Forced to sell or de-modify cars because of police?

[1 Clean WS6]

Simply put...you and your friends are being profiled by the local police. Most of the officers know that the majority of the current import tuner scene has a demographic of 18-25 year old males. Having once been a part of that demographic myself I also know that the "I am invincible" menatlity is very prevalent. That is why we see so many dead young men in destroyed tuned imports (back in my day it was 5.0L Mustangs and 3rd generation f-bodies...same results). The police are simply trying to make owning your car such a pain in the backside that you will get rid of it...one less young man behind the wheel of a fast import. Their intentions are noble...if not a bit misguided.



My advice to you is to NOT sell your car. If you enjoy it keep it. Down the road when you have a wife and a family and can`t own that hot rod you`ll kick yourself for not driving the wheels off of it when you could. Just keep the car legal to the "t". Plea not guilty on the tickets you can fight (if your car wasn`t running how did the officer know your exhaust was too loud??) and always be as polite as possible to the officer giving you the shake down.



The occasional run in with Mr. Law is just a part of owning of beefed up street car. You have to decide if that is a part of the hobby you are willing to accept. Personally....I am.

[Scottwax]

Originally posted by termigator

BTW, I really think the Fast & Furious movies gave the Import scene a bad name. If they actually accused you of wanting to be like Fast & Furious, then they are obviously prejudiced against you and your friends.

It didn`t help that so many kids decided to emulate not only the F&F look but the street racing as well. I was down in Houston when it premired and at every light on Westheimer, kids were racing, sometimes all three lanes across.



What I`d really like to see is cops giving out tickets to these kids for uglying up their cars. :p

[C. Charles Hahn]

Originally posted by Scottwax

If he didn`t even hear your car, you should have been able to beat the ticket. Never be afraid of going to court when you are in the right. If the cop has to get on the stand and admit he never heard your exhaust, the judge would have tossed the case immediately.



If your exhaust actually exceeds the db level, you can get a turbo style muffler that will still flow well and be noticably quieter.



BTW, I had thought about moving to California in the late 80s but my 1977 Cutlass with a 455 out of a `72 Delta 88 would have been impossible to get though emissions testing there. That was the deciding factor between going back to Texas (from Arizona) or moving to California.

heh. You think that -- but in podunksville the judge is looking at the ticket as a revenue machine. He wouldn`t back you up. However, if you got a good lawyer, it could end up in higher appeals court and end up slapping the wrists of the judge and cops.

[Glossequation]

Originally posted by PerfectFinish1

Does anyone else have this problem where they live? I`ve been looking at getting a luxury car for a year or two now, and I think I am finally convinced that it is the only option. I own a modified Talon TSi. It had a racing exhaust and many other mods already done before I bought the car. It`s clean, not rice-like, and very stock looking.



A few weeks ago my friends and I met up in a parking lot to make plans, three cops surround us and start writing tickets. They said "look at these cars, they think they`re Fast and Furious!" One knew my car was turbo, the rest thought it was just a slow import that I tried to modify or something. My friends also have imports (a 95 integra and a first gen talon, but they`re both stock and very clean looking). The cops kept going on and on about how illegal our cars were, even though we were just sitting in a parking lot. I just paid my ticket yesterday... $150 for loud exhaust and front plate, even though my front plate was visible in the front window and the exhaust is below the legal limit. My friend with the Integra is on his third exhaust ticket and countless other equipment violations.



Two days ago four more of my friends were driving around, each got pulled over. (2000 Golf, 1996 Talon, 1998 Eclipse, 1997 Talon, all stock looking as well... just imports) Two loud exhaust tickets, three front plate tickets, and one friend that got out of it all because he`s a cop himself.



Basically... I think I`m either forced to remove all visible performance mods, or just sell my car and buy the (used) SLK230 I`ve always wanted or a (used) Range Rover... the difference in price will probably just make up for the cost of tickets my Talon will get me over the next few years the way this is going. A 18-yr-old driving one of the above cars is probalby going to get stopped a lot around here too, but if the car is completely legal I`d love to see what they would try to give me a ticket for.

With the cars you list, even though some are domestic, you are bound to get a ticket. Sell the Talon and get a Mustang or Camaro SS and you`ll have no problems.

[C. Charles Hahn]

Originally posted by blackcaraddict

With the cars you list, even though some are domestic, you are bound to get a ticket. Sell the Talon and get a Mustang or Camaro SS and you`ll have no problems.

