Car "Modding" Laws?

[Thorax_the_Impaler]

Hello everyone!

A while ago, an old friend of mine showed me his plan to "mod" his vehicle. Basically he was using certain electronics to create a HUD effect in his vehicle, relative to the driver's side. This recently got me thinking. Forgive me if this question is painfully simple to answer, but are there any written laws against modifying one's car? I can well imagine that you can't do anything that obstructs your vision, but I've heard some people get in trouble for modding their automobiles with miscellaneous electronics and such, which do not violate that principle.

Again, is there a written law, state or federal, that prohibits vehicle modifying to any extent?

 

[iFargle]

There are tons of laws against modifications.
It all depends on where you live, though.

I'm not sure about Federal regulations (I'm sure there are, I just can't name any), but there are certainly state-level regulations.

Here in CA, I believe it's illegal to make any mods that will "obstruct your vision", ie tint on the front windows. Not sure about a HUD, because Corvettes come with something like that.

EDIT: I have a penal code book here that's about a foot thick (My dad works for the Bureau of Automotive Repair).. you might want to get your hands on something like that

 

[carnageX]

I've seen a lot of cars that have HUDs as a feature. Dunno about legality of doing it yourself.

 

[Thorax_the_Impaler]

@iFargle: Lol Believe or not, you are not the first person to tell me that.

@carnageX: I always figured that cars with manufacturer built in HUDS would have some sort of special legal permission. Or rather I should say it wouldn't surprise me.

 

[PP Mguire]

I believe here in Texas it's legal if it is deemed safe for production vehicles but doing it yourself is not legal.

A lot of car mods are actually illegal. For instance I just found out the smoked tail lenses on my Mustang are "illegal" and I can't get it inspected. I'm going to call a few more places tomorrow to find out how true it is.

 

[steve10765]

@iFargle: Lol Believe or not, you are not the first person to tell me that.

@carnageX: I always figured that cars with manufacturer built in HUDS would have some sort of special legal permission. Or rather I should say it wouldn't surprise me.

what are you guys talking about... I was imagining a hologram for fuel tank %, speed, distance traveled, time in vehicle, etc

lol i was imagining like a game hud, that would be super cool...

 

[carnageX]

what are you guys talking about... I was imagining a hologram for fuel tank %, speed, distance traveled, time in vehicle, etc

lol i was imagining like a game hud, that would be super cool...

Like in the Corvette for example:

 

[PP Mguire]

what are you guys talking about... I was imagining a hologram for fuel tank %, speed, distance traveled, time in vehicle, etc

lol i was imagining like a game hud, that would be super cool...

HUD means heads up display, so think of something like what the Vette has in the previous post or like what an F16 fighter has.

 

[C0RR0SIVE]

PP, for your tails, it depends, if the car actually came from the factory, or the Ford dealer sells smoked tails, you could get an inspection and they couldn't fail you for them. But if they are not OEM, or are not smoked by the OEM or an OEM approved company, then they can be marked as illegial.

Same thing with HID lighting, it is illegial in all states to use a HID bulb on any car, truck, suv, that did not come with the same exact type of bulb from the factory in it's housing, which means it usually has to have a projector... Last I heard they are updating that law to reflect upon newer housings that appear like the typical halogen housings, but can take a HID bulb and actually reflect the light onto the road properly instead of scattering it like older housings do.

Tint is purely state controlled, there are federal laws, but state law is more strict than the federal ones.


I am honestly going to say this, don't attempt it, because if he does it wrong, it could be a huge distraction to other drivers, and guess what... Distraction to other drivers is what will get you pulled over the fastest since it grabs the attention of an officer. Then he will probably get a nice little ticket.

If he wants something fancy, have him build a CarPC.

 

[PP Mguire]

PP, for your tails, it depends, if the car actually came from the factory, or the Ford dealer sells smoked tails, you could get an inspection and they couldn't fail you for them. But if they are not OEM, or are not smoked by the OEM or an OEM approved company, then they can be marked as illegial.

Same thing with HID lighting, it is illegial in all states to use a HID bulb on any car, truck, suv, that did not come with the same exact type of bulb from the factory in it's housing, which means it usually has to have a projector... Last I heard they are updating that law to reflect upon newer housings that appear like the typical halogen housings, but can take a HID bulb and actually reflect the light onto the road properly instead of scattering it like older housings do.

Tint is purely state controlled, there are federal laws, but state law is more strict than the federal ones.


I am honestly going to say this, don't attempt it, because if he does it wrong, it could be a huge distraction to other drivers, and guess what... Distraction to other drivers is what will get you pulled over the fastest since it grabs the attention of an officer. Then he will probably get a nice little ticket.

If he wants something fancy, have him build a CarPC.

Yet I see a metric **** ton of vehicles on the roads currently with aftermarket smoked lights or HIDs with no projectors and up to date stickers. I don't think every single one of these people get illegal stickers so there has to be some loop hole I'm missing. Not that I want these, but just saying. My car came with them when I bought them and I can't currently afford to replace the tail lights. Would be cheaper to get a hot sticker.