[Nintensity]

Hey guys,

I was wondering if there are any rules/restrictions regarding using smoked Taillights.

My buddy told me that if, in such case, where a car rear-ends another car with smoked taillights, the car with the smoked taillights is 100% at fault. Usually the person who rear-ends is 100% at fault, but in this case, the driver wasn't able to see the 'red' in the taillights.

Is this true? Correct me if i'm wrong.

[twitchyzero]

check the police forum :gotsearch

[illicitstylz]

smoked tail lights, as in the housing itself is smoked, is legal. They come stock in some cars, eg. TL type S

TINTED tail lights with overlay are illegal.

[maxx]

from what i saw, the smoked factory tail lights on Jetta GLI and BMWs, the only tinted parts were the turning signal and the reverse lights.

[valent|n0]

Tinted tail lights are illegal period.

but I would bet that ICBC will overlook tinted tail lights if the car get rear ended no?
the person who rear ended the car in front will still at fault.

[!Aznboi128]

^ not true. My buddy's car got rear ended icbc deemed it was 100% his fault cause he had tinted tails.
Posted via RS Mobile (http://www.revscene.net/forums/announcement.php?a=228)

[TOS'd]

Tinted tails = harder to see light = guy rear ending car infront of him that has the tinted tails = car in front is at fault, lol

[spyker]

Tinted tails are not worth the hassle and BS with ICBC and the cops,unless the car came with them from the factory,just leave your oem ones alone.

[PiuYi]

so smoked tail lights are legal but tinted ones are illegal? or is there no difference?


then what of smoked non-DOT approved tail-lights? will icbc deem you at fault for those? it seems kinda hard to prove they were non-DOT approved after they've been smashed

[jpark]

^idn if this will answer your question.. but pretty much anything you modify or add aftermarket parts to your tails... is illegal unless you buy a whole new assembly from a legit company that is dot approved... (if its available)

other than that ive been pulled over million times when i had tinted lights and they ALL told me ANY type of layer of film/paint is illegal even if its really really light, it doesnt matter

so either leave your lights alone or buy legit dot approved product ones or be a bauss and go through the hassle

[BaoTurbo]

Best leave lights OEM...?

[n0ob]

I've had DEPO blacklines for quite some time now and have never had any trouble...

Whether they are legal or not, I don't know, but I certainly won't sit here pretending like I do know like more than half the people in this thread...:facepalm:

[MindBomber]

I've had DEPO blacklines for quite some time now and have never had any trouble...

Whether they are legal or not, I don't know, but I certainly won't sit here pretending like I do know like more than half the people in this thread...:facepalm:

:noob:

[PiuYi]

be a bauss it is :D


just checked: the red brake areas have no tint/smoke on mine, only the signal/reverse lights are smoked.... prbly why i haven't been bothered about them yet

[Rich Sandor]

The LAW says that your lights (any lights) may NOT be Obstructed in any way.

Aftermarket Tint or Smoke = Obstruction (because it reduces the light output)

FACTORY Tint or Smoke is OK because the factory makes the lights brighter to compensate for the tint/smoke, or leaves the lit area untinted or unsmoked.

[zulutango]

What Rich says...illegal and unsafe...tinted or smoked...unless the vehicle came from the factory that way...and yours did not because you want to tint/smoke them.

General maintenance
4.04 (1) Lighting devices required by this Division must be maintained in good working order.

(2) Lamps and reflectors required by this Division

(a) must be securely mounted on the vehicle,

(b) must not have any cracked, broken, missing or incorrectly installed lenses, and a lamp must not have bent or broken rims that allow water to enter the lamp, and

(c) must not be shielded, covered or obscured by any part of the vehicle or load or by dirt or other material.

[Rich Sandor]

What is the point of having brake lights if they are hard or impossible to see?

:)

PS: Driving around with a thick layer of mud dried on your brake lights is just as illegal as having them tinted.

[dn53]

I'm guessing this applies to headlights too?

[ninjatune]

It's also deemed illegal by not only the fashion Police, but the good taste Police as well!

