the whole argument was brought up that is that it is illegal to put an HID Bulb in a non projector housing. This is simply not the case.
Your argument for well it can be used illegally so we are going to stop selling them is moot......
I promise you the cease and desist did not come from a court of law. As you stated it may very well have come from the companies law department....
.....But even as such I would like to see a DOT regulation stating an HID bulb cannot be placed in a nonprojector housing.
For the record:
I have never made the distinction between aftermarket HID kits in projectors vs. non-projectors. My assertion is that ALL aftermarket kits regardless of how they're housed can get you into trouble....technically (and are most likely "illegal" in most jurisdictions). Then again, so is spitting on the sidewalk. The odds of you getting caught with them are slim to none. I'm not sure why you're hammering me on the projector vs non-projector thing. I see no distinction between the two other than the fact projectors give you a better, and safer light pattern (speaking from experience).
Once again, I stated that there was no cease and desist with this company (I corrected myself) but that the Company chose not to sell them and the decision came out of nowhere. The Company was always a trusted seller of HID kits and promoted Group Buys all over the web. To suddenly stop selling a very lucrative product line would not be a decision taken lightly and it's likely they did so under legal advice from their counsel. Trust me, this Company would not have their own legal department. I work for a $50 million/year company and we don't have our own legal department. This company is MUCH smaller. They're a small Company, owner managed.
In all likelihood they were dealing with higher powers, i.e. "the man". My interpretation of events was that someone from the DOT or similar body came down on them and came down hard for selling HID kits and they unwillingly chose to discontinue selling the products under advice from counsel. They probably could have fought it, but do you honestly think they'd win? The cost is prohibitive (especially when dealing with Government). Yes, there are others out there selling them, but that doesn't mean the DOT would accept that argument. They'd simply shut down those operations too in due course. Most people wouldn't fight it because it's a slippery slope in a court of law and the only people who benefit are the lawyers.
Are you saying you'd fight a speeding ticket with the argument?:
"Well Your Honour, everyone else was speeding that day, therefore I should get off for that reason".
Sadly, so many rules only get enforced by someone complaining. Chances are, someone filed a complaint with the DOT (or similar) against them and events unfolded that resulted in them not selling them anymore to appease the authorities.
Once again, this is my educated opinion of what happened based on my experience dealing with government bodies at many levels. I've been a senior finance guy at many companies big and small and this situation reeks of shakedown by some government heavy which led to them not selling anymore and the note on their website was done under duress. There is no way these guys wanted to stop selling these things because they were and remain a viable business with a great reputation and this was a huge revenue source for them. They knew what they were selling and probably used the "someone else is selling it, why can't I?" argument with whomever came down on them.
As you said, we agree on the core issue in that HID kits are fine as long as they're set up properly. I think you're a tad naive to think that aftermarket HID kits aren't in the crosshairs of the authorities just about everywhere. Unlike those other "illegal" mods you cite, HID kits are very dangerous in the hands of inexperienced installers or people who simply don't care about the safety of others. I've been personally blinded by ricer punks with their blue and purple lights. Luckily, nothing transpired other than temporary blindness, but I'm one person. Being blinded while on the road can and probably has caused countless accidents. A noisy muffler is just an inconvenience and a nuisance so I don't view them in the same "light" (pun intended).
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