 has no inspection sticker, i don't drive the car in PA cause i only live 4 miles from MD state line. the e30 has no cat, dark tinted windows, hids. The rest of my cars are inspected and have no cats on them either. Put it helps when you know the inspection guy.

[JGood]

In PA your not allowed to do much of anything "by the books". When I went through my inspection classes, I learned a pretty decent amount.

No suspension alterations is the number one thing most people would get nailed for. But cops will never nail you for stuff like that. No lighting changes, only 35% tint on front side windows, exhaust dB level, etc...

The only thing cops really care about in my area are bagged trucks, a few of my friends have them and are constantly gettin ragged on. I guess they don't want you changing your ride height to be 10" lower while cruising at 40 mph, for whatever reason...

So they are making nitrous systems illegal in PA now, too. You are allowed to have the bottle, but the lines cannot be connected. Quick-disconnects anyone?

[CleanAzzE30z]

eta is completely legal, even the chip is Dinan which is Carb legal. But the ///M3?? No comment on that one at all.

Mariano

[McCoolidge]

Only thing illegal about the ETA is smoked side markers 35% & 5% tint. Otherwise I am 100% legal, but not for long...

[euroshark]

I have a dirty euro motor that I think could get me in trouble if I ever got it e-tested... But I am registering the car at my aunt's house in a county that doesn't require e-tests. I'm thinking about running the exhaust out the right side of the car right infront of the rear arch... Maybe.

I've just got a lot of ideas that would be illegal if they became realities :drink:

Three of my four cars are uninsured unless I decide to drive them... when Im done I call and have the car removed from the policy!

[325Projectz]

No insurance is no joke. I'll always have insurance on any car I take on the street.

Wait til you get caught with your pants down.

[Ray Smoodiver]

totally legal

[cholyoke]

It didn't pass emissions for the first year I owned it. The Rhode Island DMV finally realized that I hadn't passed, sent a nasty note. A week later and $900 lighter, I was legal and had the appropriate sticker.

Now I live in TN - no inspection/emissions in Knoxville. Haven't removed the RI emissions sticker yet. It is too valuable!

[MikeE30325i]

yeah, the insurance policy i have on my bimmer covers with liability on any vehicle i drive. so i "technically" had insurance but not really.

and i drive around without sidemarkers, or a right turn signal. anybody have one? 10 bucks.

[M42Technik]

So anything without DOT branding is illegal by technicality, so:

Hella Smoked headlights.
MHW Smoked turn signals.
MHW Smoked taillights.
No third brakelight (Euro parcel shelf).
No sidemarkers (Euro trim).
Turn signals are not on unless in use.

Every other mod I have is legal. Does anyone have that video the CHP had for "modified" vehicles and how to test for legality? That was funny, before it got pulled...

Other than that, I have insurance. MD requires an inspection when selling a car, so if I were to sell it, which I have no plans to, I would have to bring it back to the requirements, which are very harsh in MD. Makes for quality cars, most of the time...

For those driving without a licensce, insurance, etc...its called karma.