FocusCanada Forums

Am I wrong in thinking I've read several different sources saying that European E-code stamped headlights and tail lights are legal for use in Canada?

Yes, this is true, using E-code car lighting is 100% LEGAL in Canada. Just make sure not to do something dumb like buying LHD UK headlights.

I havent had any problems with my Ecode Hellas. I am converting them to HID to pretty quick. :D

Yeah Totally true, My old Hella's :huh: ..Ur..um.. Malby's new Hella's are e-coded.

Can somebody do me a favor and give me some proof from a credible source of this?

I got a fine for my E-code tails, I showed him the E-code stamp on them, he said it had to say DOT or SAE. :unsure:

01-yellow-ZX3,Jun 12 2005 Wrote:Can somebody do me a favor and give me some proof from a credible source of this?

I got a fine for my E-code tails, I showed him the E-code stamp on them, he said it had to say DOT or SAE.  :unsure:
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I know from an electricians point of view, that if it doesn't have an SAE sticker on it, then it is not government approved for use in Canada.

I know after working with my father-in-law in the lighting industry that he would have goods shipped in from all over the world, specifaically antiques. He would re-wire the fixture and have a company come in and inspect/stamp the fixture SAE so it was saleable in Canada.

I can't see why/how this would be any different than your lensesghting for your car.

I am no expert, but the US is completely different on this issue.

Ask Mitch, I would have to assume he would be an expert at this kind of knowledge with the import sales that he does.

If that doesn't work out, ask the dealer.

01-yellow-ZX3,Jun 12 2005 Wrote:Can somebody do me a favor and give me some proof from a credible source of this?

I got a fine for my E-code tails, I showed him the E-code stamp on them, he said it had to say DOT or SAE.  :unsure:
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E-code headlights are legal, e-spec tails are not totaly legal, they lack the necessary reflectors that we need on north american spec cars, but.. you can add the reflectors onto your car in the required areas to meet dot sae spec, i'm assuming thats why he gave u a ticket/fine.

this is one of those sticky areas.
while they are not technically ILLEGAL they are not technicly legal either...

it works like this, the headlights are only illgeal if they are from a country like England where they are LHD as the lamps are aimed into oncoming traffic here. if they come from Germany or any other RHD country then you are fine and most cops wont care. however there is always going to be one cop out there that wont give a s**t, if you do not have a stamp or a decal, he is going to give you a ticket anyways. i have known many people out here who have had DOT appoved products and have their cars pass Vehicle inspections only to get a ticket and notice for another VI(which cost about $150cnd each time) just because the cop felt like being an asshole. took the car in for the VI, it passed again but the ticket was never dropped.

a friend of mine had a brand new BONE STOCK MB C230K, was driving around in richmond(probably fast) got pulled over, the cop gave him a road side check. the cop said the suspension was to stiff, the car was to low, the headlights were illegal because they were blue(OEM Xenon headlights :rolleyes: ), his tires were not street tires(OEM Mich tires). the cop ended up towing the car, giving him a VI notice and a fine for $350 for driving an unfit car for highway use. my buddy drove the car off the lot 3 weeks before and handn't even installed an seatbelt pads on it. the car was BONE STOCK. he went to the rcmp station the next day and bitched out the senior officer on duty and got the tickets dropped and his car back... but there is always going to be an asshole cop out there that is going to ride you into the ground. now i wasn't there to say my friend wasn't be a asshole himself but still... :blink: all over a bone stock car! go figure?

as for the tails, in most canadian provs there are regulations about reflector size and placement in relation to the ground. if you have a euro rear bumper for your ZX3 which have the rev and fog lamps then you are covered as the reflectors are in the rev and fog lamps in the bumper. if you are just running the tails then technically you are running an illegal setup as you do not have the propper rear reflectors. stupid yes but that is how it works. now the Sedan and Wagon european tails do have reflectors in them and are "legal" in that sense, however if a cop feels like being a dick he can make you produce the DOT or SAE stamp. personally, i have never had a problem nor has any of the focus guys out west with their cars and getting hasseled for illegal mods. if you talk to a cop in a polite understanding manner and know what you are talking about then most of the time they will be cool with you. if you act all stand-offish and try and bully them with your opinions/thoughts/what have you, then they will usually be pretty tight and put you thru the ringer.

as every prov is different, you need to check with your local DMV or online and get a copy of the MVA(motor vehicle act). there are sections about lighting requirements, how higher or low a car can be and many other section that have something to sayt about modifying cars... how loud your exhaust can be, under car neons, legal or illegal tires, etc....

if you know your MVA rules, next time you get pulled over you can defend your car propperly, just do it in a polite manner.
also if you ever feel a cop is stepping outside his rights, ask him to show you where in the MVA it says what he is claiming and what he is using to justify the issue at hand. once again, do this politely. and in the end do not be afraid to speak your opinion, just word it propperly... you cannot say the ticket is bullshit and the cop is being a jerk but you can say "you think the ticket is bullshit and in your opinion the cop is being a jerk in the way he is treating you!"
knowing the laws and your rights are very important when you modify cars, if you know them then cops wont be able to jerk you around or wont have a leg to stand on if they try and pull something over on you.


and like i have said before, always address an officer of the law politely and with respect and you will get it in return. and if you do not, then ask the officer why he is not being polite or respectful to you... in a polite and respectable manner! :)

did any of that actually make sense?

meford4u,Jun 12 2005, 01:27 PM Wrote:Ask Mitch, I would have to assume he would be an expert at this kind of knowledge with the import sales that he does.
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meford called me an expert?
i'm honoured! :D ;)

ZX3TUNING,Jun 13 2005, 12:54 AM Wrote:

meford4u,Jun 12 2005, 01:27 PM Wrote:Ask Mitch, I would have to assume he would be an expert at this kind of knowledge with the import sales that he does.
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meford called me an expert?
i'm honoured! :D ;)
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Send me free stuff and I'll call you nicer things

Or does fuktard sound better?

