Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Branches Capitol CEG Mods illegal?

Hey, I just read a post in the General section about a guy getting pulled over because any modifications to a car are illegal where ever he lives. My car is still completely stock (waiting for warranty to expire before doing any mods) but I got wondering if there are any laws like that around here? I'm guessing the answer is 'no' due to the many ricers I see driving around, but I'm still curious about it. I thought you could do what you want to your car as long as it still meets safety standards (height, red tail lights, amber turning signals, etc.) And if you do mods that are legal in one state, but illegal somewhere else, can you get pulled over if passing through another state?

Not sure about this one. I can only chime in on what I've been told from various people, so take it with a grain of salt:

- Exhaust cannot be modified
- Exhaust cannot exceed a certain decibel level
- Non-factory HIDs illegal

hose I'm sure about:
- Not supposed to mess with the cats
- Tint not to be darker than 35%
- Stereo cannot exceed a certain decibel level
- License plate covers (front or rear, clear incl.) illegal
- Headlight/taillight covers of any kind are illegal
- Lights other than OEM colors are illegal

As far as passing through another state - I've seen plenty of out of state cars in my area (esp. Florida - reside in my area) with limo tint. I'm assuming since I see them all the time, it's not a problem.

But like you said, tons of ricers and I've never seen them get harassed so....

Some local municipalities have passed "nuisance" laws regarding car exhaust (obviously aimed at ricers). Messing with the cats is federal law - big fines for getting caught breaking those.

I know PA has a law regarding exhaust and it specifies decibel levels and strict testing methods to determine compliance. Basically, the test is so strict and needs to be run at a State Police facility, so unless you are running straight headers I doubt anyone ever gets cited for it.

The lighting stuff is pretty standard - taillamps must be red, turn signal indicators must be red or yellow on rear, yellow on front. Headlamps must be within a certain wavelength (color) unless certified by the OEM (no aftermarket HID kits or blue bulbs). Basically the stuff Pete mentioned. Extra lights aren't legal (underbody neons, windshield LEDs) while driving here.

As far as PA goes, all of their laws read: "Nobody may operate a vehicle on a highway in PA with/without blah blah etc.", so technically you *could* be cited for violating PA law even though you are compliant at home. I know the police stake out Carlisle car shows looking for cars with excess tint (anything darker than 70% light transmittance is "illegal" in PA) and citing them as they wait to get in, even (or especially) out of state drivers.

Basically, the police will bother you if they think you are out to street race or they are suspicious of what you are doing in the area, as long as you have *anything* aftermarket on your car. Just an excuse to get a peek in the car, really.

My brother has a Dodge Neon that he has done some modification to. I know he has been pulled over for his exahust making too much noise. He was also once stopped at a gas station, a Calvert County Cop pulled out a yard stick and measured how lowered his car was, then proceeded to write him a ticket for it being too low. The tint (35%) is definitely true but cops rarely enforce it around here. Neon lights underneath are illegal also. I'm sure there are tons of other ones in addition to what has been said by other guys.

-Matt

I had an awful time with my tint when I moved up here from Texas. I had 35% all the way around - the place I had it done in Texas assured me that it was legal in all 50 states. Of course, that wasn't the case. VA you can have 35% on the back but only 50% or lighter on the front driver and passenger windows. DC is 50% in back and 70% or something bizarre like that on the fronts. So I had my fronts redone b/c I flunked VA state inspection, then when I moved to DC, I flunked inspection again (and we know what a pain the DC inspection station is) - so I just stripped the whole car of tint b/c I was tired of screwing with it.