I know that the EU in general, and Germany specifically, have tightly regulated the use of aftermarket lighting on vehicles. I live in Germany (US Service Member) and was wondering if the add-on in the pictures would be allowed.
It’s still has all the original vehicle brake, turn, and reverse lights, which won’t be a problem, it’s the addition of the “light bar” on the back that connects the left and right across the trunk. The website is German, but I don’t want to get sideways with the Polizei.
The safe answer is no, the correct answer is “ask vehicle inspection,” but I don’t want to line up at 3am to ask (https://www.stripes.com/branches/army/2024-09-12/germany-vehicle-registration-woes-15150152.html)
If I could save myself headaches (and money!) any thoughts from the community would be appreciated!
https://www.reddit.com/gallery/1fti3yw
Posted by KKBMP
3 Comments
I do see several issues with this.
* You are not allowed to have parts of the lights on movable parts of the car, so the one on the trunk migt be an issue.
* At least the gif you posted feels like it is blinking too slow. Needs to be ~90 impulses (with some wiggle room) per minute.
* It is arguable if a long light like this tells other traffic participants instantly what it means.
* Are those lights generally red or just for the braking light in the picture? Cause they need to be yellow for the direction lights.
As a fellow traffic participants: I ask you to not use novelty crap like this. It is worse enough what some car get as regular lights already. No need to overcomplicate it, just because it looks cool.
I had a quick look at the website to read the product description and it doesent mention any EU or German type approval, certification etc. Since it isn’t mentioned it es a safe bet that they don’t have any as these approvals cost the manufacturer lots of money and take quite a bit of time. So the only thing you would get a a German (TUV, Dekra, etc.) vehicle inspection is a firm “NEIN”.
Really, your best bet would be to go to vehicle inspection on post where they will certify it if it is road legal in the US. Judging by the amount of Hondas with fart cans the standards don’t seem to be all that high 😉
Iirc they need the e symbol or a certificate called “allgemeine Betriebserlaubnis” aka abe.