Pulled over...for license plate lights

[Rounki]

Couple of weeks ago, a buddy of mine got me some led license plate lights. Super easy to install and produced a nice clean white light as opposed to the dingy yellow stock lights. They weren't overly bright and seemed to make the plate a lot more visible at night.

Last night, driving home from a friends house(local roads, not highway), I saw a police cruiser behind me. I looked down to make sure I wasn't speeding, which I wasn't, but seemed like he was getting closer and closer to me. He started turning his headlights off for a bit then back on. I thought he was flashing me to move over so I moved over lanes which he quickly followed and I knew right away he wanted to pull me over. His lights come on and I pull over to a small empty shopping complex parking lot.

I'm scratching my head thinking what did I do? I wasn't speeding, my tags are up to date, I have smoked taillights but at night with the lights on it's impossible to tell.

After checking my license and insurance, he tells me that my license plate lights are blue. I told him I was unaware of that and was told they were pure white. We both take a look at the light directly and it still looks pure white to me. Our new Texas plates have a blue hue across the top which may make the light look bluer or maybe compared to most yellow stock lights a pure white can be mistakenly blue.

Nevertheless, he gave me a verbal warning and told me to change them. :( I guess I'll be putting the stock ones back on. Sad cuz I really liked the clean white light too.

[10spokess]

I have white LED's on mine and they look strait white maybe it is just your blue thing like you said! I would go on without changing them

[caper]

i got 2 tickets on the weekend....1 for parking 5" too far from the curb. apparently 18" is max and i was 23"!!! it was a sloping street and i didnt want my passenger door to hit the curb...

second one , car was parked in a parking lot, and i guess he had nothing better to do than give me a no front plate ticket, while it was parked. 2 tickets in 2 days, and i wasnt even in the car, lol..FML

[Rounki]

These are what the plates basically look like. I really think the blue on the license plate is accentuated with the white led light and make the light look a bit blue.

[brantley847]

It depends, I need some information...

He may have been wrong about the blue once he double checked and back tracked... However, the white lights that people keep putting on license plates are illegal anyways IF they face outward...

The white lights are mandated to be installed into the vehicle allowing them to face back towards the vehicle and illuminate the license plate. IF they are facing out towards traffic coming towards your vehicle.... they are illegal under the provision that no white lamps will be placed on your vehicle behind the A pillar. Same applies with Red... no red in front of the B/C pillar.

[Rounki]

Originally Posted by caper

i got 2 tickets on the weekend....1 for parking 5" too far from the curb. apparently 18" is max and i was 23"!!! it was a sloping street and i didnt want my passenger door to hit the curb...

second one , car was parked in a parking lot, and i guess he had nothing better to do than give me a no front plate ticket, while it was parked. 2 tickets in 2 days, and i wasnt even in the car, lol..FML

Wow, that sucks. Are they carrying around rulers or tape measures?? Are they even allowed to give you the license plate ticket if your not driving?? I always show and have respect for officers but sometimes its like . . Lucky though this officer didn't notice that my front plate was missing as well and my taillights are smoked pretty dark.

[Rounki]

Originally Posted by brantley847

It depends, I need some information...

He may have been wrong about the blue once he double checked and back tracked... However, the white lights that people keep putting on license plates are illegal anyways IF they face outward...

The white lights are mandated to be installed into the vehicle allowing them to face back towards the vehicle and illuminate the license plate. IF they are facing out towards traffic coming towards your vehicle.... they are illegal under the provision that no white lamps will be placed on your vehicle behind the A pillar. Same applies with Red... no red in front of the B/C pillar.

Completely understand but my lights were in no way facing out towards traffic. License plate lights on the camaro are recessed into the bumper pointing down and towards the license plate. Mine weren't pointing towards the rear or at anybody. The LED lights replace the peanut bulbs and remain inside the same housing.

In effect all it does it make the light cleaner and less yellow. I think a lot of new BMWs and Lexus' are coming out stock like this.

[brantley847]

Originally Posted by Rounki

Completely understand but my lights were in no way facing out towards traffic. License plate lights on the camaro are recessed into the bumper pointing down and towards the license plate. Mine weren't pointing towards the rear or at anybody. The LED lights replace the peanut bulbs and remain inside the same housing.

In effect all it does it make the light cleaner and less yellow. I think a lot of new BMWs and Lexus' are coming out stock like this.

Yea, you should be fine.. I would leave it and just hope the same guy doesn't get you. But cannot promise that won't happen...

Hopefully this thread remains civil...

[Rounki]

Yea I'll probably just change them out. Once again I have utmost respect for officers of the law and I'm not going to cry and b*tch and start something over some lights.

[ChvyBoss]

I say just leave em on. I get pulled over a lot. And no has ever told me anything about my license plate light

[Blk-Ice]

Originally Posted by brantley847

Yea, you should be fine.. I would leave it and just hope the same guy doesn't get you. But cannot promise that won't happen...

Hopefully this thread remains civil...

I have a question for ya since we are on the subject of tickets. I got accused of coming up from behind a police officer at 99 MPH in which case i got a wreckless ticket. I had just puled onto the road from a rest stop where there were lots of 18 wheeler trucks. I had my car dyno-ed and the person running the dyno was a recently retired VA police officer and he also taught radar at the Academy. He gave me a printout of one of his classes where it stated that keying of CB radios or any High powered radio device can affect the reading on police radar. If this is the case is there a posibility with my lawyer being given this info that this ticket could be dropped instead of just reduced. BTW i really was not going anywhere close to 99MPH it was actually more like 75 in a 65. Just asking....

[IBM/2SS/RS/LS3]

Leave em'.


They're the same color as the OEM BMW and Lexus plate LED's

[Rounki]

Haha, yea I just double checked and the newer BMWs are running oem led white lights now for the license plate lights. I dunno if I wanna risk getting pulled over by the same cop. It's on a small road I take to get home EVERY night.

[Devryn17]

Originally Posted by brantley847

It depends, I need some information...

He may have been wrong about the blue once he double checked and back tracked... However, the white lights that people keep putting on license plates are illegal anyways IF they face outward...

The white lights are mandated to be installed into the vehicle allowing them to face back towards the vehicle and illuminate the license plate. IF they are facing out towards traffic coming towards your vehicle.... they are illegal under the provision that no white lamps will be placed on your vehicle behind the A pillar. Same applies with Red... no red in front of the B/C pillar.

1. Reverse lights
2. Cargo lamps in pickups and on vans.