Illegal Car Modifications

If you’re a car junkie and into modifying your car, you probably know which car mods are legal and which are less than legal; you might not care either. As for the rest of us, it might be nice to know what basic car mods could end in a ticket.

Tinting

Beginning with our area of specialty, auto glass and windshield mods can get you into a bit of trouble. Tinting is the first culprit. There is a limit to how dark you can tint your auto glass and what kind of tinting you can use. For example, a high level of reflective/mirror tint is not permitted to be used on most passenger or commercial vehicles.

Additionally, fully tinting or coloring the windshield is also illegal. You can, however, add a tint strip to the top of your windshield so long as it’s a) not too dark, b) not reflective, and c) not covering too much of the windshield.

If you are concerned about knowing the specific tint rules, you needn’t worry. As long as you use a reputable tint shop, they will know the restrictions and rules regarding tint and won’t apply tint that would give you a ticket. Still concerned? You can read all about Arizona tinting laws here.

*Specific Situation*

Most windshields come with a blue, green, or orange fade strip at the top of the windshield. That is embedded in the windshield by the manufacturer to help with sun glare. You can request a windshield without this embedded hue. It may be hard to find depending on your vehicle. It is not, however, illegal to drive with a non-hued windshield. There are even some vehicles that never have a hued windshield, like some Jeeps. However, tinting or modifying your windshield so that visibility is hindered could lead to a vehicle violation ticket, so be careful.

Lights

Any visible lights from the front of the vehicle must be white or amber and all lights visible from the rear of the vehicle must be red. License plates must be illuminated with white lighting.

Under-glow illumination lights are permitted so long as the above rules are followed. No flashing lights of any type anywhere on the vehicle are permitted. You can read more about light restrictions here, here, and here.

Noise

Noise modification rules and regulations vary from state to state and even city to city. As a general rule, be sure your vehicle has a muffler as that is generally law in most U.S. cities. Overall, be sure to look into your local vehicle noise laws to see how loud or which muffler modifications are permitted based on the noise they emit.

Other

As for other modifications, use common sense. If you want to mount a cannon to your roadster or attach a jet engine to your sedan, those will probably be red flags to your local police…more likely the federal police. Just do a quick google before making any serious modifications because you never know when a simple rim, muffler, or spoiler will end you up with a $1000 ticket.

Happy Adventures!

And Now That You Know What Mods To Avoid, Check Out Our Playlist to Take on Your Next Adventure:

https://adventureautoglass.com/2019/07/01/the-ultimate-aag-sedona-road-trip-playlist/

Reminder:

We provide windshield repair and replacement service to most of Yavapai County including the greater Prescott & Prescott Valley area as well as the Verde Valley, Sedona, and much more! More questions? Give us a call, we’re happy to help!