Neon Lights -Illegal?

wba88

Hey,

@mods: If this is more suited to the mod motors forum feel free to change it.

Had a quick search and i couldnt find anything on it.
I bought a car a few weeks ago and found out after i bought it that it has neon lights underneath it, was just wondering are they illegal as i have gotten a lot of mixed answers from friends. Thanx

Zascar

I'm not 100% sure but I don't think they are illegal. Anwyay if they are not on you are not doing anything wrong! If they are not doing any harm and you cannot notice them, leave them there and they are fun for the odd time you want to tuen them on to show your mates. Just don't hvae them flashing all over the place with your windows down blaring nacker trance lol

What is the car? Pics?

wba88

Punto '04, its a garda magnet so if i was to turn them on id wait till my full licence m8 was in the car and there was no way the gards could catch me out. ill try get a pic now

wba88

Pic - http://www.sendspace.com/file/27f7xp

Anan1

The car looks fine. I can't see how it would be a Garda magnet, unless it had a set of neons under it.;)

bennyx_o

IIRC, they're illegal if you can actually see the light source when they're lit.

neacy69

looks nice wouldnt be my first choice of colour but looks nice...I dont particularly like neon lights but as far as i know they are perfectly legal and there are plenty of boy-racer types going about here with them


ps: in case you need the cash flow for the new motor i made you an offer on the Ireland jersey

wba88

bennyx_o wrote:

IIRC, they're illegal if you can actually see the light source when they're lit.

Im pretty sure the body kit covers them so you can only see the reflecting light from the ground.

bennyx_o

Then you should be OK. As a last resort you could pop down to your local Garda station and ask them.

wba88

neacy69 wrote:

looks nice wouldnt be my first choice of colour but looks nice...I dont particularly like neon lights but as far as i know they are perfectly legal and there are plenty of boy-racer types going about here with them


ps: in case you need the cash flow for the new motor i made you an offer on the Ireland jersey

Well it has very low mileage and it was sitting in the garage for 6months+ coz of the colour, as a first car i dont care about the colour but it turns out i have been getting nothing but compliments about it. And i got it for a steal coz the guy wanted to get rid of it coz of the colour.

p.s. yeah i saw it, a little low im afraid:o

Anan1

I actually think the colour suits the car. Why not just forget about the neons? You have a nice car as it is, turning on the neons will make the car look cat, make you look like a tosser and quite likely get you and the car searched under the misuse of drugs act. Just my personal opinion, mind.:)

wba88

ok thats ur opinion, but what the hell is cat?

Anan1

wba88 wrote:

ok thats ur opinion, but what the hell is cat?

Bad, cheap, tacky, chav, etc.:)

neacy69

cat is a slang term for Catastrophe

wba88

Oh rite.

Wishbone Ash

Could be some legal difficulties if used in a public place:


Road Traffic (Lighting of Vehicles) Regulations 1963

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/ZZSI189Y1963.html

42. No lamp (other than direction indicators) fitted to a vehicle shall show or be constructed or adapted so as to be capable of showing a flashing light unless such light is invisible to persons outside the vehicle.

44. (1) Every lamp (other than a lamp referred to in sub-article (3) of this article) which is fitted to a mechanically propelled vehicle or trailer and which, when lit........

........(b) (except in the case of a fog lamp) no part of its illuminated surface is less than 1 foot and 8 inches from the ground.

48. (1) No lamp which, when lit, is capable of misleading other traffic, shall be fitted to a vehicle.

Car Mad

there illegal full stop.dont mind this bs about differant colours been legal there not.you can have them on the car but when you switch them on there illegal the only reason your allowed have them is for shows.source local garda station

wba88

rite so. thanx for all the replies. i think ill ask a few gards for reassurance.

icemanjimbo04

Car Mad wrote:

there illegal full stop.dont mind this bs about differant colours been legal there not.you can have them on the car but when you switch them on there illegal the only reason your allowed have them is for shows.source local garda station

This be true.

A friend of mine had them turned on on the beach and the guard said there only illegal if you drive with them on.

