Help Please! - Defect

[Ash]

Hi, I have a few questions regarding defects, but firstly I had better explain the story.

on Friday night at 12:30 I was driving home from the Green Gate when I was pulled over by Highway Patrol.

I just assumed that it was a RBT because I get at least one nearly every week and he had followed me for ages from the pub.

anyway I put my window down and the first thing he says is:

"rear number plate, defect."

He then asks for my license and asks me to step out of the car.

He asks me where I had been and I explained I was coming home from the pub.

He then proceeded to defect me 3 times on my front number plate.

Then for boost gauge and blue park lights.

By this stage im thinking fark I’ve been standing in the cold for 15min and he's still farking round...

Anyway he went back to the patrol car and told me to sit in the car, after a couple of mins he came back and gave me a ticket for no P plates (double demerits )

he then (didn't give me the defect) rather said that he lives in North Syd and sees my car most mornings on the way to work (this is true, I nearly always pass a patrol car near the hospital picking up someone from a block of units) and told me that if he sees my car on the road as of Monday he will give me a red defect, which means my car has to be towed (at my expense) I then have to clear all defects or get an engineers.

I was thinking stuff him because he gave me BS reasons (ill explain below).

but I live at the end of a very quiet almost dead end street, we never see cops there and today a hwy patrol car (I guess him) drove past my car, stopped and checked it out etc... Apparently my mum said she saw him too....

So im guessing he is going to go out of his way to find me on Monday... my dad wants to make a formal complaint but I want to know where I stand first.

Here is a list of what he is defecting me for.

1. Rear number plate can not be seen from 12degrees. It’s the same as every skyline I have ever seen, ill post pics (and my car was complianced like this)

2. front number plate does not fit in front bar properly (the cut out is for jap plates so it’s too short)

3. front number plate is bent on both edges to fit in holder, must be flat...

4. front number plate is slightly angled down. (that’s because it only mounts at the top and the wind slowly bends it a bit)

5. Illegal to have gauge on dash, or a pillar. my mate checked the ADR for this one, and it says "gauges such as... blah blah.... can not be mounted on the cushioned part of the dash. however mine is mounted in the air vent. so would this be ok?

6. blue parkers. takes 5 mins to change, cant b f'd unless I get the defect.

ill post some pics, the officer was as rude as anything kept interrupting me and was just up himself. serious power trip.

do u think I would get off this because the car was complianced with the number plates like this? the gauge is easy to remove if I have to, it’s got hooks and plugs so I can remove it if I want and put it back easily. so it’s really only the number plates that are an issue.

ALSO: he forgot to sign my ticket. where it says signature of officer its blank. does that mean it’s not a valid ticket? and I don't have to pay it? I can just deny it?

not only that. The funniest thing of the night is I told him on 2 separate occasions I was on my way home from the pub and he didn't RBT me...!!!!! :headspin:

Thanks Guys! I eagerly await your wisdom.

Ash.

[Lepperfish]

The number plates look fine dude, those blue lights are fuggly though, piss them off, and the gauge should be fine in the air vent id say.. power tripping cops sux... GL though..

[Ash]

they are no where near that blue, the camera isn't that great.

[Lepperfish]

Still, cops will pull over a car for any reason they can,especially a skyline and that is purely giving them one.

[dojobi]

I was also defected for blue lights (they came on the car; I was removing them the next week). I'd say you'll have trouble with that defect. Everything else seemed like it was a total joke though. There's no way you should get done for those. I'd be fighting this one.

[LOW25T]

yeah that sucks dude, but whatever u do, make sure u do it quickly, if you leave it, things just get worse and worse...

[(B1) MR_fanny]

sounds like he's goin out of his way to get u. did ur parents get the plates of the cop car? u should definitly get ur parents involved in this one. maybe take ur dad with u next time when u need to drive down that road again obviously with changed parkers...and see how he acts with ur dad there. would be a good idea to make an official complaint against him with ur P's. plates being a defect is a load of shiit!!

[Blitz]

Ash: Be VERY careful. Sounds like Officer Meppem from Kuringai Highway Patrol. I have had issues with him in the past and he is extremely unpleasent to deal with and does love his work.

Did he actually defect you? Regarding the gauge I have a rubber stamped copy of the regulations that state that you can mount gauges in the area at the base of your drivers A-Pillar however they must not sit above the steering wheel.

If the items you have been pulled up for arent in fact illegal, then just go to an inspection station and have the car cleared. At the end of the day Police can defect you for whatever they feel if they believe that something on your car may not be illegal. Its a pain in the ass but just do your best to stay out of their way.

Unfortunately, a skyline with P's leaving a pub is asking for it. If you werent already aware, police regularly sit down greengate road in unmarked cars near closing time trying to catch people who may have been drinking.

/Edit: Driving around with your driving lights on isnt going to help either

[PTR33]

Write to your transport department asking for some numberplates that will fit your car...:wassup:

Here in QLD you can get USA size rear plate which fits in the rear of a R33 but even the slimline "USA" size is too long to fit in the cutout in the front bar.

[benm]

Yup the blue lights are a definite defect as for the other stuff you just got ass raped. Take pictures of a dozen different GTS-t's number plate holders and take it with you and also take it to the cop shop that this guy is from and tell him to bend over the bench coz you have a present for him.

[BigDatto]

No signature = no contract. Sounds like purely Gestapo intimidation. Lodge a formal complaint. Be sure to mention his lack of professionalism (ie, no sig). Take it to the highest authority & document everything. I agree with Blitz, driving lights on well lit public roads is asking for trouble & a real nuisance to other drivers. Any blue rice is also asking for it.

[Zagan]

Sounds like BS to me, take the fine paper to the transport dept, and ask them about what's been writen on there and see what they say.

Bent number plates shouldn't be a defect as I have seen plantly of cars with bend number plates running around the place, This is in QLD though.

If that guy is running around and handing out defect fines, based on probably not liking imports or young drivers with cars that they shouldn't be driving, then you should look into getting all the stuff eng sighted and have a paper photocopied ready to hand to him and if he questions the photocopied eng report (I'm sure he will) just say you have the orginal at home and will be walking into the police office tomorrow to show the people there, I wouldn't say you were going to make a complaint about him as he'll probably hand you heaps of fines.

If you have a eng report the police can't fine you as they have been sighted and deemed safe for the Australian roads, a copper still trying to hand you the fine is only being a dickhead, as the fine would be thrown out.

Also a non-signed fine, go and ask about that at the police station, if they say it's a canned fine, then make a complaint about the person, for handing out dodgy fines etc and defecting items that can't be defected or already deemed safe by the transport dept.

The Transport dept are real people who handle defects anyway.

One things that has me stuffed is the 12degs things speed cameras have to be at a 45+deg facing to the road otherwise they can't get jack.