:xyxthumbs I was thinking it but wasn`t going to say it. I guarantee if it`d been a Camaro SS, WS6 T/A, and `vette sitting there with SLP Loudmouth exhausts, they wouldn`t have touched you.

[termigator]

Originally posted by Shiny Lil Detlr

:xyxthumbs I was thinking it but wasn`t going to say it. I guarantee if it`d been a Camaro SS, WS6 T/A, and `vette sitting there with SLP Loudmouth exhausts, they wouldn`t have touched you.

I was thinking the same thing too, but I chose not to say it. I`m Chinese and the last thing I need is for somebody to accuse me of reverse discrimination.

[LarryM]

if it makes you feel any better, I have not been bothered in my Trans Am yet, and its not really stock (knock on wood)



hell I even drove with no exhaust at all, straight open headers and didn`t get bothered....passed a lot of cops and nothing, I was kinda shocked ....car was rumbling like a mofo, you couldn`t even hear the radio turned up

[ExplorerXLT95]

I think selling your car is a full-blown conclusion and probably not the right correction for the problem you`re having.



I`ll try to be as objective as possible.

Originally posted by PerfectFinish1

I just paid my ticket yesterday... $150 for loud exhaust and front plate, even though my front plate was visible in the front window and the exhaust is below the legal limit. My friend with the Integra is on his third exhaust ticket and countless other equipment violations.

Why did you pay the ticket if you think you weren`t in the wrong? You have the right to plead not guilty and prove your case.



Also, about the "it was in the front window" thing. That`s not good enough if state law requires that it be attached to the front of your vehicle.



I have been given a ticket for not displaying my front tag, but I will never drill holes in my Cobra`s front bumper. I`m willing to take that occassional financial hit, you just have to decide if you are. Usually a LEO is not going to stop you for not having a front plate unless a) it`s been a slow day or b) they are looking for an excuse to pull you over.

Originally posted by PerfectFinish1

Two days ago four more of my friends were driving around, each got pulled over. (2000 Golf, 1996 Talon, 1998 Eclipse, 1997 Talon, all stock looking as well... just imports) Two loud exhaust tickets, three front plate tickets, and one friend that got out of it all because he`s a cop himself.

I`m not sure why your friend that was a cop got out of it. He should be given a ticket just like the rest of you. In fact, in my estimation, he should be be given the worst ticket they can because it`s his JOB to know the same traffic code he was violating.



Again, if you modify your car in violation of traffic code (as dumb and asinine as that code may be) you are subject to it. Plain and simple. You just have to decide whether or not you`re willing to take the risk.

Originally posted by PerfectFinish1

...He just thought it looked loud. I was going to fight it...



...I also talked to another friend that said the judge did nothing even when he provided paperwork showing his exhaust was under the legal limit.

That`s why our legal system allows appeals. And no, you don`t need a lawyer to appeal (though I would probably talk to one for advice before appearing before a judge).



If you have clear, verifiable evidence showing that you are/were NOT in violation of the code, then you should have no problem. If there is some pressure on local judges/LEOs to try to erradicate a particular problem (ie loud exhausts) then that`s why an appeal may work perfectly for you. Chances are the appeals judges do not feel that same local pressure that the local judges/LEOs are experiencing.



Just make sure you have all your ducks in a row and you think it`s worth it before you head into that appeals court room.

Originally posted by PerfectFinish1

(Oh, and the friends that got pulled over recently had their cars off as well, the officer told them to turn the cars on so they could hear the exhaust)

If they pulled you over, they can make you turn on the car.

Originally posted by PerfectFinish1

It`s not just us either... it`s the entire police force against everyone that drives an import under the age of mid-twenties or so.

Unfortunately, the age bracket that you fall into and the type of car you drive are under close scrutiny nation-wide at the moment because of numerous dangerous activities committed by many in that same category. Is it profiling? Perhaps. But I say as long as you`re a responsible driver and you know your rights, you have nothing to fear.



All of the above being said, just be smart about what you`re doing and when you`re doing it and I think you have nothing to worry about. For example, the best time to rev your car to redline may not be at a redlight because the unmarked cop car that you can`t see 3 cars back may hear it and come after you. In more than one occasion in my Cobra, I have shifted all the way to the top gear possible to avoid being targetted for a possible "loud exhaust" ticket (even though my exhaust is 50 state legal).



Just be responsible on the road, know what code you may or may not be violating when you modify your car and I have a feeling that the LEO`s in your area will start treating you with respect.