Quote:it works like this, the headlights are only illgeal if they are from a country like England where they are LHD as the lamps are aimed into oncoming traffic here. if they come from Germany or any other RHD country then you are fine and most cops wont care.

England is RHD and Germany (and canada) are LHD. You got your lhd and rhd mixed up. The RHD being where the driver sits... Not which side of the road your on. My Euro headlights said LHD on them and the beam went like this __/

bluetoy,Jun 12 2005, 09:33 PM Wrote:England is RHD and Germany (and canada) are LHD. You got your lhd and rhd mixed up. The RHD being where the driver sits... Not which side of the road your on. My Euro headlights said LHD on them and the beam went like this __/
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So that would mean SVT Deans headlights are RHD??

paolo,Jun 13 2005, 10:00 AM Wrote:

bluetoy,Jun 12 2005, 09:33 PM Wrote:England is RHD and Germany (and canada) are LHD. You got your lhd and rhd mixed up. The RHD being where the driver sits... Not which side of the road your on. My Euro headlights said LHD on them and the beam went like this __/
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So that would mean SVT Deans headlights are RHD??
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Yep.

So is it a federal or provincial matter that this goes by? Like obviously putting RHD headlights on your car is going to be illegal in a LHD country, but is there any law saying that headlights/taillights must be engraved with a DOT label? I think that's how it works in the US, if it doesnt say DOT approved on the light then they wont pass their safety.

Thats a good question then Guilty...

Thanks Mitch ZX3Tuning, I totally forgot the addition of a Euro rear bumper would have the reflectors making everything 100% legal! Now it all makes sense.

Check the Classifieds if anybody is interested in some smoked Inpro Euro tails (extremely rare, only a set or two in North America!)

Bluetoy,
thanks for the correction! :)

guilty,Jun 13 2005, 10:56 AM Wrote:So is it a federal or provincial matter that this goes by?  Like obviously putting RHD headlights on your car is going to be illegal in a LHD country, but is there any law saying that headlights/taillights must be engraved with a DOT label?  I think that's how it works in the US, if it doesnt say DOT approved on the light then they wont pass their safety.
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well each prov has it's own MVA but all are very similar to each other. there are obvious differences like how Alberta does not require a front plate at all where as other provs do and some are really strict about it. most of our MVA laws are adopted from the US laws so DOT and such approval are required for most things. however, i have never seen a law in the BC MVA(and to be honest i have never read it cover to cover) saying that DOT approval is REQUIRED on all parts. certain safety parts such as airbags, seatbelts and such do require such things but i think much of everything else is open to interpretation, so you get into a big grey area.


i'd like to know what is required and what isn't, but like i said... if you are cool with the cop then you will usually get off with a warning.

01-yellow-ZX3,Jun 13 2005 Wrote:Thanks Mitch ZX3Tuning, I totally forgot the addition of a Euro rear bumper would have the reflectors making everything 100% legal!
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One more thing Mitch forgot to mention, is that you will need rear side reflectors on your car (those fugly red reflectors the accord coupe & other cars have), otherwise, your car would be missing the proper reflective properties that the other north american cars have built-in.

I've been pulled over a billion times myself, and have also learned that just being a complete dick isn't gonna get you anywhere with the Cops.

At first this cop that pulled me over was super strict with me and made me get outta the car. But after awhile, he learned that I'm not just your average ricer punk, as I was super polite and just played ignorant to him.

He cut me some slack, and wrote all the 'offences' all on one ticket.

The cop said to fix everything on the ticket, take pictures, show it to the courts, and I should be a free man. So I'll see how that goes.

paolo,
once again that is open for interpretation... you CAN see the reflectors on the fog and rev lamps in my rear bumper from the side so you CAN argue the point... if the cops goes for it or not really comes down to how politely you state your case. however, if a cop is being so strict that he is checking for side-angle reflection on your rear tails/end then chance are you are fighting a loosing battle anyways! ;) :lol:

ZX3TUNING,Jun 15 2005, 02:49 AM Wrote:paolo,
once again that is open for interpretation... you CAN see the reflectors on the fog and rev lamps in my rear bumper from the side so you CAN argue the point... if the cops goes for it or not really comes down to how politely you state your case. however, if a cop is being so strict that he is checking for side-angle reflection on your rear tails/end then chance are you are fighting a loosing battle anyways! ;)  :lol:
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Mitch, its not about if you can see them from the side, its about if they are designed to be reflected from the side, european law only requires rear reflector seen from the back of the behicle, North American requires much more, it requires rear from the back, rear side, & front side reflectors. A lot of north american tail lights incorporate the rear reflector, plus the side rear reflector together, where as euro only tails only incorporate the rear only, heres an example, a lot of people swap their tails for eurospec bmw tails, they look and function just as well as ours, but they do not have the reflectors, some cars like the accord coupe, which have the tail lights only have rear reflectors, so they have to put the side rear reflectors into the bumper. when i drive down my street at nite, I can definately see the car tail lights reflect back to me, because of these reflectors. I even spray tinted my stock na tails, but i can still see the reflectiveness at nite with them.