sop

So a few days ago at night while I was driving back home from my girlfriend's house, i get pulled over by a statie for some odd reason. I know I have yellow fogs and HKS Hi-Power.

I got off the highway to get onto a large rotary and yielded to the car that was coming. I noticed that it was a statie while it passed me. He signals right to get off the rotary or something, so I pass him slowly. He gets right back on my *** and follows me. He finally turns on his lights. At this point, I am puzzled for why I got pulled over.

To make a long story short, he says that my fog lights are very blinding since they are really bright. They are the factory halogen bulbs with a painted lens. They can not be much brighter when they are yellow. I was lucky to get off with a verbal warning. He did comment on the exhaust but I didn't answer him. He did ask who installed it but I said, "I don't know", to make him question me less.

Some law enforcers just some times have nothing better to do that to give some people a hard time for nothing.

laobo979

iTrader: (5)

Consider your self luck cause an after market exhaust is illegal in the state of mass. It's a surcharge on your insurance and $50 ticket. That why you see the Honda guy get it all the time. Plus they won't pass you emission at some stations.

Kurtz

iTrader: (1)

This sounded odd to me, and I know axle-back exhausts aren't covered at all by federal emissions standards.... so I looked into it a bit-

I find a bunch of news stories about how MA has apparently repeatedly introduced a bill to ban aftermarket exhausts (going back at least 5-10 years), which kept NOT passing every time it was introduced... the most recent seems to be from April of 2011 called HB 952

I can't find any record of it actually becoming law though.

Further, looking here:
http://www.vehicletest.state.ma.us/about_whywhat.html

I find no mention of any restriction on aftermarket exhausts that are checked during inspection.,

The only actual law I can find related to exhaust systems is for motorcycles-
"For motorcycles manufactured before 1986, 102 decibels is the legal limit, 99 decibels for motorcycles manufactured after 1986."


So if this is actually a law, do you have a source showing said law?

laobo979

iTrader: (5)

Some will pass you other will not check during state inspection. Yes it did pass as a law and I've gotten a ticket for it 5years ago For illegal modification. Statie continue to write and pull over those with exhaust. I was surprise when I did get ticket . Will try to find the site later. Plus if your car doesn't come standard with hid and you install a kit that illegall too. Won't pass safety Test.

iRock

iTrader: (12)

A lot of times the police will find any excuse to pull you over just to check you out for warrants, insurance, anything that's not right. Don't go pissing the police off if you don't have everything in order

So he probably just ran you license and when it came back clean let you go.

Kurtz

iTrader: (1)

then it's kind of odd that all the stories from one year ago mention it is only a proposed law, not a passed one. And the official MA inspection website makes no mention whatsoever of aftermarket exhaust being an issue for cars even today.

Hence why I asked for some evidence it's actually a law... because I don't think it is.

It certainly wasn't 5 years ago, since they were still trying to pass it in 2011.

You could've gotten a ticket for violating some town-specific noise ordinance certainly, but not for "aftermarket exhaust" because, as I mention, as of spring of 2011 at least, no such law existed against that in MA... there's laws regarding making an exhaust excessively loud, but not banning all aftermarket exhausts.

If it has passed since last suggested in spring 2011 I can't find any evidence of it.

laobo979

iTrader: (5)

Nope not town ordinance I was on the highway. Since 2000-03 they couldn't give me a ticket just a warning everytime. Then in 04 I think the state trooper finally gave me a ticket stating"illegally modification of exhaust". Said law pass fix it or continue to get fined. On my insurance renewal it stated the same and I got a surcharge with point increase. I don't know what to tell but what happen to me.

Kurtz

iTrader: (1)

Yeah.. illegal MODIFICATION.

That means he thought you removed a muffler or something.

Which IS illegal.


That's very different from just swapping a full aftermarket exhaust with miufflers on, which is NOT illegal in MA.


They've tried to make that second one illegal repeatedly (and failed repeatedly far as I can tell). If it had already been illegal they wouldn't keep trying to add a law to make it illegal after all.


If your exhaust wasn't actually modified (ie it was an off the shelf part with working unmodified mufflers and so on) you could've probably fought the ticket and got it dismissed.

laobo979

iTrader: (5)

It was just an axle back spoon exhaust. Stock header and mid pipe intack back then. I don't fight it cause over here it kinda blind sided. Got a ticket for 5mph over the speed limit and went to court just to here pay the fine haha...By the way I didn't know the exhaust went against my driving record till I renew my policy.To this day my friends still get these ticked for there exhaust.

Kurtz

iTrader: (1)

And probably most just pay it without finding out if they're actually illegal or not.

it's not like the cop is getting under your car, he just sees (or hears) what he thinks is a modded exhaust and gives the ticket, up to you to prove it's not in court sadly.

The proposed language in the last try at actually making any aftermarket exhaust illegal was ""The use and sale of any exhaust pipe that increases the sound emission of any vehicle including motorcycles shall be prohibited"

That's what was proposed in 2011 (and didn't pass far as I can tell)

Which reinforces my thought that current law prevents certain specific illegal modding (ie disabling or removing a muffer, installing a cutout, etc) but does not make it illegal in and of itself to use an aftermarket exhaust.

sop

From reading the comments that are coming back and forth. It seems like they are illegal due to the sound levels and emissions. If they meet those requirements, shouldn't they be legal? I believe the dB level was 95 dB and the HKS is pretty much right on the line from the last time I was told. I could be wrong.

I just have this feeling that I was pulled over for looking like a kid and driving a Lexus. Though the exhaust note didn't help me but that's just how I felt after speaking with them and seeing how they reacted when they pulled me over.

They did look around the car with their lights to find anything. They even looked inside. I cleaned the interior a few days ago so it was close to spotless.

You guys may be correct that they are just looking to see if there's anything off like warrants or something. Still I just hate to get pulled over for a reason or no reason. Dealing with law enforcement is just not a fun task.

Kurtz

iTrader: (1)

I can't actually find any state-wise db limit for car exhaust in MA (there is one for motorcycles, it's 99 or 102 depending on the year of the bike)

Local towns, cities, counties might have noise laws in addition to the state ones though.

95 db is the limit in California, which is usually the state most aftermarket folks look to as the most restrictive (which is why some aftermarket parts only sell themselves as 49 state legal)