Recon question

[zz-8o8]

I recently put modified side skirts on my 05 corolla and am working on getting my custom fiberglass front splitters, under splitter and a rear lip on there also. Theyre just add on pieces. They all bolt in with oe bumper bolts. No drilling or modifying any stock parts of the car. A friend told me that now any kind of body modifications (adding on, removing oe parts, etc.) requires recon. Will I have to get recon?

[xurusaibobx]

those dont require recon... as far as i know body kits in general arent a recon item ? right ?

[lois]

those dont require recon... as far as i know body kits in general arent a recon item ? right ?yep

[zz-8o8]

alright thanks guys. you guys are so helpful. are there any things i should know about recon? if possible can you guys just list some things that i need to go get recon for. eg: turbo, intake, exhaust, and the such.

[lois]

read the sticky thread above.

you do not need recon for turbo, intake, exhaust, body kits, wheels (recent).

[zz-8o8]

alright. thanks lois.

[lois]

so...you pretty much don't need recon. :D

anything else you gonna do? suspension mods, you do need recon.

[zz-8o8]

yea im planning on replacing the macpherson struts and stock suspension with bilstein HD struts and hotchkis sport springs. along with a new rim and tire set. still running stock alloys.


anyone know if a modified custom dual exit exhaust is part of recon? my friend got pulled over in his accord for that and his taillights. supposedly his "rear markers were clear" which totally confused me because his markers are red along with brake light. the officer that pulled him over must have thought his reverse lights were the clear markers. cause thats the only part of the taillight that is clear.

[lois]

exhaust in and of itself is not a recon item.

as for the taillights, i'd have to see what you are talking about.

[zz-8o8]

oh ok. so my friend CAN fight the exhaust thing in court then. and heres a link to the taillights.

http://www.soaap.com/auto/images/products/AP-TY-TYC-81-5407-91.jpg

[lois]

well what was the ticket EXACTLY FOR? what is listed on the ticket(s)?

if he got a no recon ticket and ALL he has is exhaust and NO OTHER MODIFICATIONS, then yes, he can get that thrown out. as for the lights, those are not approved lighting units as it doesn't have the required side reflector minimum area [3" area]. EVEN if it says DOT/SAE on the lens housing.

[zz-8o8]

well he got 2 citations. 1 was for no recon on the modified exhaust. and the other for his taillights. so im guessing that he should take out his tails and find new ones or use the stockies?

[lois]

wow, popo are still giving no recon tix for exhaust only? that's bad....seriously uninformed.

he hasn't done ANYTHING else to his car? you sure?

[zz-8o8]

well the ticket states "clear rear markers" and he told my friend that they are supposed to be orange. but if you look at other cars theyre red also. so thats what the ticket was for. it wasnt for not being an unapporved fixture. and no mods whatsoever. other than having a primer job, the dual exit exhaust, taillights and eyelids on stock headlights. he has the stock steelies, stock suspension. everything else is stock.

the funny thing is, in my old car, :cry3:(wish i still had it), a bagged civic on 19s, i had the same type taillights (clear for reverse under the signal and brake lights) and have been tailed and pulled over for "excessively loud exhaust" but never had anything said about my taillights.

[lois]

well if that's the exact light, i don't see any reflector on it, and that's what makes it unapproved lighting, deemed by our local DOT and (i think) by an ROH. and...they're supposed to be RED on the rear. aiyah that cop.

fight the no recon ticket, because exhaust alone is not a recon item.

as for the lighting replace the stocks and take a dated pic (pic of car stocked, w a dated newspaper--after the issuance of the ticket, for example).

[zz-8o8]

Alright. sounds good. not too hard to do. looks like I might have saved him a bunch on his car insurance. haha :punch:

[xurusaibobx]

what kine corolla u got? post up man! i got a 9th gen as well... its seen better days but i had to get rid of everything ...to buy more toys lol

on the strut combo u should look into the adjustable HTS struts and HR springs or Progess

[lois]

why did you delete that?


