Question: I was driving into work this morning and I went through a seat belt check and of course I had mine on but they pulled me over for my 6000K HID head lights and amber LED turn single lights. The police officer told me they were illegal because they were not factory equipment.
I told him I didn't think they were illegal because a lot of new cars have them. He said that because I was driving a 2001 Ford F-150 that they never had them from factory that I could not have them. I asked what the problem was with the amber LED turn signal and all he said is that it was not factory so I could not have them.
My front driver side and passenger side windows are tinted he did not like that ether but I told him it was stock. He did not believe me. I told him he should check into it because it is factory. I have a 2001 F-150 Harley Davidson edition and that is the way it came from Ford so I don't know what to say or think about so any info you can give me would be great.
Partial Follow Up Information
I asked for more information from this person and received part of what I asked for. The HID headlights have ballasts and the LED turn signals were not from Ford. Details were still missing and a follow up e-mail was not answered.
Window Glass
The windows are probably OK if the Ford name is etched on them at the factory, but the AS grade is important. Those side windows must be marked AS-1, AS-2, AS-10 or AS-11. If not, the officer is correct, they would not be legal.
Headlights
One more question about the headlights: Are the lenses your HID capsules are installed in housings designed for HID? If so, they will be marked D2S or D2R. If it is an HID capsule plugged into a lens designed for a filament bulb, marked HB1, HB2....HB7, then again it is an illegal situation.
Turn Signals
Finally, the LEDs for the turn signals. If they are built to plug in where a filament bulb came out, chances are good that they don't meet standards and would be illegal. If they are LED assemblies built into the housing and are marked with the appropriate DOT code they would be OK. Turn signals are referenced by the letter I in the collection of letters that signify the DOT approvals.
Buyer Beware of Non Factory Equipment
I went to one web site that sells direct plug in bulb replacements and did a bit of digging. I eventually found this:
For aftermarket use. May not comply with SAE or U.S. DOT standards.
If you find this on the packaging of any aftermarket equipment, or something along the lines of "Check local regulations..." you can pretty much be certain that they don't match factory standards and will not be legal for on road use.
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The regulations should be re-written to better reflect the current technology in the auto industry. I too have LED lights and nearly every heavy truck on the road these days have LEDs. LEDs last longer, are not as likely to fail due to vibration or moisture and use a lot less amperage.
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