Fix-it tickets, hefty fines, and even getting your car impounded seem to be a common trend for many of us in the import world. How about racial profiling? We won't even go there. California legislators have their heads so far up their asses that the faintest sound other than an OEM exhaust hum puts them in an all-out scramble to concoct questionable emissions rules. For an exhaust to be CARB legal, the law states it must emit less than 95db in the state of CA, but according to police officers who put themselves above us and the law, any aftermarket muffler is illegal if the cop says it is. Period. California has the strictest emissions laws, so if it's legal anywhere else in the nation, chances are it's illegal in California. If it's shiny, has a big exhaust tip, and looks nicer than the OEM unit, it's just a matter of time before a cop pulls you over and harasses you as if you just committed murder. Shouldn't they be using our tax dollars to be arresting the real felons or suspects intent on causing harm to others? Last week I was pulled over by local police as I was minding my own business cruising to work. Just as I passed the black-and-white I looked into my rearview mirror and noticed the cop come to an abrupt stop, peel out, and spin the car 180 degrees in one swoop to pull up beside me. I caught a glimpse of his beady eyes scoping out the WRX as he trailed me for more than two miles before finally firing up his lights and sirens. I pulled over and asked him what the problem was, careful not to make any sudden moves and become a statistic on the front pages of the LA Times. "Your white car with its black trunk (carbon fiber, dumbass) looks like a cop car so I pulled you over," snarled the cop. I was thinking, "WTF is that lame excuse?" Long story short, he pressed me for more than five minutes on how my car wasn't factory turbocharged and how the A/N fittings in the engine bay were in direct violation of emissions codes, then threatened to impound my vehicle. I sat on the curb like a criminal for over 30 minutes while the cop and his rookie sidekick went over my car with a fine-tooth comb. In the end he fined me for a questionable modified exhaust ticket which required a visit to the referee station to dismiss. In the end I wasted time attending court, paying a hefty fine, and visiting the referee station, which certified the exhaust as legal for the street. Was it worth it in the end? You bet it was. If I ever cross paths with that cop again I'll nonchalantly hand him my state referee certification and tell him better luck next time.
Senior Editor
Scott Tsuneishi
scott@importtuner.com