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Car aesthetics must obey laws

Ka Leo Contributing Writer

Published: Tuesday, October 2, 2001

Updated: Monday, August 3, 2009 22:08

Image: Car aesthetics must obey laws

Nancy Byun * Ka Leo O Hawai'i

Car enthusiasts beware: according to state law, all modified cars must have Recon permits, or their owners are subject to fine.

Thanks to technology, car enthusiasts can enhance the look and performance of their rides. But this comes at a price: reconstruction permits. Take, for instance, a scenario that happened to me:

I just got my car back from the garage after installing a new 5 Zgen Fireball exhaust system, an APEXi Power intake, lowering springs, Altezza style taillights and eight-spoke rims. It couldn't get any better, except for maybe a little cruise through Waikiki to show it off.

I get onto Kalakaua and turn up my sounds to grab everyone's attention. Windows down, bass up. This was my idea of heaven. Unfortunately, all good things have to come to an end and for me, that end came when the blue lights started to flash in my rearview mirror.

I pulled to the side of the road, trying to recall what I'd done wrong. My taillights were working; my safety inspection wasn't expired; I hadn't been speeding or racing. What could it have been?

The officer stepped up to my windows and said, "License, registration and reconstruction permit, please?"

Reconstruction permit?! What in the world is a reconstruction permit?!

That's right: it's against the law to operate a revamped vehicle on public streets without a valid reconstruction permit. If you do not have the permit, you are given a citation.

Reconstruction is not unique to Hawai'i. In fact, almost all states have some form of the reconstruction permit. It may just be known by a different name, like "aftermarket permits," or "bumper height modification laws."

Reconstruction permits are also known as "recons" to car enthusiasts. All over the island, drivers of customized cars either rage about it, reluctantly obey it or chance the consequences.

What's the purpose of this permit? Why do we need to get it? It's not like we were transforming our cars into F-1 racers. The modifications were still street legal and safe right?

According to the Hawai'i Administrative Rules Title 19 Department of Transportation Subtitle 5 Motor Vehicle Safety Office Chapter 134, the purpose of reconstruction permits is to show that the modifications put on vehicles are deemed safe for public highway usage.

So why do car enthusiasts hate reconstruction permits so much? I asked for some opinions from the Speed Hawaii online forum and got mixed responses.

The majority of enthusiasts see it as "a complete waste of time." There is only one recon permit office on this island and the hours of operation are from Monday to Friday from 1 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.

Others said that recon is clearly un-American, because "our freedom of expression is being restricted." But once again, it goes to the issue of whether our "form of expression" is safe for public highway usage.

Police are now targeting modified street cars more because of recent accidents involving street car racing on the freeways and highways. Reconstruction permits could be a filter to try and keep the over-modified cars off the roads, but it won't stop other street racers from using the freeway as their track.

The negative stereotype implied by the permit frustrates car enthusiasts who are not street racers. But whether you like it or hate it, you're required to get it.

Besides, why spend money on tickets when you can be spending more money on your rides?

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