[FerrariEnzo]

IF it doenst come it with from factory, you COULD get a ticket!

nuff said

[SpuGen]

Why do we have a thread on this subject every 3 weeks?

[Culverin]

Almost makes me think we should start a FAQ section, so the first person to see it link to the faq, then the first mod to see it lock it down.

But i realized that would only be enabling non-searching behavior.

[lgman]

I just wanna say something related off topic to rear brake lights. Not everyone on the road has all of them working either. But you see more of those people than people tinted lenses? doesn't seem fair does it? I think those people should be punished with negligence on top of what perils they might cause in an accident. But hey! if RCMP wants to single out Johnny APC for his euro look that have all the lights in working order, truck on brother...



Anyways back on. If you get into an accident with those tinted after market lights and if you think you can get away after its been smashed, those highly paid adjusters will find out so don't worry about that.

[ilvtofu]

^ not true. My buddy's car got rear ended icbc deemed it was 100% his fault cause he had tinted tails.
Posted via RS Mobile (http://www.revscene.net/forums/announcement.php?a=228)

I'm sure there were other factors in it too, based on that logic what's stopping me from ramming my car into any ricer with some vht on his tails at night to get a new bumper? :facepalm:

[Fafine]

^ the hassle, time wasted, and so on..

[ilvtofu]

^ the hassle, time wasted, and so on..

There are always going to be some people who really don't give a shit and have nothing better to do and IF ICBC will automatically put the other party 100% at fault there goes more than half of the frustration with a car accident.

[Fafine]

^ and thats why some people hit their brakes and get bumped to fake injuries. they just havent learned about taillight tint yet?

[dogeatcookie]

My tails and headlights were tinted on my old car with lamin-x for 2 years and never had a single problem with the law enforcement.
I highly recommend using it if you do decide to tint your tails. Easy to apply, looks great, and comes right off without leaving any residue.
Here's how it looks



Headlights:

[zulutango]

I have attended crashes where cars with tinted and covered brake/tail lights have been rear-ended. I even attended some involving motorcycles with aftermarket illegal brake/signal lights. I ticketed the vehicle owners because they contributed to the crash, where if they had stock systems where the lights were visible I would have charged the 2nd vehicle for following too close. I only did this after personally viewing the lights from the perspective that the following driver had. If the lights were difficult to see then that added to the reaction delay of the following driver. I always added the covered lights in my remarks in the crash report and indicated the following driver as "driver # 1" ( the at- fault driver) on the MV 6020. I was never questioned by ICBC in any case where I did this.

[ilvtofu]

^ and thats why some people hit their brakes and get bumped to fake injuries. they just havent learned about taillight tint yet?

And that's why it's probably a grey area unlike what some have said about 100% at fault to prevent assholes causing accidents on purpose.

[platinum300]

I personally wouldn't do it for obvious reasons. It sure looks gangsta or cool though, but come on people, there's a reason why you have head lights and tail lights on your cars. So you can be seen, and see better in the dark. I've seen lots of cars that tinted their lights so dark, you can barely see their tail lights and head lights. Whats the bloody point of having them if they don't serve it's purpose. They might as well black out their side mirrors, and rearview mirrors because it looks cool. Why not tint their instrument cluster, it looks cool. How about tinting their windshields fully, it looks cool.

Get my point guys - it's just plain stupid. It does look good though, but their are other ways of making your cars look better without endangering yourself and others like wheels, lowering it, etc...

[zulutango]

"probably a grey area"

Not according to the MV Act Regulations....and likely according to ICBC when a crash is involved.

[ilvtofu]

"probably a grey area"

Not according to the MV Act Regulations....and likely according to ICBC when a crash is involved.

You stated yourself that you personally judge if it's visible and actually contributed to the accident. If it was a given and guaranteed to have the tinted car at fault I wonder why you're doing this. I sense a bit of contradiction in your own statements.

