Got a ticket for TRD muffler?

[steckelberg]

I got pulled over cause a cop heard my TRD muffler ( I was in lift ). Tried to tell me it was illegal. I gave him the certificate that it comes with. So he writes me a WI state ticket for having a modified muffler that is louder than what originally came with the car. I looked up the statute. This HAS to be bogus. I'm gonna swing by the dealership and see what they think. Anyone have any experience / advice? Hopefully the judge will throw this out.

[krazyone]

i dont have the certificate with my exhaust, i think i threw it away in the plastic it came with, how can i get a new one?

[HilfigerCelica]

That's BS, a TRD exhaust is totally CARB approved and it's legal.

[EndlessShock]

I have the the certificate... If you want one I can send you a copy... Send me an Email @ webmaster@endless677.net...

[LaW]

My friend got a similar ticket for having a not stock looking muffler.... ghey :) They are not citing you for a noise violation or whatever but having an exhaust that didn't come on the car from the factory.... I don't understand this law at all... if it exists

[GTS-Racer]

just tell them you brought it from toyota like that stock(trd package or something), then have them to call toyota to ask about it.

[autxr]

Again, I ask..


"What does CARB have to do with laws out of California?"

Scott

[pinoyracer]

Hmmm u said u where at lift, that's really loud if ur at lift, some of the cops won't waste their time just to check if the exhaust is legal or not.

When u bought ur TRD exhaust, it should come with a certification that the exhaust is legal or get some documentation from TRD or ur dealer

goodluck

[2002GT_Celica]

Yeah, that's why I keep the paperwork for stuff like that in the glove compartment of my car. Just in case some hard-ass cop is looking for someone to harass.

[2kgtx]

didn't he say he had the certificate with him and the cop still wrote the ticket.

[2kgtx]

If you were in lift the cop could have given you a ticket for excessive acceleration, Maybe he gave you the exhaust ticket just to give you a ticket that won't hurt you too bad, When I was 16 I ran my neon into a tree while racing a friend the car was flipped upside down really serious accident, the cop gave me a ticket for driving on wrong side of roadway because he had to give me a ticket. State law required him to so, he gave me a ticket that wouldn't hurt me. I think he did this because I was cool with him, I just went to court and the ticket was dropped.

[yakkosmurf]

Originally posted by autxr
Again, I ask..


"What does CARB have to do with laws out of California?"

Scott
Problem is, these clowns don't know what CARB stands for or what it applies to. It's just a term with "legal" in it.

[oldster]

Actually a CARB certification could help if you know your state's noise ordinance parameters since it states it does not exceed 95 DB. FYI it is not guaranteed to get you off from a ticket in CA either. If your state has laws against any muffler modification then you are just SOL.

[EndlessShock]

For California residents this might help if you have lost or misplaced your TRD Certificate...

http://hometown.aol.com/endlessflash/TRDCert0001.jpg

Hope that helps a little... Later...

[da wacky paki]

Same thing happened to me. I posted about it a few days ago. My exhaust isnt TRD, but its still pretty quiet. I'm gonna go into the highway patrol office and have them measure the sound. I think its quiet enough to pass. If anything, you can try to do the same thing.

[bgreganti]

Originally posted by oldster
Actually a CARB certification could help if you know your state's noise ordinance parameters since it states it does not exceed 95 DB. FYI it is not guaranteed to get you off from a ticket in CA either. If your state has laws against any muffler modification then you are just SOL.

Oldster,

Are you sure about that? As far as I have read, CARB approval/exemption is only related to smog requirements. I've never read anything related to noise in the CARB documents.

Also, the certificate posted above does not claim CARB exemption, only compliance with noise laws.

steckelberg,

You say that you looked up the law he wrote you for, but you don't say what it said. If it says you can't change the exhaust, then I'm afraid the ticket is good. Post a copy of the law and maybe some of us here can help you out.

Also, you might look through any other related laws you can find. Alot of times, there will be laws that override each other. California has several cases where one law says you can't do something and then another says that you can under certain conditions.

[LovinDaCamSwitch]

What else is new about these cops. They always got to pull someone over for dumb sh*t all the time. If I were you, I would fight for this ticket. Not only that, that exhaust is legal and why Toyota dealer sell it if it not legal. This can be a easy case to get resolved.
Dan

[MaasNeotek]

So... I am going to say the following because this thread keeps popping up...


"[he gave me} ... WI state ticket for having a modified muffler that is louder than what originally came with the car. I looked up the statute. "

WI? Wisconsin? Did I read that right?

So you are fighting a Wisconsin law, because California says it's ok???

Just because the TRD exhaust comes with a peice of paper that says it meets Californias NOISE requirements doesn't mean that it's legal in 50 states, or emissions legal, or legal at all.

