Yes

they look like the same cutouts i bought. except i went with red. they could end up costing a bit more than $18. it's illegal to tint your taillights. if a cop notices and is bored, you'll probably get a ticket.

azkaty

I am thinking I like this look for Jade..
Katy

dag8882

I agree with you azkaty, it's a really nice look for our midnight pine rides. I had noticed one of the member on CL "lyyca" had this mod on thier pine colored SC & it looks awsome! definate must do mod for the price and look upgrade. maybe if lyyca see this post they'll be kind enough to share a pic of their ride w this particular mod. keep ur fingers crossed!

jaipurking

May end up costing even more ,I think if you get rear ended it will still be your fault.

VVTiBob

In California there are two controlling issues:

1. Taillamps shall be red in color and shall be plainly visible from all distances within 500 feet to the rear except that taillamps on vehicles manufactured after January 1, 1969, shall be plainly visible from all distances within 1,000 feet to the rear.

2. No person shall sell or offer for sale for use upon or as part of the equipment of a vehicle, nor shall any person use upon a vehicle, any lighting equipment, safety glazing material, or other device that does not meet the provisions of Section 26104.

In number one above, the term "plainly visible" is the wiggle room, as no definition is set forth as to what plainly means.

In number two above, tinting material must have been tested and approved by the Department of Transportation. Meaning a D.O.T. number and the manufacturer has the supporting test documentation.

While these are the rules in California, I suspect they are similar in most other states.

Yes

i did some research when i bought mine. the laws are basically the same in every state. technically, you're probably not supposed to use red either. but it's impossible to tell unless you really know the car well. i've been pulled over a couple times and didn't have a problem.

KaiserSea1

My wife manages a restaurant, she has two young African American workers that drive dark tinted cars, and have gotten multiple tickets. One got pulled over for dark tint twice the same night. A good friend wil not drive black cars, because police pull him over more often. I have been driving dark tinted black cars for twenty years and never an incident. I figured it out, being a white man, even more so middle age in a Lexus, makes your tint look transparent to police officers.

I would have reservations putting this tint on a light colored car. On a white car, black tail lights are very pronounced. On my car, smoking the tail lights, not so much...

The law in Florida is that you must be able to see the red light when on 500 feet from the car. CORRECTED THANKS LIQUID SC 1000 FEET My car would pass that test.

Yes

here's your state statute with the pertinent info bolded...

Title XXIII
MOTOR VEHICLES Chapter 316
STATE UNIFORM TRAFFIC CONTROL View Entire Chapter

316.221 Taillamps.--

(1) Every motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, and pole trailer, and any other vehicle which is being drawn at the end of a combination of vehicles, shall be equipped with at least two taillamps mounted on the rear, which, when lighted as required in s. 316.217, shall emit a red light plainly visible from a distance of 1,000 feet to the rear, except that passenger cars and pickup trucks manufactured or assembled prior to January 1, 1972, which were originally equipped with only one taillamp shall have at least one taillamp. On a combination of vehicles, only the taillamps on the rearmost vehicle need actually be seen from the distance specified. On vehicles equipped with more than one taillamp, the lamps shall be mounted on the same level and as widely spaced laterally as practicable. An object, material, or covering that alters the taillamp's visibility from 1,000 feet may not be placed, displayed, installed, affixed, or applied over a taillamp.

link

whether or not they are plainly visible at 1,000 feet would be a matter of opinion. where they get you is that you altered their visibility. that tint is probably 15%, meaning it only lets through 15% of the light emitted from your tail lights. so if a cop wants to write you up, he can. and it'll stick.

KaiserSea1

I am certain that I am not in compliance. The way they prosecute window tint is with a light meter, I have not heard of any kind of meter that can detect the amount of light from brake lights. You can't prosecute by opinion, it has to be objective findings. Modification of the light is not enough. At night the tint is not significant, but during the day I would think it is. This may be more of an issue in states that require yearly inspections.

Yes

Yes, modification of the light is enough. That's clearly stated in the statute.

An object, material, or covering that alters the taillamp's visibility from 1,000 feet may not be placed, displayed, installed, affixed, or applied over a taillamp.

Your tint does alter the visibility of your tail lights. It blocks about 85% of the light. If you want to fool yourself into thinking otherwise, you can. But you're not going to talk a cop out of writing you a ticket. Or a judge into throwing it out.

Google "florida tail light tint" and you'll find quite a few people *****ing about tickets. None of them were able to talk their way out of it.

That said, you might get away with it, you might not. Just be prepared to shell out $100+ if you get caught.

westrella1

iTrader: (1)

Kaisersea1, I don't believe that you are not in compliance either.

Here's Section 316.224 of the Florida Statutes (note the language in bold):

316.224 Color of clearance lamps, identification lamps, side marker lamps, backup lamps, reflectors, and deceleration lights.--

(1) Front clearance lamps, identification lamps, and those marker lamps and reflectors mounted on the front or on the side near the front of a vehicle shall display or reflect an amber color.

