raptor22

(mods please feel free to move if it's not the right place. i thought about putting it in "great lakes" region section, but there's hardly any traffic there)

anyway, if anyone from Michigan has specific inputs, that'd be much appreciated. But i'm looking for general comments as well.

so, i have 3000K fog lights, and got a ticket yesterday because the cop said they're "green". they're the typical 3000K HID kit color, so they might not be a deep yellow, but definitely not green. When i told him they're yellow, he told the other cop to look and asked if it's yellow. of course the other guy said no. anyway, when he gave me the ticket and told me green fogs are illegal, i told him again it's yellow, and now he started saying even yellow is illegal and only white is legal. I just said ok, because i know at this point he's just BS'ing me.

anyway, i think i'd like to fight this when i go to court. the ticket says "improper green fog lights". How do i show that they're yellow? i mean, is a photo even meaningful seeing how people could easily photoshop the color, not to mention photos would sometimes alter light color so it might not help my case? any comments would be great. thanks!

oohpapi44

iTrader: (1)

He wasn't BS'ng you as technically they are illegal

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/ve...nts_8583_7.pdf

That's the link from the Michigan State Police website listing vechicle equipment requirements.

97-SC300

iTrader: (17)

My GS430 has factory yellow foglights.. is that illegal too?

oohpapi44

iTrader: (1)

So does mine. And technically they are illegal to have in NY State as you can only have two sets of lights running at a time. DRL's could count as one and headlights the other. Depends on the interpretation of the law.

Whether yours are illegal would depend on your state vechicle equipment regulation. Can be easily searched online.

97-SC300

iTrader: (17)

So what you're saying is that Lexus mass produced thousands of cars (many GS and IS300 models had them too) that might not even be 50-state legal?

RX_330

DRLs don't run when main beams are on. Having fogs is perfectly legal in all states.

RX_330

SAE Standard J583 allows for selective yellow foglights.

raptor22

thanks. we had cars with yellow fogs before, and i still see older GS/IS around with yellow fogs. And the document in the link is from 1997, so it's not like it's a recent change either. anyway, my impression from him at first was that yellow is ok cause on the ticket he said green, rather than yellow. It was only later that he started saying only white is legal

TheDream

What model lexus do you have? Where did you get the ticket? My dad's been driving around for 6 years in his GS400 with no issues. There must be another reason for the officer to pull you over, maybe he's just had a bad day (I've been pulled over for not driving on the wrong side of the road-long story).
All the 2G GS400/430s came with yellow fog lights from the factory. There is a yellow diffuser in the lens so no matter what bulb you put, they will appear yellow. I actually put 4500K HIDs in there--they're a tad yellower and brighter than stock and no issues.

I put 3000K HIDS in the LS400 as well instead of the 9006 white/yellow bulbs and no issues there as well.

hold on....let me find a picture of my lights....

EDIT: LS400:

GS400:

oohpapi44

iTrader: (1)

I'm not saying anything. I'm pointing him to the Michigan website that clearly lists the regulation that he was cited for violating. And showing him that his defense that 'they are yellow, not green' may not be enough.

On the GS they do. And most of us, tint them blue to match the HID's which only draws more attention to them. (and yes, illegal in itself)

Adding in the fogs would make it seem to be three sets.

Cool. Then that would be his defense....

RX_330

Those lights are considered a function of parking/city lights, and are not the main beam or auxiliary lights (therefore not considered part of the two sets on at once rule). Perfectly legal to have those illuminated in conjunction with the main beams and fog lights, as those have the same function as sidemarkers, except for illumination/identification forward of the vehicle, rather than laterally. Examples of other vehicles with near identical setups as the GS include the Jaguar X, S, XJ, Mercedes E-Class, etc.

oohpapi44

iTrader: (1)

You're right, I shouldn't have been so adamant in saying they are illegal. I can't find the regulation off the top of my head but the way it's written here is ambigious in its definition.

By the way; what does the wording of SAE Standard J583 say? Does it supercede state regulation if white or amber are stated and doesn't mention equivalent?

raptor22

thanks for the inputs so far! ok so if the judge said no yellow, then i conceded, there's nothing i could do. But i know green is definitely illegal, which is what the ticket cited me for. How do I go about showing mine's not green?? with a picture?

thanks for the pics. i have a 2nd gen IS, so it's not factory yellow fogs. i got the ticket on 696 near woodward exit. well he cited me for the front tint (something like 35%) as defective equipment while he was at it and put it down as something like a fix-it. However, the lights he didn't put down as fixable. There wasn't anything else he pulled me over for.

i see what you mean, but i wonder if it's still worth trying...hmm....i mean we had the older GS with the yellow fogs before.

caddyowner

Some 3000k fogs look green. I don't know if it is the brand or they just take a while to warm up. You may be able to demonstrate the color if you saved the packaging.

Also, like the above MSP link says, fog lights are legal, you just can't have more than 4 lamps total lit at once between low beams, high beams, fogs, etc.

TheDream

On the GS400, they appear green for the first 5 sec as they turn on then they become yellower. It's because when they turn on, they have a slight bluish hue and blue+yellow diffuser = green.

I'd show them the package as a last resort because, technically, modifying your lights is illegal.

You could show them pictures, and they could argue that you modified them, so maybe the only way to show that they're not green is to have an officer or a court official step outside and see them in person.

I know that area pretty well. 696 is full of police officers waiting for someone to make a mistake. I'm constantly watching my speedometer to make sure I don't speed--and it doesn't help that the car glides effortlessly on that cement.