Let's see your frugal DIY mods!

I stuffed two amber bulbs in mine. Haven't been bothered yet.

 

Even if he does have a Tacoma it's still not a 'running light' because his truck has one there. It can't fit a light bulb therefore there is no bulb out. That being said, some states require vehicle inspection so you may fail if they have a list that shows this vehicle is suppose to have two license place bulbs and care about their job. If your state doesn't & your plate is illuminated to be seen from 50' at night then the law has been satisfied. If that burns out then you're in violation of the law.

 

Can you read the plate clearly from 50' away at night?

Yet. Why would you even do that? I'll never understand the mentality of some to push the envelope on every little law and then wonder why they're getting 'picked on' by the police. License plate lights are to light up your license plate for cops to see. If they can't see it then you're in danger of being pulled over and possibly cited. Simple as that. You can start to get cute but I prefer not getting pulled over in a decade or so now.

 

They were the only two spare bulbs I had that matched. I just haven't bothered getting new clear bulbs. They still light up the plate just fine though. Cute, yet visible from 50' away. I've only been pulled over twice in the Taco in over 6 years. The other time was just a seatbelt violation.

 

Ill have to check that tonight. Thanks for the info.

 

Mounted my highlift. I bought the mounting brackets from 4 Wheel Parts and drilled a hole in the center of the two holes that were already there. Used a couple bolts with a large enough head to hold tight in the bed rail.

 

I get that but seems like a foolish thing to tempt fate with. There are laws worth protesting and some are just foolish IMO. Get a couple of white bulbs or LEDs that fit those and swap them out and don't even give them a reason to pull you over. Best bet is to not stand out to draw attention and give them opportunity to find something wrong. An orange license plate in the night will certainly do that and it's only a matter of time before they find a reason to contact you.

 

I'm sure others have done the same, but I was at the local farm supply at my cabin a couple weekends ago and they had the horse stall mats on sale for $36. The mat is 4'x6' and fits great in the bed with a little trimming around the wheel wells and tie-downs. At 3/4" thick, that puppy weighs 100 lbs. That's 100 fewer lbs I have to throw in the bed for winter driving. Win, win.

 

Many states require all existing lights to be functioning. If it's not there, no problem. The plug looks stock, I like it and might give her a try...

And my wireless Warn remote came in!

 

'Tripping'? Who's 'tripping'? Oh, you mean me. I don't give a hobo's crap what you do and you can surround your truck in 47 Christmas light strings for all I care. Just don't come on here complaining about why cops are 'tripping' all the time because you think amber is the same as incandescent. BTW, the DOT has some very strict rules governing the color of various lights and if you didn't know those are the local laws are based off of. You can fight the system on licence plate lights or you can find better things to do with your life.

 

I don't feel like I've been picked on since I've sold my bright red sports cars. I'm honestly not worried about using the amber bulbs. There are so many people either using those "so white they're blue" bulbs, or have LP covers, which at least in my state, are illegal, even if completely clear.

 

I have a smoked license plate cover, never had an issue. I think most of these laws really boil down to where you live and how strictly the police enforce them. FWIW, I see people with the covers everywhere here and they sell them in just about every auto parts store even though they are technically illegal.

 

I had one on my vehicles for about a total of 3.5 years with no issues. I put it on my wife's Jeep Grand Cherokee about a year ago (in the same exact area), and she got pulled over on her way home from work about 6 months later. The Sheriff was pretty much harassing her about not being able to see her license plate, which is not true at all. Anyway, he was kept badgering her about taking it off before he let her go, so I pitched it that night when she got home.

It's funny what happens when there's an attractive blonde woman driving compared to our ugly mugs!

 

It's all about not catching the eye of LEO's really. You can get away with all sorts of things as long as you don't stand out. Different colored lights at night are a sure-fire way to catch the eye of the wrong LEO eventually as most probably don't care and have better things to do. All it takes is once though. If you don't do those things then those other people you describe catch their attention and you go about your business.

I had one on my Eclipse in the late 90's for years and years. I put SO many miles on that car driving between Colorado & Nebraska every weekend and eventually every other weekend after I moved out not to mention all the miles cruising around with friends & such. Never an issue... until the day I had one. Colorado state patrolman was having a bad day I guess and picked me out of the herd. Pulled me over and proceeded to give me a lecture about how I was trying avoiding traffic cameras and that was deceitful. I told him that that wasn't my intent and I had even received one in town and it shines through just fine in fact. Not sure that was the right thing for a 19 year old to say and he made me take it off right there on the side of the highway while he waited. The moral of the story is that I never had an issue until I finally did and it took that perfect combo of right time, right place, right unique mod and right LEO. If I didn't have a plate cover I never would have been pulled over. It's not his fault either it was my own so now I learn to customize tastefully to make shit look stock. The less you stand out the less issues you will have and this was a lesson that took me any years and tickets to learn.

 

My truck stands out anyway.

 

I just plastidipped my taillights and license plates a thick black. Keep getting tickets for them, idk why.

 

I don't even have license plate lights.

 

Is that neons?

 

So true. Those officers who notice minor differences and pay attention to details are the same officers who are likely to cite for minor violations. I understand that most LEOs are suggested to prioritize their pursuits, but when they aren't engaged, they are available for anything else they notice.

This attitude makes me laugh every time... people who want to modify their vehicle so it looks cool, different, special, and it gets the attention they crave, but they don't want attention from the cops. Good grief! I'm not saying people shouldn't modify their vehicles, I'm saying that other people might notice your modifications, and cops are other people. Once cops find a reason to stop you, they often check many other things while you have their attention. It's a simple truth, but some people want to argue everything because they are special. Saying "it's really no big deal" and "the orange plate is visible" is not an exemption from the law.

Even though it doesn't look as good, I decided to mount the front license plate on my Corvette because it's the law. I don't want to be pulled over, and I don't want any trouble. I just want to drive the car.

 

Amber illumination on the back of your truck is ILLEGAL unless it's a blinker.

Amber is for the vehicle's front, red is for the back. You'd be less likely to get pulled over if you installed red license plate lights. Which also is dumb.

I thought this was common knowledge...

One white light will be fine as long as it's bright enough for a cop to see when he's behind you.

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