Maryland judge decrees Pontiac G8 tail lights illegal - Other Cars Forum

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Maryland judge decrees Pontiac G8 tail lights illegal
Sunday, July 18, 2010 12:59 PM
My friend sent me this, so I had to share...
I wonder if that "Jackalope" member is the same person that came here?

Quote:

A Maryland judge issued an $85 fine to the owner of a Pontiac G8 GT for illegal tail lights, despite being factory-installed and approved by the US Department of Transportation. She's promised to keep fining him. Judicial activism, FTL!

Forum member "jackalope" at G8Board.com was ticketed by a Maryland officer who claimed he was sporting illegal tail lights. After amassing a healthy amount of evidence proving he hadn't modified his car and it was approved for sale by the Department of Transportation, he went to court confident the ticket would be dismissed, only to find the contrary. We'll let him tell you how it all went down:

Went to court for my clear tail lights on my car and was found guilty!

The judge actualy told me she didn't care what the manufacturer said, what the federal govt said, what the DOT # stamped onto my taillights said if the officer says my lights aren't legal then they're not legal. I took the G8 sales brochure in along with pics of my car and other G8 GT's and the VIN trace by 3 different dealers saying my lights were factory none of it mattered she found me guilty of failing to display or reflect red light on the rear of the car. Didn't matter the reflecters were in the bumper, didn't matter where the light is has that little red circle, the whole lens isn't red so they're not legal. Also where the back-up and turn signals are should be the reflectors according to the cop so the V6 cars lights aren't legal either.

Judge stupid went on to tell me that maybe I should consider trading in or selling the car since its not legal in MD and that I'm going to continue to get the $60 tickets till I get rid of the car.

So I contacted Pontiac's 1-800 # and I have an apt next friday to have my car looked at by them and see if they can help or at least repay me the $85.50 fine and court costs.

I honestly don't know what else I can do. The cop was ALL smiles afterwards and winked at me! WTF! Now I'm screwed! How do I go to work now? I drive right thru where he works!! So this ass nuget can make up **** randomly for any car he gets a hard on for and nothing can be done to fight it!

This is BS.

The problem centers around the clear lens tail lights and bumper-mounted reflectors of the Pontiac G8 GT model. Because the red area in the lenses is reduced in the G8 GT, there are reflectors mounted in the bumper to reflect additional light and bring the reflective requirements into spec. Th officer and by extension the judge considered them illegal.

Now, we can understand Mr. Jackalope's momentary lack of respect for the legal system above — this is B.S., but he's got legitimate cause to be pissed. He bought a car he assumed to fall within the operations laws of all states and which was in reality approved for nationwide sale by the government. According to the Judge, the opinion of an Officer of the Law supersedes what the Federal government approved for sale and the design somehow doesn't jive with what the State of Maryland considers legal.

One of the other forum members has offered up legal service to fight the fine, but it makes us wonder if all the G8 GT drivers in Maryland now have something to worry about. Should motorists who've bought a car approved by the Federal government be worried about being arbitrarily fined by a Judge who seems to side with the opinion of an officer over the law.


http://jalopnik.com/5589270/maryland-judge-decrees-pontiac-g8-gt-tail-lights-illegal



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Re: Maryland judge decrees Pontiac G8 tail lights illegal
Sunday, July 18, 2010 1:15 PM
so does that mean other cars with clear taillights in MD are supposedly illegal? like saabs, IS300s, etc?





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Re: Maryland judge decrees Pontiac G8 tail lights illegal
Sunday, July 18, 2010 1:22 PM
Wow... that's straight up stupid.

Mr.Goodwrench-G.T. wrote:My friend sent me this, so I had to share...
I wonder if that "Jackalope" member is the same person that came here?

Going to venture to say yes based on my searching of the NE forums & finding him posting in Maryland related threads.



Re: Maryland judge decrees Pontiac G8 tail lights illegal
Sunday, July 18, 2010 1:54 PM
bahahahhahahha

the revenue generators are getting more crafty! god i love how this country is free just so long as the law allows.

easy fix though, get transparent red paint and do them up.



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Re: Maryland judge decrees Pontiac G8 tail lights illegal
Sunday, July 18, 2010 1:58 PM
I'd put @!#$ing red hockey tape on the lens or just paint them solid red.
Re: Maryland judge decrees Pontiac G8 tail lights illegal
Sunday, July 18, 2010 2:15 PM


Supposedly this is the guys car. Doesn't mention tinted tails in the article haha



Re: Maryland judge decrees Pontiac G8 tail lights illegal
Sunday, July 18, 2010 2:20 PM
^ok he is saying he didnt have those tails on the car when he was pulled over. this is what he had:


http://www.g8board.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35912



Re: Maryland judge decrees Pontiac G8 tail lights illegal
Sunday, July 18, 2010 2:21 PM
he said they were stock lights



Re: Maryland judge decrees Pontiac G8 tail lights illegal
Sunday, July 18, 2010 3:11 PM
Maryland and Delaware the gayest states ever. I'd probably just move lol.




