Put a YouTube mechanic and a YouTube lawyer in the same room and show them a bunch of modified vehicles, and they’re going to have some fun things to say. That’s it, that’s the pitch. Legal Eagle and Real Mechanic Stuff teamed up to determine the legality of popular modifications. Some of these modifications are extreme aesthetic and personalization modifications that skirt the framework of road legality, but some of them are just straight up intentional violations of written statute. Do you know if your car is even legal to be on a public highway? I’m, pretty sure some of mine aren’t.
In this video the on-screen pairing go through some mods you’re familiar with, like loud exhausts, removing catalytic converters, and dark window tint. There are also segments on niche regional car enthusiasts taking things to an extreme, as Oakland’s whistle tips, Houston’s swangas, and Carolina Squats. Then there’s a group of things that are of the just-plain-illegal variety, like obscuring your license plate, sticking a fake hood scoop to the hood of a police cruiser, or driving around with flashing tail lamps. Oh, and if you weren’t aware, it’s pretty illegal to drive around with a bunch of illicit drugs.
All of my cars are modified in some way or another, and most of them are modified in a legal manner. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have any issues with the local constabulary if they were to inspect my collection. What about you? Are you doing anything illegal to your cars? Don’t worry, the comments section under this post definitely won’t be screened by law enforcement to track down your 240 with the illegal mod.
The Legal Eagle used to ride motorcycles and likes low-speed lane splitting, so he’s pretty cool by me. Then again, he’s in favor of front license plates, so maybe we should disregard everything he says. Your legal advice may vary.
