Has anyone installed non-DOT tail lights prior to safety inspection? I'm looking at some alternative LED type tail lights but they are not "DOT" approved.
Cheers,
Scott
Cheers,
Scott
DOT Requirement for lights?
- Thread starter Scott W
- Start date
It's going to depend highly on wher eyou live and your local inspector. If you live in Mississippi, you could probably roll up with some tractor lights duct taped in and pass. It looks like you are in San Diego, I suspect you will have to meet every little iota of the code.
I kind of figured that because I live in Californickstan I would need to make sure that every light, wire, bolt and nut passes the draconian state requirements. I will most likely have to install the Dakota tail lights and then redo after inspection approval.
Cheers
Cheers
Rob Klein
Supporter
Ok just move out a commifornia
If you are registering it under SB100 I see no requirement in the rules that state that. My SPF does not have DOT approved lighting or if they are, I see no such markings on them and there are plenty of cars legally registered in Cali. The only person that would check it is the brake and lamp inspector and from what I understand, they only check to see that you have brake lights that actually work.
That is what I was reading in the SB100 as well, but nice to have separate set of eyes to confirm.
Cheers
As a point of clarity —
The DOT doesn’t “approve” anything. They do, however, create a specification for various bits (lighting, the most common) which may or may not be required by your governing body.
So - that said, Hella may produce various lights or lenses to meet a specific DOT specification. When they do, they may have the spec and/or DOT on said item.
The DOT doesn’t “approve” anything. They do, however, create a specification for various bits (lighting, the most common) which may or may not be required by your governing body.
So - that said, Hella may produce various lights or lenses to meet a specific DOT specification. When they do, they may have the spec and/or DOT on said item.
Ken Roberts
Supporter
Worst case scenario. If you get rear ended and the driver that hit you claims your tail lights were very dim and the police put that in the report, your insurance company may try and get out of the claim (if they discover you used non DOT type tail lights). DOT is a federal standard all cars in the US must pass. A lot of items that don't meet the DOT standard will have "for off road use only" on the packaging. The onus is on the builder to meet all the standards both State and Federal.
I've put 2 cars through the SB100 program in recent years. CHP checked my cars first but all they wanted was documented engine/transmission numbers and chassis numbers. Never looked at the lights and never commented on anything else on the cars. Next stop was the BAR. All he looked for was a closed PCV system. I don't think the cars were checked front-to-back with any kind of diligence.
These were FactoryFive builds, but I don't think that makes a difference.
Scott, I have LED tail lights on my coupe, and it passed inspection.
These were FactoryFive builds, but I don't think that makes a difference.
Scott, I have LED tail lights on my coupe, and it passed inspection.
I relooked. My SPF has DOT certified taillights and E9 headlights which I believe are European Union code.
Scott
Lifetime Supporter
My guess is that in most jurisdictions you would get through an inspection without any issues so long as the tail light doesn't look like a garage-brewed hack because they aren't checking for the DOT.
However, Ken hit the nail on the head. It's my understanding that it's illegal to drive on any public road without DOT tail lights. If there's a bad accident all of the insurance companies are going to be looking to not pay out. If any part of the accident happened behind you, an argument can be made that the non-DOT tail lights played a part. After realizing what a SL-C is, any savvy insurance investigator (we're talking about a big payout) would inquire about the tail lights irrespective of what's in the police report. In addition to your insurance company potentially not paying out, other insurance companies and/or drivers may sue you. It's well understood that poor or no tail lights can cause accidents... in fact there have been insurance scams where drivers disable their brake lights looking to get rear ended (they reenable them after the accident).
So, it comes down to your risk profile and the size of the assets that you'd like to protect. Personally I would absolutely not use non-DOT tail lights because you are creating a potential liability with your passenger and everyone in the cars behind you and the SL-C is a high-profile car. Swapping the tail lights out after the inspection, not to mention this thread, demonstrates that you knew it wasn't legal which might lead to punitive damages.
However, Ken hit the nail on the head. It's my understanding that it's illegal to drive on any public road without DOT tail lights. If there's a bad accident all of the insurance companies are going to be looking to not pay out. If any part of the accident happened behind you, an argument can be made that the non-DOT tail lights played a part. After realizing what a SL-C is, any savvy insurance investigator (we're talking about a big payout) would inquire about the tail lights irrespective of what's in the police report. In addition to your insurance company potentially not paying out, other insurance companies and/or drivers may sue you. It's well understood that poor or no tail lights can cause accidents... in fact there have been insurance scams where drivers disable their brake lights looking to get rear ended (they reenable them after the accident).
So, it comes down to your risk profile and the size of the assets that you'd like to protect. Personally I would absolutely not use non-DOT tail lights because you are creating a potential liability with your passenger and everyone in the cars behind you and the SL-C is a high-profile car. Swapping the tail lights out after the inspection, not to mention this thread, demonstrates that you knew it wasn't legal which might lead to punitive damages.
Ken Roberts
Supporter
Just a heads up. E code headlamps are legal here in Canada but not in the USA. Even if your headlights were DOT/SAE they would fail because the plexiglass headlight covers are not DOT stamped. The same goes with the foglight covers.
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