Looks crappy anyway id takem off and sell them.
Then buy a nice car

rkeane

You would be mad putting those knacker lights on your car. As a Guard I can assure you they are illegal. If I saw you, I would pull you over!

wba88

How much would they be worth?
make: eurolight, multiple colours, its hooked upto the radion so lights can be set to match the beats of the music.

wba88

rkeane wrote:

You would be mad putting those knacker lights on your car. As a Guard I can assure you they are illegal. If I saw you, I would pull you over!

Yeah, as i said earlier they are a garda magnet

rkeane

Yeah you would be better selling them. Owners of modified cars are going to be seriously pissed off in the coming months. Legislation is on the way to ban modified cars. It will be comprehensive legislation and it will be enforced!

Fey!

Nice looking car. Is it a Sporting (looks like that old sporting yellow)? Enjoy it.

PS - what's the Irish jersey bit?

antodeco

rkeane wrote:

Yeah you would be better selling them. Owners of modified cars are going to be seriously pissed off in the coming months. Legislation is on the way to ban modified cars. It will be comprehensive legislation and it will be enforced!

Hmm, interesting! All mods or specific mods? Also, if a mod has already been done, how can you revert back? (ie you change ur exhaust, but you cant go back to the original one, so you have a non removable permanent mod)

wba88

Fey! wrote:

Nice looking car. Is it a Sporting (looks like that old sporting yellow)? Enjoy it.

PS - what's the Irish jersey bit?

thanx yeah its a 1.2 16v Sport

check out my sig im selling an Irelend jersey

Fey!

rkeane wrote:

Yeah you would be better selling them. Owners of modified cars are going to be seriously pissed off in the coming months. Legislation is on the way to ban modified cars. It will be comprehensive legislation and it will be enforced!

So if I upgrade my exhaust to a manufacter available exhaust, does the count as a mod? Same with springs like m-tec being put into non m-tec cars?

Also, I have tinted windows which are legal. With new legislation making my previously legal tint illegal, does that mean that I can be fined for what was originally a legal mod?

In other words, can they back date the legislation?

rkeane

Antodeco,

Did you seriously think this modified cars craze was going to be let spread? This new legislation has all party support in the Dail and in the Seanad and it also has the support of the Road Safety Authority. Re your point, no modifications will be allowed under the new legislation, it goes much further than the previous aborted legislation. This law is going to be entirely retrospective...this is legal under Irish and EU law.

antodeco

rkeane wrote:

Antodeco,

Did you seriously think this modified cars craze was going to be let spread? This new legislation has all party support in the Dail and in the Seanad and it also has the support of the Road Safety Authority. Re your point, no modifications will be allowed under the new legislation, it goes much further than the previous aborted legislation. This law is going to be entirely retrospective...this is legal under Irish and EU law.

I wasnt argueing the point! I was just wondering how specific it actually is. There are 2 different types of mods. Performance and appearance. Yes, if some 17 year old has a modded car for racing, thats fine. But somebody who is in their 30's, has spent alot on a car, and wishes to make it appear nicer (small bodykit, tinted windows), is a totally different kettle of fish.

maidhc

rkeane wrote:

Re your point, no modifications will be allowed under the new legislation, it goes much further than the previous aborted legislation. This law is going to be entirely retrospective...this is legal under Irish and EU law.

What is a modification?

I think the Governments hands are tied on this matter. All cars, and modifications (e.g. towbars) must meet type approval regs before they can be sold in the EU. Once they meet the standards, then they cannot be banned.

Thus if I want to put lexus lights on my car, once they meet the EU standards, the Government cannot ban them except in very limited circumstances.

To ban modifications would be a disproportionate response to a particlarly vague and undefined problem. E.g. is a 17 year old in a starlet with go faster stripes more likely to crash than a 35yo in an M5? If so, are the go faster stripes are the issue, or the attitude of the person who affixed them... should one ban the go faster stripes or uneducated and ignorant drivers?

Car Mad

rkeane wrote:

You would be mad putting those knacker lights on your car. As a Guard I can assure you they are illegal. If I saw you, I would pull you over!

ah now cant you give the lad a brake his driving a punto after all:D
is there a fine for having them on rkeane?