[zulutango]

As part of the investigation I gather all evidence of factors that have contributed to the crash....that includes tinted/covered tail lights. In order to issue a VT for them I have to see for myself how difficult the lights were to see so that I can tell the JP in Traffic Court if it is contested. I also take a look to see if the 2nd vehicle driver is just trying to shift the blame from himself to the car he rear ended. No contradiction there, just doing a proper investigation. In the same way I will order a mechanical inspection if the driver said his brakes failed or that the tyres blew for no reason or that the brake lights did not function at all. If there are allegations of contributing mechanical defects then they should be checked out. I mean it's not like people would ever lie to the cops to escape prosecution would they? :)

[freakshow]

zulu, just wondering, do you find yourself giving an equal amount of light tickets for tints as you do something like this?

http://carsfound.com/store/images/557-27703.jpg

[zulutango]

The area I worked had more pickup trucks and I saw a lot more of those type covers than I did painted tail lights. If it was removed roadside there was a written warning, if it was not then I issued a VT and the car did not drive away until it was removed.

[Westcoast67]

I mean it's not like people would ever lie to the cops to escape prosecution would they? :)

Just a touch more likely than a cop standing on his (unearned) word in traffic court.

[n0ob]

How bout foglights? Is it illegal for me to tint my foglights?

[RevRav]

Zulutango, while we're on this topic. Beside the example freakshow asked above.
How do you treat these tail light "guards"....and your experience with them?
http://72.32.124.231:8020/SuperContainer/RawData/Images/Category2/Taillight%20Guards%20by%20Westin
http://www.xanatosautomotive.com/gallery/img/jeep/7G080206A-Grand-Cherokee-05-10-Tail-Light-Guard-BK.jpg

They don't cover as much light as tint, or the above Dodge example. Or even barely cover any lighting at all. However, they are technically "shielded, covered, or obscured..." Have you ever issued any tickets for these kind of guards?

[Rich Sandor]

^ thats where you start getting into an argument about what technically defines "obscured" and also whether or not an officer should be wasting his time pursuing such negligible details.

[baggdis300]

The area I worked had more pickup trucks and I saw a lot more of those type covers than I did painted tail lights. If it was removed roadside there was a written warning, if it was not then I issued a VT and the car did not drive away until it was removed.

aren;t those dodge rear tails like that from factory?
and usually colour coded with the exterior paint?

also, would this be considered legal?
the lights were split and chrome housings painted black

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v481/sandhu/a5fcab94.jpg

[n0ob]

How bout foglights? Is it illegal for me to tint my foglights?

...?

[godwin]

Not to mention you will get ICBC on your case if you are in an accident. Those metal frames damage the body in addition to wrecking the lights in an accident. The light still breaks and now you will have extra bonus of the frame ripping @ the mount points. Good luck trying to get ICBC to cover the extra damage.

^ thats where you start getting into an argument about what technically defines "obscured" and also whether or not an officer should be wasting his time pursuing such negligible details.

[Soundy]

Almost makes me think we should start a FAQ section,

http://www.revscene.net/forums/answer-almost-all-t59431.html

And remember, tinting doesn't just reduce the light output from the bulbs... most cars' lights include reflectors in the housings, THAT ARE ALSO REQUIRED BY LAW... tinting reduces their effectiveness even more, because it dims the light entering them, AND the light reflected back.

[n0ob]

How bout foglights? Is it illegal for me to tint my foglights?

...?

[Rich Sandor]

^ Duh.. yes it's illegal to tint or obscure ANY of your lights which are required by law to be there.

[n0ob]

^ Duh.. yes it's illegal to tint or obscure ANY of your lights which are required by law to be there.

Wait, what!?!? Fog lights are required to be on all cars? How does that work? Aren't there lots of older cars that don't even have fog lights? Moreover, if they are required to be there, then their must be a requirement as to when you HAVE to turn them on.....????

[n0ob]

LOL, RevRav, why do you keep failing me? Are you mad because I'm interested in tinting my foglights? Does that bug you?

[RevRav]

Be thankful I didn't fail your two posts above...asking the same question nonstop.

