I have to agree with that. If you throw an attitude towards them you are dead meat. Might as well just hand over your car and your *** to them.

 

I cant believe the sh*t you guys go through out there. Cops here wouldnt know the difference between a I/C and a radiator. They pull you over, write the ticket, you mumble eat a d*ck to them and your on your way.

 

I wasn't disagreeing with you on the fact that giving a bad attitude will give the police resolve to request a warrant. If you re-read my post, I supported that scenario as a huge possibility.

What you DIDN'T answer was the part about getting seperate fines for individual pieces of equipment. That, my friend, sounds like complete b.s. You get ONE ticket with ONE offence for that the car being illegal in the first place and ONE fine. I KNOW because I have gone through it all.

As a matter-fact, the court went light on me, they only charged me a $20 civil assesment fee.

 

You know, whats funny is that when I was making my decision, Vortech was my initial choice and I was JUST about to get it but started researching turbos and liked all of the performance advantages. I decided to take a chance and went turbo and it cost me a few bones. The good news is that the turbo is still in my posession and I am about 99% sure that it is going on this year. Probably before or after summer. A trip back to England is kinda soaking up some cash right now but I think I can do the trip and install together.

 

Yup, it's like the biggest paradox (if you want ot call it that) it's the coolest state to live in that literally has EVERYTHING including the leading edge of modding and tuning cars but we have the most Gestapo-like cops in the world in regards to cars.

 

They cannot give you a ticket with the thought that you might have it. They have to have hard evidence to give you a ticket. So if you have a FMIC you could probably get one or if they hear a BOV. They can't make you do anything, but they could tow your car. If you get that screwed over in Cali i couldn't tell ya. Up here in Utah you could fight a ticket and win if they don't have just cause, unless they proved that you had it on your car.

It's like if the cops come to your house and say you have an illegal substance and want to search, if you deny permission they have to get a search warrant. They can't just force their way in, it's against the law unless they have proof that you have the illegal substance in your house.

I wouldn't think the government would change from state to state, but maybe.

 

lol man cali has such strict car laws. The cops here wouldn't give a damn if you made 600 hp and had the darkest limo tint with turbo and a loud exhaust...

 

You guys crack me up, been there done that (not the hood latch mod). Let me just tell you what happened a few years back. I was pulled over for a stupid sticker in the top of my windshield...

::SIRENS::

Ahh $hit, what the heck did I do? (I was thinking to myself) I wasn't speeding, I actually saw the cop in front of me and he quickly got behind me.

Officer: You know why I pulled you over? (why do they always ask this question?)

Me: No Sir

Officer: That front sticker is illegal.

Me: Oh really?

Officer: Yes, can I see your license and registration please.

Me: Sure, but let me as you something. Your saying the sticker is illegal to have in the winshield. However, I used to own a Saleen mustang that had a "Saleen" sticker on the windshield from the factory so your telling me that is illegal?

Officer: Yes

Me: So your telling me their are selling cars with illegal modifications?

Officer: That's right!

Me: Wow, okay... ::Gives officer license and registration::

Officer: Pop your hood

Me: Sure....

::without going into too much detail, he tries to act smart telling me I have a cold air intake but in reality it was the turbo piping::

Anyhow, the cop sent me to a referee station to get my car smoged and was diagnosed as a "gross polluter".

So the moral of the story is, it doesn't matter if your hood latch or hood won't pop. If the cop suspects their is something fishy he can send you to the referee station and their is really now way out. So you can have your "fake latch" but if you ever get pulled over by a smart police officer it doesn't matter how smart you think your are I've been pulled over tons of times, and what I have noticed is when your really cool with the cop and honest things have worked out better for me. Actually been let go on may occassions including a street race I was caught and thought I was doomed, but I ended up with just a speeding ticket and a "calm down" because next time I wont be so lucky.

 

A car does not enjoy all of the protections that a house does. Proof is NOT needed, just the mere suspicion.

 

Ha that is pretty much how it is here. Hell some of them might even want to check it out

 

Yeah here when you are pulled over you make one quick move while the cop is pulling you over your pulled out of your car hand cuffed and have your car searched all because of probale cause. Granted they're not to strick about the parts they're more looking for drugs in maryland.

 

There's a good chance local cops wouldn't know the difference, but if you get pulled over by the CHP, most of them will know if you have a intercooler or not.