Sec. 15-19.7 Clearance lamps, side marker lamps and reflectors--Mounting.
(a) Reflectors shall be mounted at a height not less than 24 inches and not higher than 60 inches above the ground on which the vehicle stands, except that if the highest part of the permanent structure of the vehicle is less than 24 inches, the reflector at such point shall be mounted as high as that part of the permanent structure will permit.


(2) Any required red reflector on the rear of a vehicle may be incorporated with the tail lamp, but such reflector shall meet all the other reflector requirements of this article.

[Act162this]

wow, popo are still giving no recon tix for exhaust only? that's bad....seriously uninformed.

ayup. there are still those out there who are not familiar with the no recon for exhaust section.

my mother was stopped and told by an officer that she would need to remove the apex'i muffler on her car (used to be my car, gave it to her so she could put a baby seat in it).

it's just about the quietest jdm-legal (sound level regulations) muffler around (which is why i got it). it's barely louder than stock, and all emissions equipment has been retained. there are stock domestic vehicles and trucks louder than her car.

rest of car is bone stock - returned it to stock before i gave it to my mother.

she informed the officer that this muffler was selected because it was very quiet, and that she had been informed that recon was not required for a muffler. she then informed him that she had never been stopped or advised before that the muffler needed to be removed by the dealer, safety inspection station, or any other officer.

the officer just looked at her, and went back to his car and drove away.

[lois]

she informed the officer that this muffler was selected because it was very quiet, and that she had been informed that recon was not required for a muffler. she then informed him that she had never been stopped or advised before that the muffler needed to be removed by the dealer, safety inspection station, or any other officer.

the officer just looked at her, and went back to his car and drove away.

http://kapcsford.freeblog.hu/Files/bazer/rofl.pwnt-spray.gif
.

[Kreggae]

why did you delete that?



Read it wrong, sorry. For the rear turn signal at the top of the Accord's "JDM Altezza" *snicker* :hihi: taillight, it has no yellow or red reflector. I guess it's illegal if the reflector is required. I thought by "reflector", you meant the one that reflects light to the side, not the light from the lamp. The Accord taillight is not a "wrap-around" design, so has no side reflector.

[zz-8o8]

wait guys. the top section on the taillight is the reverse light. the turn signal is the red one toward the corner and the one which would be closest to the trunk lid is the brake light. i thought reverse lights had to be clear/white??

[lois]

the only thing wrong with that light, is that it has no reflector on it.

REGARDLESS if it has "DOT/SAE" stamped on its housing.

[lois]

here's the light for our discussion purposes:

http://www.soaap.com/auto/images/products/AP-TY-TYC-81-5407-91.jpg

[Kreggae]

That aftermarket light should be okay. At first I thought it wasn't kosher, because I thought the aftermarket light was for a 1996-97 Accord (which has its reverse light mounted inboard on the trunklid. Since it seems to be for a 1994-95 Accord (which lacks that trunklid-mounted reverse lamp/red reflector panel of the 1996-97s), it should be okay since it combines the stop lamp (inboard red circle), the turn signal (outboard red circle), and the reverse lamp (top clear half with a silver reflector to reflect the white reverse light) all into one unit, so all of the stock lamp's original function is retained. The only difference is that the turn signal is now red instead of yellow like on the original.

Original lamp assembly:

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k254/92mx83/Accord1.jpg



For comparison purposes, here is a 1996-97 Accord stock taillamp assembly (which I thought the aftermarket one was supposed to replace):

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k254/92mx83/Accord2.jpg

Which also requires this on the trunklid (reverse/red reflector):

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k254/92mx83/Accord3.jpg

Personally, I have a certain measure of disdain for "Altezza" taillights because I think they look retarded on cars that never came with them (like the Lexus IS300/Toyota Altezza did), but I think your friend has a defensible case here, and as such, he should let the judge know it, if he hasn't gone in yet.

[Kreggae]

the only thing wrong with that light, is that it has no reflector on it.

REGARDLESS if it has "DOT/SAE" stamped on its housing.

