So... Cops... Few ?s...

Lol not that I'd EVER COMPLAIN ON THIS SITE...

But, I was pulled over this morning... and have a few ?s. I drive over the 1st ave. bridge into Mpls. There was a cop behind me, not directly behind me. I wasn't speeding... can't over rush hour, I wasn't popping my exhaust at all or anything.. Just driving. Eventually, he got behind me, after the bridge I tossed on my turn signal and get over a lane cause I need to get onto 394. He pulled me over then. Said reason was for obstruction to my vision and my loud exhaust. The obstruction was an airfreshner lol.

In the end, he told me there were four things wrong with my car, the "obstruction", my tint... which he didn't test, a black boarder around my licence plate (didn't even know I had anything around it) and my exhaust. Thankfully he only gave me a $170 for the exahust and said it might be a fix-it ticket. If I fix it and prove it, might get droppped.

Thats my story, here are my ?s...

- Can a cop pull you over for nothing what so ever?
- Can a cop pull you over for having any tint what so ever? Even if legal tint?
- He told me its legal to have, buy and sell loud exhaust, just not have it on a car, is that true?
- He said he heard my exhaust around the corner.... hence didn't see me being loud, when he was tailing me, he didn't hear me being loud, can I fight that?
- Think of this, if I had a loud system in my car and got pulled over, they can't ticket you for just having it.... If I was banging it, they could. Is that the same for exhaust?
- I am switching my tint to 50%, or whatever is legal, anyone have a good tint place? (Sick of getting pulled over/tickets for just that one).

Again, this is not a bitching post, nor a god life sucks post. I just wanta know the law and what I can fight .

 

I believe you can fight that if he doesn't legitimately test those things. They have tint testers, and also I have heard of decibel testers for exhaust. It can be loud, but not beyond a certain point. You might want to look up the statutes on it on your local Gov. website. If your exhaust is too loud, definitely get it fixed and get the ticket expunged. As for the air freshener, he is absolutely right, and can pull you over for it. The frame around your plate cannot cover any information on the plate, including your tags. If it is thin enough to do that, you should be fine.

 

A cop can pull you over just to check your tint. It happened to me twice so I just ended up taking it off the car.

 

actually as sad as it is the air freshener is enough, I remember an occasion where a friend of my GF won some dice that she was going to hang from her mirror, her boyfriend was a minneapolis cop and wouln't allow her to. He said that it constitued "probable cause". The key to cop safe driving is to not make your car a probable cause target.

 

Its illegal to hang stuff from your mirror, so they use it as a convenient excuse to pull people over.

 

As for fighting the Exhaust one... my ? is... He didn't see me popping my exhaust but heard it around a corner 2 blocks away. Then he followed me for a mile or two I'm guessing to see me gun and pop it... Which I didn't. He didn't test my exhaust ether...

Is that enough to contest it?

Side note, I want to test my exhaust... Anyone have a reader?

And are there any lawyers out here that can tell us all exactly what the law means? The ticket is for Statute 169.69.

Thanks

 

If I'm not mistaken, all you need to do is drive by a parked car (or pedestrian) and if they can hear it over the 'normal traffic' noise, then it's too loud. It's all up to the cop to decide if it's too loud. I got pulled over for it once on my old DSM. I just put the cat back in the car (left the catback on) and took it to the cop shop. I started it up, they liked it. I went home ticketless.

 

Personally I thnk they all aer just jelious! They all want Subies and can't afford them!!! LOL JK I have some friends that are cops so I don't hate them! Just hate when they pull you over for "Nothing". Like, if I was gunning it from a stop, speeding... showing off I wouldn't feel all salty about it. But when I am just trying to comute to work driving normally.... sort of sucks..

 

It all depends on how Richard the cop is. In Roch they will hit you up for anything on an import car. Anything.