Nor does it mean the the exhaust is exempt from any other state regulation regarding aftermarket parts or accessories. (Note that it only states it is legal per 27150 and 27151 "12 CCR (1036 (d) (1))" (Whatever those are... they probably mean something in California. Jack **** in Wisconsin I bet..)

Unfortunately, if YOUR state / provincial law says that non-OEM isn't permitted, then no sticker, printed page, or pretty 'certificate-like' documentation is going to fight it. - Nor is the law from another state.

For TRD, it's nothing more than a marketing gimmick.

Hell - for what it's worth, if there is a statute that states "Blue aftermarket bulbs are not permitted" then I guarantee you - you could sell blue ones that state they are "LEGAL" based on the "Maximum Brightness" regulations - and not be in the wrong.

[Pure Racer]

Here's one you can print out... Larry,do you want to put this on NC.org for people to use?

http://students.washington.edu/ajk96/TRD-Certificate.jpg

[oldster]

Originally posted by bgreganti


Oldster,

Are you sure about that? As far as I have read, CARB approval/exemption is only related to smog requirements. I've never read anything related to noise in the CARB documents.

Also, the certificate posted above does not claim CARB exemption, only compliance with noise laws.



You are correct, I was wrong in referring to the certificate as CARB. :)

[spwolf]

Go to court, show the judge your papers, and its done... Officer didnt want to inspect ur car, he just thought u might be using non legal exaust... now, after he has to be dragged to a court and he loses, he will think twice before giving anyone with TRD exaust ticket again

[steckelberg]

I looke up the law. It talks about modifying an exhaust for the sole purpose of making it louder. It details drilling holes, bypassing...etc to modify the muffler. I tried to explain that this was a bolt on replacement from the dealer- not a modification. I'm gonna take a print out of the statute to court with me. If the judge can't see that the cop is misinterupting this law then out legal system sucks. I have a few ideas for court. Oh and I did get an excessive acceleration ticket too. I figure I can't really fight that one cause it's his word against mine. I wasn't speeding and he didn't gun me.

[spwolf]

yes you can... you can fight both, he needs to prove it or he doesnt have a case... as long as you go there and say you didnt do it, they will have to drop the charges... basically, cops are banking on you not going to court

[spwolf]

and be nice to the judge, they know what they are doing... dont act p/o or anything like that

[steckelberg]

I thought I could say the cop pulled me over cause he thought my exhaust was too loud(which it isn't). If he wouldn't have heard it he never would have noticed me. Then becuase he saw the cert I showed him he wrote me a ticket for "undue speeding" or as he put it "taking off like a bat otta hell". I bet he figures they'll drop one ticket and I'll have to pay the other. They do that all the time.

[daSchtick]

Was it a City of Milwaukee cop, or a County Sheriff? In my experience the city cops rarely ever pull you over for anything, but out in the burbs, you better be careful, because there is nothing else for them to do but traffic enforcement. I am constantly watching for Mequon and Germantown cops, as I have friends at work who've been issued tickets for LESS THAN 5 MPH over! Needless to say, I am very selective about my 'jaunts into the dark side' in these areas.

[steckelberg]

It was in Brookflield- a suburb.

[TRlPPlN]

eh dont trip dude. just get the ticket signed off. is it a fix it ticket?

[SilverRide]

For the sake of argument, what if you told the Toyota dealer you wanted a TRD exhaust when you bought the car and took delivery with it already installed?

Now, it seems to me that the law was written to prevent people from installing an illeagle exhaust, not leagle ones.

It`s up to the courts to interpet the law, not the police!

[TRDXYR]

same thing happened to me!!! I just so happened to live in front of a Sheriff's Station. I got popped for the exhaust. Deputy says," I thought that looked like a modified exhaust!" I told him I have the TRD Street Legal package. He didn't care.. Unfortunately, I could not produce the forms at that time, I had it at home.

Best thing to do is go to court and bring all the forms and copy of VC book violation, and get it thrown out in court. Next, smile and laugh at the officer !!!

I had friends in law enforcement to sign it of for me.

I have the forms I can fax over also....

[steckelberg]

Yeah I have a form that has to be signed by a "law enforcement agency" stating that I put the original exhaust back on. I don't know anyone in law enforcement that'd sign for me and it's more touble to take the exhaust off then back on again for $100 ticket. I'm fairly confident the judge will be reasonable. I'm gonna stop buy my toyota dealership to see if they could give something in writing and/ or a phone number if the judge wants a confirmation. My court dates not until 6-13 so it'll be awhile yet. I'll post the results then. Aleast I haven't been caught racing my friends yet ( Tuned Audi A4, and stock WRX )