Actually, the light doesn't need a reflector on it, because it's not a "wrap-around" taillamp. The reflector is on the side of the rear bumper:

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k254/92mx83/Accord4.jpg

Most cars with wrap-around taillamps do have the reflector integrated into the side of the taillamp assembly:

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k254/92mx83/AristoSide-1.jpg

[zz-8o8]

yea thats what i was talking about. the unit has all the same functions. and he goes sometime this week. so hopefully he can make a good defense and slip by without paying any fines.

[lois]

if he has those reflectors on the rear quarter panel like on the pic Craig posted, he can fight it. take pics and take to court.

[idiosyncratic]

So it doesn't matter if the turn signal is now red rather than orange?
sorry if redundant question... I just wanted to make sure... and am trying to understand.

[zz-8o8]

yea he has the side markers. hes on his way here right now actually so ill take the pics for him and print them up. maybe he can avoid the fines for both tickets now.

[lois]

no doesn't matter, Leo.

[zz-8o8]

for you guys who wanted to see. its partially done. still needs filler and stuff to smooth out. i gota pick up that and the paint to color match it to the car. im starting on making the rear lip but its been kinda too humid to do much. it took 3 days for the lip to cure because of the humidity. so here it is.


http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll300/unrealtalent/Picture1010.jpg

[Kreggae]

^^^ Props on the DIY... I'm sure it'll look mean when pau.

Is that a homemade eyebrow I spy as well?

[zz-8o8]

thanks for the props. yea man homemade brow too, but gota made it wider. its way cheaper and when its a diy job youre so much more proud doin it yourself. all the hardwork that needs to be done. hmm, my rims and tires are coming in soon then need to mount and balance, my strut bar just came in today, and a new intake is on its way.

[legato]

so wat like make me one custom fab spoiler for mah car?
:smile2:

[zz-8o8]

what car you get?

[legato]

i got an evo
i'm actually looking into a mines or varis "lip" style spoiler...but damn expensive for one small piece of cfrp...I took off my wing and got sum plugs (thanks to Lois for where to get'em) and tryin to go wingless.

[zz-8o8]

i see. would you be willing to sell your spoiler? as im looking into putting an evo type spoiler on my corolla

[lois]

don't go too big on the spoiler! it looks buk buk.

also, you can get ticketed for that eyebrow/lid whatever you call it, just letting you know, bro.

[zz-8o8]

well im looking at something similar to the evo type just not as tall. so i would modify it....if i could get one at a reasonable price. and i was stopped for my lights not being on early in the morning. 5:30-ish. pulled to the side of the road and he said "you should be driving with your headlights and taillights on" then i said "oh, i didnt realize i didnt have them on" i turned the lights on then he said "Whats that? the black things on your headlights" and i just told him "makes my car look nicer" then he walked off and drove away.

[legato]

Sorry man...Not sure if I want to sell the spoiler yet...I may go back to stock spoiler...but right now i'm in a "wingless phase"...Hence the temporary plugs...

I don't know if an evo spoiler would look good on a corolla...It don't even look good on a normal lancer man...Aren't those illegal btw if you put a spoiler on a car that dun come w/ one stock?

Funny thing about that...I almost failed a safety check for my STOCK spoiler...This was at sears ala moana...

[zz-8o8]

hmmm not sure about that. but i have a spoiler on my miata and i never got stopped for it before.

[legato]

aftermarket spoiler?

thats good for you i guess =)

[Rob]

Reflectors are in the center of the red area, look at the patterns on the lens.

Nothing wrong with these as far as I can tell

http://www.soaap.com/auto/images/products/AP-TY-TYC-81-5407-91.jpg

[lois]

Reflectors are in the center of the red area, look at the patterns on the lens.

Nothing wrong with these as far as I can tell

http://www.soaap.com/auto/images/products/AP-TY-TYC-81-5407-91.jpg
]

you need to be able to see from the side

[spike]

]

you need to be able to see from the side

But the side reflectors are on his bumper aren't they?

[lois]

are they? i forget, this thread has been around so long. :D

if they are then yeah it's okay

but that lens, in and of itself, if there were no reflectors on the side fascia, the light = phail

[zz-8o8]

yea its a aftermarket carbon fiber spoiler. and yea he does have side markers on his bumpers.