Strobe lights in the headlights?

[PacoBJuarez]

So, the guy that had my car before me had strobe lights installed in the headlights. Unfortunately, since he was an idiot, the way in which he did it was completely retarded. He broke the seal on the headlights and couldn't find a way to completely reseal them so there was moisture and condensation buildup inside the headlights when I got the car. Obviously I had to replace the headlights. Well, I'm wondering if there is a way to put the strobes in my new headlights (since they're already wired up and everything, might as well) while still maintaining the seal. I wouldn't mind having them on there, but not if it means ruining another set of headlights.

What do you guys think?

[nametakennow]

Since strobes are illegal and lack any useful function, I don't see why you'd bother.

That said, there's no way to get them in there without breaking the seal, so you're better off not doing it or figuring out how to reseal them properly (which, from what I've ever seen, isn't hard).

[PacoBJuarez]

Yeah, I kinda thought they were pointless as well. Is it illegal to even have them, or just illegal to have them on while moving?

[nametakennow]

Insofar as I know, it's illegal to turn them on anywhere public. The ticket could range from a fix-it "improper equipment" to impersonating a police officer, given that cops have strobes.

[PacoBJuarez]

Wow, it's illegal to even turn them on in a parking lot? Holy crap. Well, I guess I'll be getting rid of the wiring for that. Forget strobes.

[Dartmith]

Oh poppycock. Parking lots are almost all private property and you can do whatever you want in them. The only way you can 'legally' get a ticket in a parking lot for such thing is if the owner of the parking lot calls the police and complains (or if the government owns the parking lot, of course). Even if there is a bad accident in a parking lot, a police officer has no right to write a ticket to issue fault, but one may be called to sort out the battle of who was at fault, and to write a report for insurance purposes.

Example: Have you ever noticed how you see Police patroling city park parking lots, but you almost never see them patroling a large store's parking lot? This is because it has to be requested for them to patrol them. Usually Malls and very large parking lots are required to have security guards, but smaller parking lots are simply not patrolled unless the owner requests it (like if there have been a lot of break ins in that parking lot recently, they will proably be asked to patrol it for a few weeks.

Anyway, I agree that strobes are completley rice, and I would never be known for putting them on my car, but it would be extremely easy to reseal the set of headlights you already have with strobes in them using any method, depending on the hole size. If its small, just plop a little epoxy, or silicon caulk on the holes. If you need to build over a large hole, get plastic weld or a small piece of plastic and just epoxy it to the hole so that you fill up all the small holes that air can get through.

[nametakennow]

That's not at all true. Why is it that you hear about idiot drifter fanboys getting busted in empty parking lots?

I'll answer my own question: Because it's illegal (reckless driving, in that case).

Cops don't actively patrol parking lots because, yes, they're private property, but if they see something illegal going on they have every right to drop in and hand you a ticket.

Now, I'll temper that with an admission that you're not likely to get a ticket if you're sitting in a lot with strobes on, but it's possible. Again, I reiterate that it's even possible to get hit with impersonating an officer, given that cop cars have strobes.

It's not terribly likely, but it's possible, and given that there would be some tedious work involved to get them functioning AND they're utterly pointless, it's an unwarranted risk.

If you have express permission from the owner of the lot, this legality issue doesn't hold true, however.

[PacoBJuarez]

I've just decided to remove them and not deal with it. I didn't put them on, and I really don't care if they are there or not. It's not like I would ever use them anyway.