Just ticketed for OEM tail lights.
 

So I pulled up to a stop light and on the other side of the road was a roadside speed trap with inspection officers. One cop notices my front license plate is up on the dash and gives me the point. So I pull over figuring Im ticketed for just that. Nope, he starts checking this and that, and stops at my OEM tail lights and says that they are illegal in Canada and I have to pay this fine and get different tail lights. I told him about five times that they are oem. Then he tells me that even if mazda brought them over here to sell they are still illegal ( because they limit the emmitted light visibility).

So now I have to find some documented proof that these cars came with these tail lights so I can get out of this ticket and any future ones from the next opportunistic Officer.

Any ideas? I have already emailed mazda canada and talked to a dealership. The dealership said to talk to mazda canada.

Was your car originally sold by a canadian dealership? Get a original brouschure and show the courts.



BTW, Have you searched? I know there are a TON of threads on this topic

No my car is an Imported RHD FD3S, but it dosent matter either way as they are the same besides the Zenki and Kouki.
All of our tail lights appear darkened, its a fact.

It should have been over when I pointed out the DOT stamp on the lights which is visible, but he wanted to do his own research into it.

Good call on the search, I did after you mentioned it and didnt get much. I searched:
-"ticketed for oem tail lights" with different keywords like smoked or darkened.
-"fined for oem tail lights"

I found my thread and someones DIY.

https://www.rx7club.com/west-rx-7-forum-193/damn-ref-ticket-today-765013/

https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generation-specific-1993-2002-16/got-pulled-over-951342/

Not necessarly relavent for you
https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generation-specific-1993-2002-16/fmvss-no-108-sae-j585d-legally-proving-our-tail-lights-legal-986911/



This was a quick search.

Just mass up a massive collection of original Mazda photos of the FD3S in varying years and show it to the courts.

as wacky would say:

Junk it!

Thanks dude, I see you have recently contributed to a similar thread. I used the wrong keyword I guess!

I'm disputing it, so I will bring a bunch of photos with me and hopefully that blurb in FSM about the tail lights being tinted.

I'm not sure who "wacky" is, but i'd like to junk that ticket.

thread can be closed, sorry for the lack proper keyword search.

I think I'm gonna keep my brochure in the rear bin from now on, Chicago cops are mean.

Move to a different province, with no emissions, no front plate, cheap gas prices (in comparison) and not as many ignorant (correct definition used here) and butthead cops about... Still a few, not as many...


J.

you clearly dont live in Calgary...

i will admin i have yet to get pulled over in the rx7(now that we have a loud exhaust bylaw in place im expecting this more often, but i do frequently get cops following me home on friday / saturday nights when im doing nothing wrong... just following and waiting for me to make one wrong move.

ZE: Im going to have to find something like that or a collectors book and keep it in there for quick reference.

Prodigy: Im on Vancouver Island so no emissions. Alberta is exempt from a front plate?

Zyph3r: I've owned my car for 5 years and had 0 tickets/hassle from the cops and the car has had the same aggressive look basically the whole time. I've been lucky so far compared to a few of my other friends haha!

Where on Vancouver Island? I had a RHD FD and had no troubles as well.

On a side note, I'd like to check your car out :)

Im also in Nanaimo, I'll get my plate mounted to my bumper (I can't do much about the tail lights haha!) then we can meet up somewhere, sometime.

Last time I was pulled over for this I pointed out that it was OEM and there were reflectors in the bumper to compensate, which made it legal. The officer changed subjects and had me pop my hood, nailed me for speeding and modified emissions. But not for smoked tails; what a gentleman!

Haha I'd have so much fun in court making that cop look more like a retard. . .

Weird. . .been pulled over tons of times in a stock G35. . .but never once in a slammed FD that sounds like a snowmachine. . .

until the judge dismisses your evidence and fines you even more anyways.

Take 3 pictures. 1 of the entire rear of the car, another closer to the tails and a last one up close showing DOT then show the judge. If that doesn't get it dismissed then wow...

^ Just because the lights say DOT does not mean they were not modified.

Example: when someone tints their taillights it will still say DOT.


Also, does the DOT mark even apply in Canada:scratch:?

I believe it applies to all north american vehicles. For example when my vehicle was imported and provincially inspected from japan everything had to be DOT: Headlights, tailights, markers, reflectors, tires ect.

Example: when someone tints their taillights it will still say DOT:

True but I would imagine it would be less legible from the spray. If you can, go look at yours closely and imagine it sprayed. I could be wrong but I think the tint would make it look more concealed or atleast different.

good point guys

If you sprayed the tint onto the inside of the light then the legibility of the DOT mark will not be compromised

If you say so, Personally I'm on the fence until I see one sprayed.

Id like to know the verdict once you got to court. Keep us posted OP

That's when I'll call my attorney cousin.

take it to the supreme court, son!