I've heard of the fake latch thing and that's an old excuse that cops are well aware of. They are going to basically impound your vehicle if you say that.

Turbo'ing is a gamble for sure, so don't cry if this happens next time. Don't race on the street, don't get a loud *** BOV and just keep it fairly slow until you hit the track.

 

so i'm not sure what the point of owning a car in california is. If you can't mod it without worry of getting it impounded what's the point. I really don't understand that state. How can they control what you do to your own property? Does that mean they can control what color you paint the walls inside your house? Lets just hope the crazy people stay there and never start trying to force they're "we're saving the world" ways on us out here.

 

Well alot of States have adaopted No smoking in bar. Which was set originally by CA. In NY, CT, NJ you can't smoke in a bar. I hope other states do not adopt CA's motoring laws...

What if an out of State car were visiting CA... Say a car from NY, what would happen?

 

There are a lot of differences between painting your walls in your house and a turbo on your car....first of all. Secondly cops can be d*cks and they can be cool as hell. Bottom line is dont drive crazy and when you get pulled over tell them the truth when they ask you a question.
I think it is funny that people complain about turboing their car when they get pulled over. Didnt we all know when we took this step it was ILLEGAL? If you get cught shame on you, but if you dont play games with the cops and you are respectful.....chances are you are not going to get in trouble.
I was pulled over and the cop said those famous words, "You know why I pulled you over?" I had no idea....long story short he made me sweat and I answered all of his questions. After looking under the hood and everywhere else on the car he told me, "Nice car, I just wanted to check it out." I know not all cops are cool like this, but I bet if I had pulled the "hood wont open...." he would have done something and written me a ticket.
You can try whatever you want, but dont complain(and I know you are not right now) if something bad happens.

 

For everyone else out there.....the cops here suck but everything else is flawless!!!! Can't beat the weather or anything else for that matter...so I will put up with the pigs!

 

+1. I think I said the same thing earlier. Cali has the best of everything from the women, the cultures, the weather and the different environments (beaches, mountains, metropolises, plains, valleys, deserts are all about an hour or so away from each other).

It seems we all have to price somewhere in life- just seems ot be the way it works and the way we tuner fans pay for it is the potential to get caught.

 

First off, I'd like to thank everyone who has chimed-in and would like to thanks especialyl the people with first hadn experience of what I went through also.

I do acknowledge that being a 'nice' and 'decent' person can go along way but can it go far enough. The way I see it is that if I do get pulled over (God-forbid) and I do play the nice-guy role and just pop my hood, what do you guys think will be the chance that a cop will just 'let me go', I mean, come on.

What I will probably do is relocate the cable somewhere else inside the cabin to give me the option of pulling it while not makign it look like I relocated it as compared to maybe putting it somewhere in the trunk area.

Navygolf is correct in that I knew what I was getting into whenI commited to my turbo system. I am angry for two reasons though- I think that the police weild way too much power in this regard and that they are breaking privacy rights. As I did more research I found, similar to what someone else posted here, that a car doesn't get the same amount of protection of a home. Once a car rolls out onto a street, it is in a public domain. Part of the CVC code I violated had to do with the States health regulations. So as long as your car is out in public, it is free to get broken into by the cops. Is it right, hell no.

The other thing that makes me angry is that even though illegally modified cars (power-generating mods) due increase the amount of smog they create, I amsure it is incredibly minute compared to other vehicles such as school busses, earth-moving equipment, city and state government heavy equipment such as Cal-Trans trucks, garbage trucks etc. THOSE are the ones that need to be ticketed. Not some guy driving an efficient but fast sports car.

If Cali started ticketing those vehicles inwhich I just mentioned or atleast started to overhaul them or replace them, I woudl gladly be N/A but there is ahuge double-standard going on and I won't stand for it.

One thing I think the state should do is allow a system for modifying vehicles but you pay extra to your registration each year. The money generated from the mods then goes to overhaul\retrofit or replace the REAL gross poluters out there.

Decals can be given to those that subscribe and it can go in your license plate somewhere or on your bumper like how Hawaii has their registration. A number would denote the level of modification such as '1' for air intakes and a cat-back exhaust to '4' or '5' for anykind of forced induction.

 

Damn Mark (?),
Looked like you've been through a hell of a lot since I last saw you a longgg ways back.

 

i have my car in CA now from NY as far as i know as long as it is taged and pased my NY state inspection thats all i need..

blu have you ever think about getting a carb plate off a vortec?