hey, im from LA california and i am wounder if a cop can pull me over and tell me my exhaust if my muffler is illegal just cause its modified...

he pulled me over cause my lisence plate lights werent working, but then he told me my muffler was illegal, its not even that loud!

god , those cops are bs
i know that in california, it has to be 90 dba or less, and that damn cop didnt even run a test for me or anything

i need some feedback, thanks

 

Were you cited for the exhaust or just given a verbal warning? No way you can be cited without a db meter @ 50 feet.

 

First, sorry about your cop troubles. I've ran into the same dilemmas. I'm from pasadena but currently i'm stayin' in the UCLA area. I've been pulled over twice for such "modifications" and luckily i've been told off with verbal warnings. When i last checked, the noise excess should be less than 95 dBa. I was with my friend when we got pulled over for his exhaust noise and we tried to prove the legality of his exhaust with a certificate but the cop didn't buy it. He told me supposedly all "exhaust modification" are illegal and proceeded to check the rest of the car for any illegal modifications. Needlesstosay, every time we get pulled over we get PO'ed. I read Cali and NY have worse when it comes to performance modifications. I envy people from other states who have it better off. Recently you've probably have heard about the crackdown on "street racing" in california, as the most severe point is located less than 20 miles from where i'm from. But it sucks that cops have nothing better to do than mess with the few people who honestly want set their cars above the rest and use it for daily driving without being hassled. If i don't look like i'm racing with anyone i shouldn't be pulled over just b/c i look like i was "attempting" to.

Anyways, it's pretty difficult to fight the citation. Under CALIFORNIA laws:

Illegal equipment most often cited by the CHP:

- Exhaust systems which meet smog requirements but are still too loud. Exhaust equipment that states it is, "Legal in all 50 states," refers to smog, not noise.

- Note: New law (27150.2 VC) does not require law enforcement to use sound level meters to test for excessive noise. Citation is based on officer's judgment. Cited violators may have testing done at smog referee stations or may be directed by the court to have testing done. Vehicles in violation must be brought into compliance. A fine may also be imposed.

If you get ticketed with a correction citation you can take it to a ref. station in Torrance. Some people tell me there's a ref. there that's pretty cool when it comes to the testings. Acquire a passing cetificate from the ref. and just get it signed off. Also, most cali. judges aren't too keen about people who fight fix-it tickets.

Couple word of advice: Use a dB reader to pre-determine whether or not you'll pass before you bring you car in for inspection. If you can obtain a certificate for the verification of you dB reading, use it as reference to the exhaust dB limit if you ever get pulled over again for it. AND MOST OF ALL - keep all stock parts. You'll never know when you need them.

ADD-IN: The laws refer to CHP standards (exhaust are usually loudest on the freeway.) Laws may vary from city to city. I've been to some cities where the cops are lenient towards modifications.

Sorry for the long post, hopefully this can help you out in some way. [sm=innoc.gif]