Quote:

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Re: Maryland judge decrees Pontiac G8 tail lights illegal
Sunday, July 18, 2010 3:32 PM
I'd call EVERY news outlet in the nation Fox News, CNN, HLN I'd raise hell and get a lawyer. Where this crooked judge thought she made an easy $85 bucks, I'd make damn sure they pay me back triple what they got in making a fake ticket, AND pay all my legal fees. Call in a witness from CM corporate and this judge would be screwed. a DOT factory approved tail light is DOT approved, that's the law clear cut. They basically stole this guys money, I hope he knows he's actually got a solid slam dunk lawsuit. I'd be expecting compensation for damages, and personal damages from the cop, and this judges head on a platter...via smearing her ignorant name all over the world on the News for being a moron.

And when all is settled I'd wink at the cop and mouth the words "f*ck you" to him. With a huge smile on my face.



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Re: Maryland judge decrees Pontiac G8 tail lights illegal
Sunday, July 18, 2010 4:22 PM
Legislating from the bench, awesome!

This is about as stupid as it gets outside of washington.




Re: Maryland judge decrees Pontiac G8 tail lights illegal
Sunday, July 18, 2010 7:53 PM
I agree it is stupid, but in Florida the S10's GM use to sale with no rear bumper, but a roll pan from the factory was illegal once driven off the lot.



FU Tuning



Re: Maryland judge decrees Pontiac G8 tail lights illegal
Sunday, July 18, 2010 8:28 PM
This is completely stupid, how can she rule against DOT and the federal government approvals?

Makes me nervous to drive my SAAB, which has NO red at all on the tail lights. Reflectors are on my lower bumper.



Re: Maryland judge decrees Pontiac G8 tail lights illegal
Sunday, July 18, 2010 9:40 PM
A good attorney and appeal should fix this ruling from the anal ----- wipe.



Re: Maryland judge decrees Pontiac G8 tail lights illegal
Monday, July 19, 2010 3:50 AM
z yaaaa wrote:bahahahhahahha

the revenue generators are getting more crafty! god i love how this country is free just so long as the law allows.

And as long as local and state governments keep losing money they'll find new ways make money.

Personally I wouldn't pay the @!#$ fine & I would've flipped the judge and cop off walking out of court for that BS.








Re: Maryland judge decrees Pontiac G8 tail lights illegal
Monday, July 19, 2010 4:04 PM
i got hassled for having ruens old civic tails on my car because the whole lense wasnt red, put a red led in there and now they dont know the difference at night



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Re: Maryland judge decrees Pontiac G8 tail lights illegal
Monday, July 19, 2010 4:23 PM
DOT approved means 50 state approved.

No matter how big an a-hole a state judge is(trust me, I've dealt with my fair share of them), they do not have Federal authority.


put those S.O.B.s in their place.. get a lawyer and ride this all the way to the supreme court if necessary.




Re: Maryland judge decrees Pontiac G8 tail lights illegal
Monday, July 19, 2010 5:16 PM
id be going up the ladder and headed to the supreme court and get the bitch thrown off her chair







Re: Maryland judge decrees Pontiac G8 tail lights illegal
Monday, July 19, 2010 7:18 PM
DaFlyinSkwirl (Pj) v2.0 wrote:DOT approved means 50 state approved.

No matter how big an a-hole a state judge is(trust me, I've dealt with my fair share of them), they do not have Federal authority.


put those S.O.B.s in their place.. get a lawyer and ride this all the way to the supreme court if necessary.

^^^^this

Take it to the house. All they are doing is pay for there damn lunch them damn cheepscates . Have GM get you one of there attorneys and get that stupid judge FIRED for being RETARDED. Good luck bro.


A J-body owner since 1998
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Re: Maryland judge decrees Pontiac G8 tail lights illegal
Tuesday, July 20, 2010 5:02 AM
/\ exactly what i was thinking contact gm, this could possibly hinder people from buying a perfectly nice new g8. I'm sure they would fight there a$$es off over this and you probably wouldn't have to pay a dime.

that's ludacris

Not "Land of the free", its "Land of the FEE" for christ's sake they need to shift priorities to more legitimate "crimes" being committed



Re: Maryland judge decrees Pontiac G8 tail lights illegal
Tuesday, July 20, 2010 11:53 AM
The guy also neglects to tell you he modded his tails to LED tails which still looks stock but he removed the reflector tat was in the lens....



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Re: Maryland judge decrees Pontiac G8 tail lights illegal
Tuesday, July 20, 2010 12:28 PM
jfire wrote:that's ludacris


Wrong.






THATS Ludacris

Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Tuesday, July 20, 2010 12:29 PM
Re: Maryland judge decrees Pontiac G8 tail lights illegal
Tuesday, July 20, 2010 1:50 PM
AtoBsunfire (Troy) wrote:
jfire wrote:that's ludacris


Wrong.






THATS Ludacris


i LOL'D





Disclaimer: I will probally offend you with what is written in this post.


Re: Maryland judge decrees Pontiac G8 tail lights illegal
Thursday, July 22, 2010 12:33 PM
KanewtZ wrote:
AtoBsunfire (Troy) wrote:
jfire wrote:that's ludacris


Wrong.






THATS Ludacris


i LOL'D


I LOL'd too


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Re: Maryland judge decrees Pontiac G8 tail lights illegal
Thursday, July 22, 2010 7:10 PM
That's like a buddy of mine getting busted for exhaust noise violation...........in a SRT4 Neon.


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