 

Sooo... Is it ilegal to have it on your car? If you aren't using it?

he didn't see me popping it at all, and when I drive the car normally, it sounds fine. So when he was tailing me, it wasn't popping or loud at all... So who he heard could have been anyone since he didn't see me...

Also, a week after I got the car, I was pulled over and they didn't say anything about the exhaust... could that help?

 

Also, can we please get no more this is what happened to me and I hate cops.. I really just want some professional legal advice and what the rules really are, not what we think they are or what they might be.

Sorry, not trying to sound like a biotch...

 

This helps some...
http://www.hometownsource.com/trooper/questions/2004/july/20mufflers.html

 

haha thanks! im not trying to sound like im complaining at all sry if it came off as that...! But what you just posted was exactly what i was looking for thanks!

 

Heres some fun info I just found on tint... I already knew the 50% one. But here are some more:
Minnesota Window Tint Law
Minnesota Tint Law Enacted: 1985
HOW DARK CAN WINDOW TINT BE IN MINNESOTA?

Darkness of tint is measured by Visible Light Transmission percentage (VLT%). In Minnesota, this percentage refers to percentage of visible light allowed in when using the film.

Windshield No tint is allowed on the windshield.
Front Side Windows Must allow more than 50% of light in.
Back Side Windows Must allow more than 50% of light in.
Rear Window Must allow more than 50% of light in.

HOW REFLECTIVE CAN THE TINT BE IN MINNESOTA?

Similar to sunglass lenses, some tinting film contain metallic elements that help in reflecting incoming light and reducing the glare and heat generated by visible light.

Front Side Windows Must not be more than 20% reflective.
Back Side Windows Must not be more than 20% reflective.

OTHER MINNESOTA RULES AND REGULATIONS

Restricted Colors No colors of tint are explicitly banned.
Side Mirrors No restrictions.
Certificate Requirements Manufacturers of film do NOT need to certify the film they sell in the state.
Sticker Requirements The sticker to identify legal tinting is required between the film & glass on the driver’s side window.
Medical Exemption State allows medical exemptions for special tint. For more details about the specific terms of the exemption, consult your state law.

 

Ok, here's my plan of attack!!! I am going to fight this ticket... but in a good way! First off I am getting my tint taken off completely. In a few weeks when I have the cash I'll just put on the 50% Tint. But for right now, getting it off.

When I go to fight it. I am going to see if the guy can come out with me and listen and determine if my exhaust to too loud, sort of like what readymix did. If he says its too loud, I'll let him know that I am going to fix it.. which I will and see if he'll drop it. Might not drop it, but idc too much about the money.

After which I'll ask him to just look over my car and determine what else I need to do to fix my car up to make it "street legal" and not be stopped all the time by cops. My hope is that if I go into it with a "wanta make it right" attitude, that he'll be nicer .

I'll let everone know my outcome here since my life is sooo much fun! haha

And yes, thank you all for your posts and sry bout being a b!@tch!

 

The only thing I don't get with the muffler law is motorcycles. I can't say I've ever heard too many cars, even the vast sea of ricer cars, that have actually been louder than a lot of the common motorcycles.

 

Motorcycles generally need louder exhaust. If they can't see you, at least make them hear you.

 

I got pulled over about a month ago just north of Mankato for my exhaust. The cop(county) was, how do I put it, a "nice" Dbag. "You're not supposed to hear it over the motor." Eat a ****

 

Lol so lets vote, should I or should I not change my exhaust?

 

Motorcycles.. YES! Redneck trucks with straight pipes...NO!!

 

Yes, put the stocker back on and get the ticket dropped.

 

WTF? If they can't see you, they won't hear you because they are on their cell phone and not paying attention.

 

Heres a silly ?, One of the reasons he pulled me over was my airfresheners obstructing my vision. Don't all cop cars have laptops and camera and such on their dash?

Doesn't that obstruct their vision ever? I already know the replay, that they are trained to drive with those. But still funny I think!

 

What I have is: SPT Turbo back 3" catless exhaust.

