Instead of trying to mount a thirdbrake light inside the window, I was thinking that I would just get rid of it entirely. 86 was the year that the thirdbrake light was required by law to have on cars. I have an 87. Would the cops know that a third brake light was suppossed to be on my car?



So could I get away with it?



If not, how could I mount a thin LED brake light inside the hatch?

 

you will get away with it

 

I doubt you would get stopped. How could they tell it's not an '85. Besides, you'd have the be the most bored cop in the world to pull someone over on that!

 

not unless u live in a big town.... i dont think i know a person with a street legal car in little bedford, In

 

You won't get stopped, you have my word on this one!

 

if you dont mind it, they cant really tell if its an 85 or earlier, just the worry that some idiot doesnt see your braking on a glary/sunny day and runs into you, but i dont see that being too much of a problem, can be wrong though

 

I dunno about most people but i'm actually quite fond of that third brake light... and my fourth one too lol

I have one in the spoiler AND on the roof....

 

I was just wondering because at one time both bulbs in my third brake light was out for 6 months and I didn't get a ticket.

 

I've spoken to numerous cops about this.....In Illinois, the only thing that is required is ONE operational brake light, but TWO working tailights. So you don't need the third brake light at all. Not sure about other states though.

 

I also like the third brake light,,,for safety and looks.

 

i'd keep it cause your probably gonna need it 4 inspection . . .and they know what year your car is

 

what do you do about the holes in the glass if you remove the 3rd brake light?

 

yea i'm pretty sure you might not pass inspection because of that since they'll know what year your car is and they check for that

 

You'll be fine. Your taillights work don't they? I seriously doubt any cop would stop you for no third brake light.

 

I live in a non emissions county so I don't need my vehicle inspected for anything, although If I plan on moving to a big city I'll probably need it.


My third brake light is in the wing by the way.


For inspection, does it matter where the third brake light is?


I don't mind having to keep the third brake light its just that I don't want it in the wing - it doesn't look good in my opinion.

 

i don't think it matters as long as its facing back, so its either in the wing or the hatch, don't know of many other places you could mount it

 

I finally fixed mine 2 days ago after it not working for 9 months. I got pulled over 3 times and nobody said anything.

 

Mine didn't have one when I bought it. It had a pre-86 hatch on it. I then got a hatch with the external high mount light and now I have the hatch with the light in the spoiler.
I never had problems with the cops when I didn't have a 3rd light.

 

I bought an 86 hatch for mine when my rear glass broke...Never even wired up my light...Been driving it since September that way. No one even notices

 

The laws regarding the third brake light apply to manufacturers and places where inspections mandate that a car is up to spec on the laws that applied to it at the time of it's manufacture.

This is a generalized statement, though and not actual legal advice. But you shouldn't ever have a problem with tickets for that.

 

hmmm

anyways you wont get stopped.

 

One time my license plate lights weren't working and my tail lights DIDN'T get brighter when i hit the brakes.....

I GOT stoppped for the license plate lights, and nothing was said about the fact that my tail lights didn't get brighter when i hit the brakes.....

This was in a small mid western town in Iowa of about 650 people, I know the cops were bored and they didn't notice, for whatever reason.....

 

no, it doesn't matter where it is, as long as you have it-

 

Here in PA where I work we as cops use something like that to pull you over. That light not working gives us enough probable cause to pull you over but usually they (the cops) are looking for more serious problems, i.e. drugs, etc.!!! If I wanted to be an azz hole I could site someone for that but I wouldn't if it was a on 3rd gen.!!!! Your not in PA either!!

 

My third brake light in my window has been broken since I bought the car. Thats about 3.5 years. It has passed inspection every time, with it not working. But I guess its easy to not know its even there.

 

That is what I was looking to hear. I want to get rid of my third brake light so that my wing will look cleaner from the rear and I don' t feel like wiring one up to the glass.

 

hmm a cop with a supercharged vette.

kolby

 

Yeah, as long as its not there they wont say anything if you dont have inspection. but if you have one on there and it isnt working, your'e giving porky a pull me over for free card.

My car is over due for inspection by 1.5 yrs do to that 3rd light and (GM's crappy rubber spoilers,it cracked off the mounts) I figure having the sticker on the winsheild expired is less noticable than a big red rejected sticker on it.

 

i have had my car for 7 years now and the third light hasn't worked since day one. gets stickered every year, and every time i got stopped for whatever nobody said a word.

 

i hate third brake lights.they look so gay . my 85 doesnt have one and im so happy .

 

My bulbs always burn out, so I keep em out all year, and put 'em in for inspection only. Then I take 'em out again.

 

Lankchevy_350: what's wrong with havin a SuperCharged Vette??

 

that is true...they might just use it for a reason to pull u over... for example they also say there was a car matching your discripition that was suspicious.. they just want a reason to pull u over so they can see if u actually have a liscense, insurance, or to see if u have drugs and all that other stuff...

 

In Texas, the third brake light is not required to pass the safety portion of the yearly inspection. I think this applies for every state.

 

in jersey it is, unless the guy at the inspection station was being a d*ck, cause my friend failed 2x's for it. Hence why im not bothering until I get my spoiler from the slow guy at eBay.

It wouldnt make sense to make it a law if no one cared

 

youll be fine. dont worry. i dont know a single cop in the world who would realize that you didnt have one anyway. besides, if someone rearends you, its a ticket for them and a new paintjob for you!!!!

 

unless somehow the person hitting you realizes it was removed, then its your fault, but that'd never happen.