Take a look at the first page of this thread. Do a search on "tint".
Or actually take into advise what members above have tried to explain to you.

You're not allowed to tint ANYTHING. Shall it be headlight, taillight, or fogs.

Is it "illegal"? Yes
Do some people get away with it? Yes

If you decided to do so, do it at your own risk. But as far as "can you",
many members here have already answered that question. Let me say it again - NO!

[FerrariEnzo]

n0ob... i really dont understand why you keep asking the same questions over and over.. its already been said to you
What Rich says...illegal and unsafe...tinted or smoked...unless the vehicle came from the factory that way...and yours did not because you want to tint/smoke them.

General maintenance
4.04 (1) Lighting devices required by this Division must be maintained in good working order.

(2) Lamps and reflectors required by this Division

(a) must be securely mounted on the vehicle,

(b) must not have any cracked, broken, missing or incorrectly installed lenses, and a lamp must not have bent or broken rims that allow water to enter the lamp, and

(c) must not be shielded, covered or obscured by any part of the vehicle or load or by dirt or other material.

maybe Reading Comprehension owns you?

[dangonay]

Not to mention you will get ICBC on your case if you are in an accident. Those metal frames damage the body in addition to wrecking the lights in an accident. The light still breaks and now you will have extra bonus of the frame ripping @ the mount points. Good luck trying to get ICBC to cover the extra damage.

What? I've never seen ICBC harass an owner for having metal guards on their lights. In fact, I've seen countless trucks and SUV's go through ICBC with "more extensive" mods like front brush guards and ICBC still pays out. Many new vehicles even have them available stock or as dealer installed options.
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[dangonay]

Go ahead and tint your fogs. It's perfectly legal. The MV rules state "lights required by this division" not "all lights on the vehicle". Brake lights, marker/park lights, turn signals and headlights are all "required". Fog lights are not, they are optional.
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[Soundy]

That said, tinted foglights = teh stoopid. What's the fuckin point of even putting them on then? Plus it will look extra-retarded with all your other lights NOT tinted to match.

[dangonay]

^ Lots of mods look stupid, but that doesn't seem to stop people from buying them in droves, legal or not.
Posted via RS Mobile (http://www.revscene.net/forums/announcement.php?a=228)

[Soundy]

True that.

[n0ob]

Be thankful I didn't fail your two posts above...asking the same question nonstop.

Take a look at the first page of this thread. Do a search on "tint".
Or actually take into advise what members above have tried to explain to you.

You're not allowed to tint ANYTHING. Shall it be headlight, taillight, or fogs.

Is it "illegal"? Yes
Do some people get away with it? Yes

If you decided to do so, do it at your own risk. But as far as "can you",
many members here have already answered that question. Let me say it again - NO!

n0ob... i really dont understand why you keep asking the same questions over and over.. its already been said to you


maybe Reading Comprehension owns you?

You guys are so fucking stupid. I will ask it again, SINCE WHEN WERE FOG LIGHTS REQUIRED?????????? Maybe reading comprehension owns you.

Go ahead and tint your fogs. It's perfectly legal. The MV rules state "lights required by this division" not "all lights on the vehicle". Brake lights, marker/park lights, turn signals and headlights are all "required". Fog lights are not, they are optional.
Posted via RS Mobile (http://www.revscene.net/forums/announcement.php?a=228)

Thanks.

As for how they look, I personally think it can look quite nice:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2528/4078837356_da9291516e_b.jpg

[ilvtofu]

You guys are so fucking stupid. I will ask it again, SINCE WHEN WERE FOG LIGHTS REQUIRED?????????? Maybe reading comprehension owns you.



Thanks.

As for how they look, I personally think it can look quite nice:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2528/4078837356_da9291516e_b.jpg

I can see n0ob driving that blasting black and yellow thinking he's some legit pimp. That does not look nice, that looks rice

[zulutango]

^ Lots of mods look stupid, but that doesn't seem to stop people from buying them in droves, legal or not.
Posted via RS Mobile (http://www.revscene.net/forums/announcement.php?a=228)

For a moment I thought you were talkin about me?.