What that exactly entitles... IDK, I'm noob.. I'll look at it after work.

I searched google and found another forum with this. Is this possible? Keep the current system, but just add something along these lines so its quite when I want it to be?

http://www.iwsti.com/forums/engine-power-performance/73659-how-loud-catless-3.html

"just get a QTP Downpipe it has an electric cutout already installed, so you controll when you want to be loud
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Here's another silly question.... How can their tint be darker than ours and be legal?

 

theres my 0.02c

 

thats so funny.. Inever got pulled over in 2 yrs of mine ...

 

the exhaust on theat car right now is the subaru spt exhaust( i know cuase i traded my g200 to put that on there....its subaru factory part...ell em that!

 

To answer all silly questions: Cops can get away with damn-near whatever they want. My dad was a cop, and he has some scary-ass stories.

 

Maybe I'll just drive an Astro Mini-Van from now on... Sell the Subie.. LOL

 

If you're near Mankato again, come say high. I'm a block from campus.

Just swap to a quieter muffler. A couple, good, high flow options are Borla XS or Hooker Maxflow. Both are high flowing straight through designs but measure very low dB wise. My bro just got a Hooker MaxFlo for his XT, not quite sure when he's going to get the thing on. Check out a few vids on Youtube. They are very quiet but flow like a straight pipe. Just buy one off Ebay and get it welded in place of your current on by a shop.

 

Just pay the ticket and be done with it.

Sure, you could try and swap out the exhaust and bring in pictures for the judge, but that'll be your time in and out of court, plus the cost of the exhaust and labor of swapping it.

The cop wrote the ticket because he had to meet his quota and you didn't do anything else. Sure, your air freshener is against the law, but then if that was a REAL crime every girl in the country would get pulled over.

Never, ever let a cop get behind you. Just like in prison, you take it up the... exhaust...

 

Bikerwriter - Looking at your Avatar pic. The black out linning you have on your License Plate is "technically" illegal and you can get pulled over for it lol... just a FYI... Thats one of the things he didn't ticket me about.. but said he should have... about $130 if he had.

 

So since this post is ?s about cops... Heres another one.

I'm sure everyone here has been tailed by a cop at some point in their lives... Its sucks, even when you are doing anything wrong.. You start to get into panic mode, and I feel you tend to make more mistakes just because he's behind you!

? is this, for how long can a cop tail/harras you without pulling you over? When I was younger I heard if they do it for too far without pulling you over its illegeal... but really have no clue! Someone told me once if you make 4 left turns and they still don't pull its illegeal and harrassment... But I'm probably wrong... lol

Funny thing is.. I've been pulled over a few times cause I turned off the main road, which was how I actually got home.. and they thought I was avoiding them! Almost a no win-no win sistuation lol.

 

what scent was the air freshener? If you go to court I would stress the fact that the exhuast is a factory option(don't know if it technically is) and show you fixed the tint. If nothing else you may get a reduced fine. Or just pay the ticket if your time is more valuable to you then ****in around in court.

 

I don't understand how "fix-it" tickets work...are you legally obligated to fix the things, or can you just say f it and pay the ticket, simply leaving the risk of getting the same ticket again later? Also, I was told be the place I got my windwos tinted that you can have tint on the windshield (up to the darkest available tint) as long as it doesn't extend any further than 6 inches from the top - weird that they would be wrong about that and be spot on when it came to the rest of the tinting laws...pretty much said any other tinting is flat out illegal...

 

Here's a trick I've seen them use first hand. they get right behind you and very slowly swerve their car from right to left. This sometimes gets the driver of the car to start swerving themselves. Welcome to EP!

they can follow you as long as they want. If you questioned them I'm sure they would be quick to give you whatever statement they wanted...to justify doing it.

 

A friend fo mine got pulled over on 100 two weeks ago by a cop whose job it was that weekend to pull over every motorcycle he thought had loud pipes. He had a device that he measured his exhaust with and let him go.

 

just speed up......