license plate light

whatpavment?

Active Member
Joined
Dec 14, 2005
Location
whitsett
Has anyone with flush mount tail lights not bothered to put a plate light back on? I did mine almost a year ago and never bothered adding one. I've never had any problems with the police about it. But now it's time for inspection and i'm wondering if there gonna expect me to have one. I also don't have a third brake light. Anyone have any experience with this? It's a 01 tj. TIA :beer:
 
whatpavment? said:
Has anyone with flush mount tail lights not bothered to put a plate light back on? I did mine almost a year ago and never bothered adding one. I've never had any problems with the police about it. But now it's time for inspection and i'm wondering if there gonna expect me to have one. I also don't have a third brake light. Anyone have any experience with this? It's a 01 tj. TIA :beer:
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by law, you need both...

depending on the station, you may or may not get by with it...

Greg
 
I added one to the wifes 98 TJ. Just used a small one from Advance. Mounted it on the side of the plate. It lights it up ok and isnt very noticable. BTW. It has passed inspection. : )
 
I didn't need one to pass my cj. Or a reverse light to pass. I asked them specifically before I got them to inspect it. I have a 78cj though.
 
spraypaintman said:
I didn't need one to pass my cj. Or a reverse light to pass. I asked them specifically before I got them to inspect it. I have a 78cj though.
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I'm pretty sure the text of the law says your license plate needs to be illuminated at night. Now whether the shop actually inspects that or not is their call. It seems most of the time I see the tech place his hand under my taillight to see if its on. One time the guy raised his eyebrow to me and I simply said thats the factory solution (clear window in the bottom of the LH tailight housing). Of course it left the factoy clear, not yellowed with age and caked in mud!

Reverse lights are not required.
 
You don't have to have the third brake light. It just has to work if you have one mounted on the vehicle. The reverse light don't have to work and if they do they must not turn on in a forward gear.
 
i haven't had my 3rd brake light or license plate light since i bought my jeep 3 years ago.... never gotten in trouble for it, never failed inspection for it.

if you want an easy way to get light there check out lite-n-bolts from summit
 
Thanks for the answers. I'm just gonna get a set of the lite bolts. Now on to the next problem. What about after market fog lights? I have a set of KC's on the windshield and only one of them works. And my factory fogs on the bumper, only one of them works also.
 
Pretty sure your fog lights don't have to work. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I do believe there is a law limiting the number of fog lights you can have on the front of a vehicle
 
cj777 said:
Pretty sure your fog lights don't have to work. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I do believe there is a law limiting the number of fog lights you can have on the front of a vehicle
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That's my understanding... 2 sets of aux. lights pointed forward max.
 
you don't have to have any functioning aux lights to pass inspection.

the law states you can only have two aux LIGHTS, not sets, in operation at a time while on public roadways. you can have your other 13 sets turned off and be fine though :)
 
Erik said:
you don't have to have any functioning aux lights to pass inspection.
the law states you can only have two aux LIGHTS, not sets, in operation at a time while on public roadways. you can have your other 13 sets turned off and be fine though :)
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I think I remember reading up on it a couple years ago, and the wording actually has something to do with forward aiming filaments...i.e. high beams, low beams, and fogs would count as six...

reason I remember it is I was looking at a true HID upgrade, which techinically don't have filaments, and I was wondering how closely the law was enforced...

I can't remember if it was six or eight as the limit...


as far as the third brake light...I don't have one...but some guy came by CRS while I was there the other day and had failed for not having the third brake light plus a couple other things, and Andy was fixing some of the issues (or at least that's what I got out of the conversation)...

Greg
 
on the license plate lights, I doubt many inspection stations even bother looking at them (much less other things).

But, the problem is, it gives the popo a reason (excuse) to pull you. Especially if you are younger, they do like to go on fishing expeditions. Any reason to pull somebody on a slow night. Don't knowingly give the popo any ammunition.

Nothing against the cops, just against people getting pulled over for a fishing trip. BTDT.
 
The inspection station will look for and expect functional license plate lamps.
The cops have been "slack" about busting folks with inoperative lamps because most of the street punks remove the bulbs and you are simply one of thousands without them and the statistics are in your favor. That said, it will give a cop a reason to pull you which may lead to a car search, making every day a dice roll.

:beer:
 
I guess they (the police) see me as no threat cause I haven't had a light for a long time now. My plate is also wrapped slightly around my body. When they do get behind me they have to move over to the left to read the whole plate. Happened a few times now.
 
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