:xyxthumbs

[Way2SSlow]

Here`s what I would do:





I`m guessing that since the car is turbocharged, you`re probably running a 3inch exhaust. I would install a cutout and also have a SUPER quiet muffler welded in (even if it is super restrictive..that`s what you got the cutout for). You got the cutout for the track, and quiet exhaust for the street. I`m guessing that with ******* cops like that, you probably dont see a whole lot of boost commuting around town. If you have a large tip (like most all of the import crowd here in Atlanta) DITCH IT. If you really want the SLK, then I say sell the talon and go for it.

[dschribs]

Joe

Here you go..straight out of the OH Motor vehicle statutes:



The board of county commissioners of any county, and the board of township trustees of any township subject to section 505.17 of the Revised Code, may regulate passenger car and motorcycle noise on streets and highways under their jurisdiction. Such regulations shall include maximum permissible noise limits measured in decibels, subject to the requirements of this section.





( Regulations establishing maximum permissible noise limits measured in decibels shall prohibit the operation, within the speed limits specified herein, of a passenger car or motorcycle of a type subject to registration at any time or under any condition of load, acceleration, or deceleration in such manner as to exceed the following maximum noise limits, based on a distance of not less than fifty feet from the center of the line of travel:





(1) For passenger cars:





(a) When operated at a speed of thirty-five miles per hour or less, a maximum noise limit of seventy decibels;





(b) When operated at a speed of more than thirty-five miles per hour, a maximum noise limit of seventy-nine decibels.



Now, how you test that is beyond me...maybe a Radio Shack type place might have a decibel meter. Then again, you already paid the tix so....



If that was CT, you would hve been forced to go through a DMV Inspection Station after the ticket to verify that the exhaust system was replaced..so...it could be worse..

[nycts]

Been reading over this post...



IMHO- FIGHT EVERY TICKET! WHETHER FOR $5 OR $500 FIGHT EVERY SINGLE TICKET. NIT PICK ON EVERY SINGLE DETAIL MENTIONED IN THE TICKET, READ UP ON LOCAL LAWS AND COMPLAIN.



IN NYC WE HAVE TOTAL PSYCHOPATHS DRIVING (FOR EX- SOME YELLOW CABS) AND IF THEY ARE STILL ALLOWED ON THE ROAD, THERE IS NO WAY I AM ACCEPTING ANY TYPE OF PARKING TICKET OR VIOLATION UNLESS IS BLATANTLY TRUE. BY THE WAY I HAVE FOUGHT THE ONES I`VE CONFESS TO BEING GUILTY OF AND STILL HAD THEM DISMISSED.



FIGHT MY BROTHERS FIGHT!!!!!

[roughrider]

Here is a website from a guy who operates a traffic school in California. He teaches people how to fight off tickets.





http://www.ticketassassin.com/





Here is his guide of what to do when you get pulled over.



http://www.ticketassassin.com/visorguide.html

[medic]

Originally posted by zzyyzx

Also, I would question the whole "turn your car on so I can hear it."

I`d say 5th ammendment...you don`t have to incriminate yourself. Sure, they can wait around until you turn on your car to leave, but if the PD can wait in a parking lot with you for a few hours while other real crimes are happening then there are bigger issues with your community then loud cars

[imported_NYV6Coupe]

I bought my Accord with aftermarket tint on all windows except the windshield. I knew it was dark but I see 100`s of cars with tint that`s even darker & no one gets pulled over ..... but me.



About a year ago, middle of winter I get pulled over & the policeman puts a light meter on my sideglass & it`s illegal. At least he was decent enough to explain the regs & he tolds me what I needed to do. I plead ignorance to no avail so, in 10* weather, I go home & scrape the DS & PS sideglass.



I go to the PD the next day to have the ticket discharged & a different policeman wants to make the ticket stick `cause he "thinks" (no meter this time) the windows are still too dark. I show him that it`s factory tinted glass & he finally relents.



I wish I had $1 for every car with dark tinted windows that I`ve seen in that jurisdiction in the last year, I`d have enough to replace everything in my detailing cabinet.

[PerfectFinish1]

Wow lots of replys! I know I should have fought it, I really regret it now. The reason I didn`t is one of my friends showed documents proving his exhaust was below the legal limit, and the judge for some reason didn`t believe him, and he ended up paying the ticket, plus court costs. Despite this, I planned to fight my ticket just since I knew I was in the right. However, when four of my friends got stopped and all except the cop ticketed for the same offense, with their cars off, I knew I didn`t have a chance. It just seems like that is what is on the city`s adjenda to get out of their current budget crisis... and fighting the ticket wouldn`t have done much except add to my fine with the court costs. I am thinking about writing a letter to the local paper, though.