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Are the ACA HID headlights DOT approved ?

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Old Mar 3, 2012 | 07:02 PM
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Default Are the ACA HID headlights DOT approved ?

Guys:

I was at Car's n Coffee today in Dallas and a police officer pulled over a pickup truck entering the show. We were right there and the police officer gave him a warning for HID's in his trucks headlights. It was obvious that he had HID's in stock housings.

Kicker here is... the cop looked under the hood of his truck and wanted to see a sticker where it said that the truck originally came with HID's. He said that a law passed in September that ANY vehicle that has HID's in them that did not come from the factory originally was against the law.

I would like to see if there is a DOT approval on my ACA projector HID's. At least my HID's are in a HID projector (compared to stock housing). I would just like to have a piece of paper that says the ACA's are DOT approved in case I meet up with this cop next time...

Thanks !
Toque
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Old Mar 3, 2012 | 07:21 PM
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hids are illegal if not a factory option in a vehicle
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Old Mar 3, 2012 | 07:36 PM
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They should have a DOT stamp on them. I'm not familiar with the sticker he is talking about. Anyone have an OEM equipped vehicle with HID? Can you find this sticker?
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Old Mar 3, 2012 | 07:45 PM
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Just another short lived revenue generator. Remember a few years ago they were on the kick pulling people over if their license plate frames covered any part of the plate? That lasted all but 2 months I think.

Its also illegal to not have a front plate but the next time you're driving around town, count how many you see without one. Its close to 1/3
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Old Mar 3, 2012 | 08:16 PM
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Originally Posted by corvettemods1
Just another short lived revenue generator. Remember a few years ago they were on the kick pulling people over if their license plate frames covered any part of the plate? That lasted all but 2 months I think.

Its also illegal to not have a front plate but the next time you're driving around town, count how many you see without one. Its close to 1/3
its a 200 dollar ticket here, I havent ran one in over 3 years and in texas I never had one in 3 years.

yet everyone I know but me has got a ticket for them
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Old Mar 3, 2012 | 08:24 PM
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ACA's have the DOT number molded into the outer lens.

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Old Mar 3, 2012 | 08:35 PM
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Originally Posted by Patches
ACA's have the DOT number molded into the outer lens.

That's true, but is that not for the Halogen bulbs that originally came with the units? I am about to convert my ACA's to HID and guess will point to that DOT embossed number if stopped.
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Old Mar 3, 2012 | 08:41 PM
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Originally Posted by JW@JWMotoring.com
They should have a DOT stamp on them. I'm not familiar with the sticker he is talking about. Anyone have an OEM equipped vehicle with HID? Can you find this sticker?
My BMW has OEM HID and don't have any sticker on them saying this.

Honestly I think the issue is more with people stuffing 6000K HID kits in headlights not designed for them. I can spot them a mile away. I don't think law enforcement would even notice a proper projector retrofit. It'll look 100% like OEM HID cars.
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Old Mar 3, 2012 | 08:56 PM
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Originally Posted by matthewlfd
My BMW has OEM HID and don't have any sticker on them saying this.

Honestly I think the issue is more with people stuffing 6000K HID kits in headlights not designed for them. I can spot them a mile away. I don't think law enforcement would even notice a proper projector retrofit. It'll look 100% like OEM HID cars.
I agree. That's what I love about the ACAs and the LED halos.
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Old Mar 3, 2012 | 09:02 PM
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Originally Posted by alxltd1
That's true, but is that not for the Halogen bulbs that originally came with the units? I am about to convert my ACA's to HID and guess will point to that DOT embossed number if stopped.
No, they are HID projectors not halogen. The manufacturer made sure we knew they were not DOT approved with halogen bulbs.
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Old Mar 3, 2012 | 09:05 PM
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I bet blue or purple HIDs in stock housings is what got the pickup truck driver busted.
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Old Mar 3, 2012 | 09:10 PM
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Originally Posted by alxltd1
That's true, but is that not for the Halogen bulbs that originally came with the units? I am about to convert my ACA's to HID and guess will point to that DOT embossed number if stopped.
I bought the original ACA's that came with HID lows and Halogen highs which is what that is a picture of.
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Old Mar 3, 2012 | 09:18 PM
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Originally Posted by JW@JWMotoring.com
No, they are HID projectors not halogen. The manufacturer made sure we knew they were not DOT approved with halogen bulbs.
OK thanks, good to know.
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Old Mar 3, 2012 | 09:19 PM
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Originally Posted by Patches
I bought the original ACA's that came with HID lows and Halogen highs which is what that is a picture of.
Then I stand corrected, thanks.
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Old Mar 3, 2012 | 11:09 PM
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Well, if you find you really need some kind of label they will soon be available on Ebay or at Autozone....
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Old Mar 4, 2012 | 12:00 AM
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Was it an old truck that obviously would not have OEM HID's?
Most average people would probably think a C5 came w HID's.
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Old Mar 4, 2012 | 06:30 AM
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Originally Posted by jdub2k5
hids are illegal if not a factory option in a vehicle
Is that a federal law or a local one ? does anyone have a link to the law? I know everything has to be DOT approved, so is that pretty much the law the cop was talking about?

Originally Posted by matthewlfd
My BMW has OEM HID and don't have any sticker on them saying this.

Honestly I think the issue is more with people stuffing 6000K HID kits in headlights not designed for them. I can spot them a mile away. I don't think law enforcement would even notice a proper projector retrofit. It'll look 100% like OEM HID cars.
This statement sums it up.
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To Are the ACA HID headlights DOT approved ?

Old Mar 4, 2012 | 06:44 AM
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Originally Posted by Patches
I bought the original ACA's that came with HID lows and Halogen highs which is what that is a picture of.
Me too, i have had them for 7 years now never been stopped or hassled.
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Old Mar 4, 2012 | 06:59 AM
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Originally Posted by matthewlfd
My BMW has OEM HID and don't have any sticker on them saying this.

Honestly I think the issue is more with people stuffing 6000K HID kits in headlights not designed for them. I can spot them a mile away. I don't think law enforcement would even notice a proper projector retrofit. It'll look 100% like OEM HID cars.
I would say 6000k still looks OEM. That's the temp I always went with when picking aftermarket bulbs.

Now 8000k-16000k is the range that is really just ridiculous.

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Old Mar 4, 2012 | 09:41 AM
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Originally Posted by SoDiezl350
I would say 6000k still looks OEM. That's the temp I always went with when picking aftermarket bulbs.
I can easily tell between OEM 4300k and 6000K. Maybe to the average person they can't tell the difference. All the color flickers you see in the OEM HID cars is coming from the projector optics, not the bulbs themselves. Never understood why people wanted actual blue/purple HID bulbs to get that color.
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