[n0ob]

I can see n0ob driving that blasting black and yellow thinking he's some legit pimp. That does not look nice, that looks rice

I don't blast my music, thanks though.

and yeah, you're right, looks so rice: :facepalm:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2600/3988963187_64dc79a3d3_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2631/3989718228_5b7909da37_o.jpg

[Soundy]

As for how they look, I personally think it can look quite nice:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2528/4078837356_da9291516e_b.jpg

I see tint on the headlights... none on the foglights. Perhaps you're confused as to which is which? :noob:

[n0ob]

I see tint on the headlights... none on the foglights. Perhaps you're confused as to which is which? :noob:

They are both tinted. The foglights are tinted yellow and it's quite obvious...

[jpark]

to be honest i dont think tinted yellow fogs are that bad....

[SpuGen]

I can see n0ob driving that blasting black and yellow thinking he's some legit pimp. That does not look nice, that looks rice

YEEEEEEEAAAUUUUUHHH

UH HUH

YOU KNOW WHAT IT ISS

BLACK AND YELLOW
BLACK AND YELLOW
BLACK AND YELLOW
BLACK AND YELLOW

[Soundy]

The last foglights I installed came yellow from the factory. Putting cheap driving or auxiliary lights on and coloring the lenses yellow does not automatically make them "fog" lights.

[n0ob]

The last foglights I installed came yellow from the factory. Putting cheap driving or auxiliary lights on and coloring the lenses yellow does not automatically make them "fog" lights.

Huh!?!? WTF are you talking about???

[Soundy]

http://nervesocket.com/forum/uploads/1203879551/gallery_1_1_18776.gif

[n0ob]

You are a retard. Do some research you idiot. Yellow or any other color is not recognized as being "better" at penetrating fog. Therefore, fog lights do not necessarily come "yellow from the factory" as you stated. I am shocked at your stupidity. Stop talking like you know what you are talking about.

[Sp0r3]

You are a retard. Do some research you idiot. Yellow or any other color is not recognized as being "better" at penetrating fog. Therefore, fog lights do not necessarily come "yellow from the factory" as you stated. I am shocked at your stupidity. Stop talking like you know what you are talking about.

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/lights/light_color/light_color.html

Providing factual proof actually makes you sounds more of a persuasive person and less of a troll/snob. But you are absolute right, yellow light doesn't penetrate light, but it helps our eyes see better because of the way our eyes work with different wavelengths.

[Soundy]

Funny... *I* didn't say anything about yellow penetrating fog better.

Funnier that you state yellow lights are no better in fog, yet you're very proud of the fact that you've tinted yours yellow yourself.

Go back to the rice factory, noob.

(I'll give you one thing, you've chosen a very appropriate name for yourself :noob:)

[n0ob]

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/lights/light_color/light_color.html

Providing factual proof actually makes you sounds more of a persuasive person and less of a troll/snob. But you are absolute right, yellow light doesn't penetrate light, but it helps our eyes see better because of the way our eyes work with different wavelengths.

Yes, but "Soundy" was trying to say that fog lights come yellow from the factory, and suggested that I was simply throwing lights on and covering them with yellow tint and calling them "fog lights."

Anyway, so, contrary to what a bunch of idiots in this thread have told me, tinting my foglights yellow is not only legal, but, in fact, even beneficial for better vision on the road.

btw, Soundy, I haven't tinted my fog lights so I don't know how you can come to the conclusion that I am very "proud" to have done mine....

[Soundy]

btw, Soundy, I haven't tinted my fog lights so I don't know how you can come to the conclusion that I am very "proud" to have done mine....

---------

How bout foglights? Is it illegal for me to tint my foglights?

(picture of gay-looking BMW)

They are both tinted. The foglights are tinted yellow and it's quite obvious...

[n0ob]

um....okay...?

[Jegz]

So much hate. Thats a clean bimmer though, doesnt look rice imo.