(2) Rear clearance lamps, identification lamps, and those marker lamps and reflectors mounted on the rear or on the sides near the rear of a vehicle shall display or reflect a red color.

(3) All lighting devices and reflectors mounted on the rear of any vehicle shall display or reflect a red color, except the stop light or other signal device, which may be red, amber, or yellow, and except that the light illuminating the license plate shall be white and the light emitted by a backup lamp shall be white or amber. Deceleration lights as authorized by s. 316.235(5) shall display an amber color.

(4) A violation of this section is a noncriminal traffic infraction, punishable as a nonmoving violation as provided in chapter 318.

First, a version of my previously used disclaimer (& no, I'm not a traffic court attorney):

ANY USERS OF THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION ASSUME TOTAL RESPONSIBILITY AND RISK FOR THEIR USE. USERS ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE AUTHOR OF THIS POST HAS NO CONTROL OVER AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY WHATSOEVER FOR THE INFORMATIONAL CONTENT OF THIS POST OR ANY FAILURES, MALFUNCTIONS, ISSUES, OR CONCERNS ATTRIBUTABLE TO ANY USERS' EQUIPMENT OR VEHICLE OR ANY VIOLATIONS OF FLORIDA STATUTES WHATSOEVER. USERS ACCESS THIS INFORMATION AT THEIR OWN RISK.

...Ahem.... Ok....

I think that actually having the tint on the taillights is a separate issue from whether the tint obscures visibility of the taillights from 1,000 feet. In my opinion, the "displayed or reflect" language should be enough to keep you "legal". In other words, yes, the taillights are tinted black, but they display a red color when lit. Now, whether the taillights are obscured so that they can't be seen within 1,000 feet, that's a different story.

I've actually been interested in this issue (geez... says a lot about me) because I'd like to tint my side marker lights. I know there are clear, LED side markers available, but I don't want to fork out the money for that upgrade. I don't see the value in that. So, as an alternative, I was thinking about getting them lightly tinted. Plus, I've already changed out all my exterior lights, except for the head lights & fog lights, to LED bulbs.

PS - Kaisersea1, I dig the black tint with the pine! I wonder what that would look like on the twilight amethyst pearl.

PPS -Taking into consideration LiquidSC's post, I think that municipalities, with the economic climate today, may be strictly interpreting statutes to increase revenues in whatever way works for them. Just be careful & use your best judgment. And LiquidSC, I really like the red tails you have. I was wondering what that would look like on the amethyst pearl too.

Yes

I don't think it's a new thing. I had friends get tickets in high school for the same thing 15 years ago. If you call the highway patrol, they'll tell you it's illegal. If you call a traffic attorney, even they will tell you it's illegal. I'm not saying don't do it. I'm just trying to warn people before they start getting $100+ tickets.

I saw someone did the red on white and it looked great. I can't remember who it was, but they posted a pic a couple years ago.

Edit: I read your post as "pearl" and thought white. Not sure about amethyst pearl. But if you post a pic of your car from the rear, I'll photoshop my lights on when I get a chance. That should give you a good idea.

KaiserSea1

FYI, my car is pine, I went to get touch up paint today, and my green almost black turns out to be pine, go figure.

My Last word on tickets.

I am a bit spoiled, because of my job, the very few times I have been pulled over, I do not get a ticket. My wife on the other hand, you understand. I am an attorney, I do not defend her, but I always hire the same woman, and she has never lost a case. Traffic court is pretty easy to beat if you know what you are doing.

If I was ticketed for these lights, I would take it to court. SC is wrong on modifications to your car (IMO). There is no way to know if the light hit the 1000 mark, or if the mod was an improvement, or detriment. You can not enforce subjective or overly vague laws, and it is not a matter of talking your way out of a ticket. If you can't prove calibration, objective determinations which can be measured, proper training, and a violation that is not overly vague, there is no fine.

Many cops who get pissed at you may ticket you for anything they can think of. I have been in law enforcement over fifteen years, and I have met very few who do not lie in reporting and in open court. I am more worried about one throwing some crack in my back seat for arguing with him, than getting a fine for my tail lights.

Ned Vo

" I am more worried about one throwing some crack in my back seat for arguing with him, than getting a fine for my tail lights"
__________________
Kaisersea,
My question for you is...how come you left law enforcement career after 15 yrs of service? Why did you make that kind of statement above? I just lost my respect for you.

Yes

You're missing the point. The cop doesn't have to prove that your lights are not plainly visible from 1000 feet. The law states only that the visibility can not be altered from its original state. Once you put tint over them, that much is obvious without any testing.

I'm not a lawyer. But I am a professional writer. So my reading comprehension skills are a bit above average. If you care about the possible fine, I'd ask a traffic attorney. They'll tell you the same thing. If you were to talk your way out of a fine, you would be the first person I've ever heard of. It's a standard fine. Issued and prosecuted every day.