OT: The new "tuner" law, Anyone know any details on this? Cops.. Options

[Andyrew]

My dad and i are leary of this new law that allows the cops to pull over any car that is "modified".

Does anyone know any details? or can someone post the actual law?

My dad thinks they can impound my car and crush it and i'll never get it back...

This is on the basis that they pull me over for no apparent reason.

ALSO, knowing that I will never street race, what if they catch me get on it a little, or throw some tire smoke..


Anyways, Im 19, and here are some obvious facts about my car (and soon to be car)

It will have subtle flares, but it will have 18x10's on the back with a lot of rubber.
Brakes look stock, fronts are painted red.
Fiberglass front and rear bumpers w/ (soon to be) lexan rear spoiler
Lights are stock
Front trunk has louvers, not entirely noticable, in body paint color.
Body is factory phoenix red (orange)
Mirrors un decided, but will have left and right.
License plate on both front and rear bumper.
Engine lid stock, can see chrome air filter cover (will paint) obvious sbc
Exhaust is dual, side exit w/ 2 mufflers, should be relatively quiet under normal driving.
Racing seats
Racing harness's
momo wheel, factory guages
Small tubes no higher than stomach (while sitting down) for long to door pillar bracing (follows seat lines)
Black carpet

Thats about all they can see..
Car is a 73, does not need smog...

What can they do to me?

Andrew

[lapuwali]

Someone please point me to the actual law that states they can seize and crush your car. The site pointed to specifys penalties for street racing (one of which is that the car can be impounded for 30 days), and that you must pay towing charges, and that the car will be sold at a lien sale if you fail to pay up. Nowhere does it say the car will be crushed (though it may well be if it fails to sell at a lien sale, or it may be crushed by the new owner).

These kinds of rumors have been spread around for years, and so far, none of them has actually shown up in the text of any actual law. When Smog Check II came out, several radio hosts were foaming at the mouth and insisting that cars as new as four years old could be seized and crushed if determined to be "gross polluters", when the law said no such thing.

Local ordinances against "cruising" and whatnot are common, esp. in the Central Valley. Modesto has had anti-cruising legislation on the books for years. These ordinances aren't necessarily legal, but until someone challenges them in court, they'll stay there as an excuse for local cops to harass citizens. However, destroying personal property is not something any local municipality would be likely to get away with for long.

An ordinance against a "modified" car is also too broad, esp. considering there's a legal entity (the BAR) set up to provide a service to "bless" cars with engine swaps in terms of emissions compliance. There are plenty of sections in the CVC that spell out *specific* modifications that are illegal, but one can't simply that a car is illegal because it's been "modified", only that it's been modified in certain ways.

No, I'm not a lawyer, I've just spent the time to read and understand the Constitution and many California laws. I'd advise everyone to do the same thing, rather than believe everything you read on the Internet.