Just Tinted / Blacked-out My Taillights
#26
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It is illegal in most states, the only one im sure of is Ca because im in los angeles. Usually cops dont care, ive had mine for about 8 or 9 months and got pulled over once for them and I drive by 2 police departments on my way home...only those damn motorcycle cops scare the ***** out of me! BUT IT LOOKS NICE so do it!
#27
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Nice Hersh! Matte black badging is def an idea tho. Or just go 'naked' on the trunk.
I feel you on the AMG badges. Mine came with a AMG on the rightside of the trunk but I haven't taken it off. Still deciding if I'm going to take it off or not. Don't really care what ANYBODY thinks if I'm rollin a 430 and just happens to have a AMG badge on it that I'm not responsible for mounting. But you're previous owner looks like he went crazy! AMG sticker in the window, license plate frame, trunk badging in addition to the '55'.
I feel you on the AMG badges. Mine came with a AMG on the rightside of the trunk but I haven't taken it off. Still deciding if I'm going to take it off or not. Don't really care what ANYBODY thinks if I'm rollin a 430 and just happens to have a AMG badge on it that I'm not responsible for mounting. But you're previous owner looks like he went crazy! AMG sticker in the window, license plate frame, trunk badging in addition to the '55'.
n ya..not to mention AMG decals on the mirrors n AMG seat belt pads..but i actually left those cuz theyre actually useful lol...i mite leve em unless i cud find nice "Mercedes-Benz" ones or somtin...everythin else will b gone....and youd think the previous owner was young or somtin but he was like a 30somtin yr old guy and his wife was the one drivin the car all the time supposedly....
n im pretty sure the taillight tints are illegal in most major states....i KNO i will eventually get **** for em but im jus takin that chance and willin to see how long itll b til i get pulld over for em lol......also..i got inspection due this month and i know i wont pass wit that along wit my window tints n turn signals but inspection wont b a big prob
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Last edited by deyainrdy4ds; 05-01-2007 at 11:16 PM.
#29
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2000 CLK 430 Cabriolet
#30
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It would be a shorter answer if you said "Is it legal in any states?" Aside from being illegal, if you're rear-ended, the guy who hits you has an out. As soon he tells his insurance company "the brake lights were painted over", it gives the insurance company an excuse to start assessing blame.
If you give an opposing insurance company an excuse not to pay, they'll take advantage of it. Insurance companies are in the "not paying if we don't have to" business.
If you give an opposing insurance company an excuse not to pay, they'll take advantage of it. Insurance companies are in the "not paying if we don't have to" business.
#31
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It would be a shorter answer if you said "Is it legal in any states?" Aside from being illegal, if you're rear-ended, the guy who hits you has an out. As soon he tells his insurance company "the brake lights were painted over", it gives the insurance company an excuse to start assessing blame.
If you give an opposing insurance company an excuse not to pay, they'll take advantage of it. Insurance companies are in the "not paying if we don't have to" business.
If you give an opposing insurance company an excuse not to pay, they'll take advantage of it. Insurance companies are in the "not paying if we don't have to" business.
ya i thought about that...but it still goes down as their fault at the end and my brake lights are all still visible..i know they could use the blacked taillights against me but itll most likely still go down as their fault at the end of the day....hopefully anyway lol...but thas just the chance im willin to take....theres still also the top brake light behind the window...
#33
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ya i thought about that...but it still goes down as their fault at the end and my brake lights are all still visible..i know they could use the blacked taillights against me but itll most likely still go down as their fault at the end of the day....hopefully anyway lol...but thas just the chance im willin to take....theres still also the top brake light behind the window...
CVC section 24600 (e)
(e) Taillamps shall be red in color and shall be plainly visible from all distances within 500 feet to the rear except that taillamps on vehicles manufactured after January 1, 1969, shall be plainly visible from all distances within 1,000 feet to the rear.
CVC section 24603 (e):
Stoplamps on vehicles manufactured on or after January 1, 1979, shall emit a red light. Stoplamps on vehicles manufactured before January 1, 1979, shall emit a red or yellow light. All stoplamps shall be plainly visible and understandable from a distance of 300 feet to the rear both during normal sunlight and at nighttime, except that stoplamps on a vehicle of a size required to be equipped with clearance lamps shall be visible from a distance of 500 feet during such times.
I know this for a fact because my '73 Porsche had euro tail lights and they lit up yellow when the brakes were pressed (yes, they were wired wrong). At any rate, I was hit while stopped at a light by some lady. Not only did her insurer (Farmers) initially refuse to pay for my damages, but they wanted me to pay for hers. I had to appear in court and receive a judgment (a court order stating the other party had to pay for my damages).
Hopefully you never get rear-ended. And if you do, I hope New Jersey law is a lot different than California law. Had my car been newer, I would have been on the hook.
#34
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NJ state law is probably pretty much the same....i know it wudnt meet the visibility standards, accordin to law ....but when i tested it as i was adding additional layers of tint to make it darker...i just wanted to make sure it was safely visible and an accident wudnt actually b caused cuz these taillites/brakelites werent brite enuf bcuz of the tint......if i do get rear ended n they try to push the blame on me...i gues it will jus suck since they could use that against me....but i KNO the accident cud not have been a result of my brake lites bein too dark....only problem is proving it to the judge, but hopefully it shudnt b too hard....maybe just an extra hassle that i previously wudnt have had ta deal with.......its all chances i guess n for now i guess im willin to take that chance....hopefully im not caught in this predicament...thanks for the insight tho...
did u win that case btw?
did u win that case btw?
Last edited by deyainrdy4ds; 05-02-2007 at 04:28 PM.
#35
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clk 430 cabriolet
Your ride looks nice, but as I found out from a friend. The law is the law. He had a mercedes and tinted windows and all....cops didnt care about tinted anything for three years, until he got rear ended by a trucker at stop light who eased up on the clutch and truck jerked forward and rammed his mercedes....well guess who got all the tickets....tinted windows tinted tail lights....trucker claimed he saw the other cars in front of the mercedes going forward and it looked like the brake lights on the mercedes were off.....went to court....merecedes lost....and blame was split 50/50 instead of the trucker having to pay for whole part....and its not up to you to appeal your case, its up to your insurance company....Its up to you what chances you want to take---hopefully you won't be in any accident where covering tail lights will be an issue....
#36
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ya i feel u....hopefully it just dont happen so i dont have to deal with it....but that truker is either retarded for not noticin the whole damn car in front of him OR an ahole for jus tryna get by like that.....but either way...thas prob wut most ppl would pull so i know at the end of the day its just a matter if i wanna chance it or not.........im guessin ill get pulled over for it eventually neway...esp around here....so once that happens - ill prob switch it up and remove the tint and tint out the white part instead...we'll see wut happens tho...wish me luck! lol
#37
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I won because legally, I was in the right. Farmers Insurance claimed the color of my lights was illegal (they looked like the ones in the picture) and they were not "plainly in view" (the car was lowered). I was in the right because the cutoff year was later than my model year and the "plain view" arguement was a disingenuous attempt at trying to claim the tail light height was illegal without having actually measured the height on the car.
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#38
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Sorry Herch. I didn't think that question would put you in the crosshairs *LOL*! I don't want to see nuthin happen to ya homie. Wish you nothin but the best!
who?
who?