Working towards a perfect ZHP

[Vas]

Looking forward to the pictures.

[Avetiso]

OP is in CA, so I doubt he'll have issues with the bulbs, since we don't have inspections outside of smog. Cops are on the lookout for tint, though.

[NorCal-Dimitri]

I've had no problems with mine and they were put on a few months ago.
A buddy of mine got pulled over for speeding and the cop mentioned to him that his clear bulbs they were illegal. The cop didn't feel like they were enough of an issue to write up a fix-it ticket. So I don't think they're too worried about them.

OP is in CA, so I doubt he'll have issues with the bulbs, since we don't have inspections outside of smog. Cops are on the lookout for tint, though.

Good to know. I was considering tinting my fronts.

[johnrando]

I went with a lighter 30% tint and (knock on wood) I haven't had any issues. Sometimes I'll roll down my windows if I'm near running alongside a patrol car just to be safe. They just seem too busy to worry about a light tint. I've heard from many drivers of "higher end" cars with dark tint that they haven't had issues either. I didn't want to increase the risk going dark. So, you can do it, but know there is some risk associated. Worst case, you get a ticket and have to remove it. Of course, that is for LA so Norcal might be different.

[ELCID86]

This: "Have you considered just getting a new (used) seat?"

[Avetiso]

I went with a lighter 30% tint and (knock on wood) I haven't had any issues. Sometimes I'll roll down my windows if I'm near running alongside a patrol car just to be safe. They just seem too busy to worry about a light tint. I've heard from many drivers of "higher end" cars with dark tint that they haven't had issues either. I didn't want to increase the risk going dark. So, you can do it, but know there is some risk associated. Worst case, you get a ticket and have to remove it. Of course, that is for LA so Norcal might be different.

There is truth to this. I ran no plates on my ZHP and no cops ever gave me a second glance, but the young guys in the JDM (and USDM, to some extent, Mustangs/Camaros) crowd are always getting fix-its for them. Same story with tint. I'd venture to say that cops tend to ignore higher end cars for the most part. I know plenty of people with nice cars with front tints as well that never have issues. It's a nice perk.

[RITmusic2k]

4. The car is missing the spare, and I did not find anything decent locally. So I got an aftermarket 17" wheel with a new 225/45/17 tire from tire rack. About $200 out door.

FYI, and for all who're interested - your car wasn't 'missing' its spare. A Spare Tire Delete is actually one of the line items of the ZHP package; this is presumably for weight savings.

[330i ZHP]

If it is the OEM BMW "silver" bulbs - they do blink yellow

[330blast]

I think you are right about weight saving. I just found that the tool kit has nothing in it. PO probably took them all out to get the weight to minimum.

On a side note, I have trouble to post picture into the thread. When I insert picture and put URL to my Flickr page, the pictures won't show up. Should I add them as attachments?

[az3579]

But if you have clears, and are subject to inspection, you will not pass because they won't blink amber.

Just a heads up.

Sent from my S4 > Mason, OH now Free

Dane,
In CT, the law is that they must blink amber or at least an off-white color (slightly yellowish). There are lots of older Volvos that have the off-white bulbs in them from the factory and they pass just fine. We don't get inspection here, of course, but they didn't change the bulbs based on what state the car was sold in to make it pass, so I would think that a bulb that blinks like that would pass in VA. You might want to check the state law just in case.

If this is a concern for anyone, you could always go the LED route. My bulbs are 25W CREE LEDs. They blink amber and cannot be seen from the outside unless you stick your nose up against the taillight housing. As far as looks go, it looks perfectly clear with no color tinge, but when on, they blink brighter than OEM halogen bulbs. Mine are CANBUS, so no bulb-out errors and no hyperflash.