New Owner from Baltimore

[The Tech]

I never had any problems with my 1993 9C1 that had dual spotlights - it had been a local city car before I bought it. I had it in PA many times (used to show it at the Carlisle GM Nationals) and put in excess of over 100k miles on it without any problems from LEOs. I drove the car everywhere from GA to NY and was never questioned about the spotlights except one year when I had my NC State Inspection done. I told the inspector to look it up and show me in the regulations where I could not have spotlights and he backed off and passed the car.

[storm9c1]

OK, you ready for the long story?

Years ago there was some whacko impersonator doing traffic stops in western PA. That same year I got stopped multiple times in my 9C1 Caprice with a spotlight. Each time I was not doing anything wrong and never received a ticket or warning for doing anything wrong. But I was questioned concerning an "ongoing investigation of impersonations." I was verbally warned to remove the spotlight but never given anything in writing. The irony as the news media always reported these impersonations occurred by actors driving SUVs or other odd vehicles not even close to a Caprice (not even the same color as mine). Later it turned out that some of those impersonation claims were falsified by the victims further adding insult to injury... but I digress.

Anyways, the last straw was a traffic stop where I was given a written fix-it warning citing "Chapter 173 under the Vehicle Code, 75 Pa.C.S.":

Specifically 173.3 (8) and (9) were written on the ticket. So I looked them up:


§ 173.3. Display requirements.

...

(8) Utility lights. Clear or white forward or side facing steady burning utility lights (that is, take down, alley, spotlight) may not be used as a visual signal for purposes of 75 Pa.C.S. § 3325. These lights may be used while the vehicle is in motion or stationary for the purpose of an emergency, for the safety of the public, or in the enforcement of the law.

(9) Other lights. A vehicle, other than those identified in this chapter, may not be equipped with lights or systems identical or similar to those specified by this subsection, except that school buses and urban mass transit buses which will be used for carrying school children may be equipped with flashing lights as permitted by 75 Pa.C.S. § § 4552(b) and 4553(a) (relating to general requirements for school buses; and general requirements for other vehicles transporting school children), and Chapters 15 and 171 (relating to school buses; and school buses and school vehicles).

...

Since my vehicle wasn't an "authorized vehicle", I was cited in violation of both 8 and 9 and given a "fit-it" warning to remove the spotlights within a certain number of days and have the car inspected by a PennDOT station or State Trooper to verify removal.

I was exiting an Interstate. I was not speeding or doing anything else that would give anybody reason to pull me over. I was stopped by an unmarked trooper who was sitting on the ramp. Other than having a spotlight, I was not cited or warned for anything else. I complied, removed the light a few days later, had it signed off by an inspection station, and I was never bothered again.

Keep in mind this was a random traffic stop. I was not using the light and the code (8) cited above actually says the light must be in use. I had it turned off and in the stowed position (and on some of my past cars, it's been disconnected or non-functional). But then code (9) mentions "lights identical" to those specified (in use or not), so my assumption is that was the trooper's interpretation of the code.

Ironically, I have a best friend who is a LEO (and a Caprice fanatic too). He and his coworkers all agreed that they would never pull anybody over for having a spotlight unless of course they were doing something stupid with it (but they are not lawyers and this wasn't a court case). So that tells me that interpretation of this code is fuzzy. He still jokes with me to this day "go ahead and put your spotlights back on, I hate seeing 9C1 Caprices with door cutouts and no light, it's ugly."

So this is why I made the warning about being careful in PA. If you run into the wrong LEO, you may get stopped or harassed. I know I did until I removed the damned things from all of my 9C1 cars.

My daily drivers are 9C1 Caprices. Been driving them for 20 years. So I've seen everything. As always, YMMV, but be careful.

[mjones73]

Did you happen to get your car from Miller Brothers? I talked to them the other day about one they had online but it's gone already. They mentioned they just sold two and one of them was a demo. They are supposed to be getting another one in, waiting to hear back from them.

As for tuners, if you don't mind the trip north, check out RPM in Delaware. I'm not familiar with who's down your way but I'm sure there's some other good ones in the area.

[krabykarl]

Yes, this is the one from Miller Brothers. If you are still interested call them and ask for Brad he's the used car sales manager. He likes to buy PPV's at auction and probably would let you know when he gets his next one.

As for a tune my son went to the Community College of Baltimore County auto program and is still friendly with the instructors there. He is going to ask them if they will do a chassis dyno and write me a tune. I have no problem with the students using my car as a learning platform as long as the instructor is familiar with fuel trims and such. I may have to wait till that module comes around so they can schedule it though.

[mjones73]

Yes, this is the one from Miller Brothers. If you are still interested call them and ask for Brad he's the used car sales manager. He likes to buy PPV's at auction and probably would let you know when he gets his next one.

As for a tune my son went to the Community College of Baltimore County auto program and is still friendly with the instructors there. He is going to ask them if they will do a chassis dyno and write me a tune. I have no problem with the students using my car as a learning platform as long as the instructor is familiar with fuel trims and such. I may have to wait till that module comes around so they can schedule it though.

Thanks, they are supposed to call me about the next one they are getting in, told me they should know something in a week or two.