got a ticket due to spedometer trouble

1968chevy · Dec 30, 2003

i got a fix it ticket today for speeding while going to work because the needle on the spedometer was going crazy jumping from one side to another like a pendulum would.

this has been going on for the past 2 months but not consistently though just on and off which is why i didnt check it earlier. i havent had a chance today to look to see if the cable is loose on the transmission side or the side where it hooks up to the odometer. the odometer still tracks the miles fine so i dont know if the cable is bad or if i need to replace the needle springs or what.

has anyone ever have this happen to them and if so what was the cause

on the side note, someone has to check to make sure the needle is fixed and since they cant do it just by looking at the car, ill make sure whoever gets in checks everything is working fine all the way from 1 up to 130 mph so they wont say they didnt check it completely

chevy_69_chevelle · Dec 30, 2003

My dad got a ticket one time for speeding and he used the same excuse in court, the speedometer isn't working right...Judge responded with "you can tell how fast your goig with the wind blowing by your ear...guilty....next case"

Bob Johnson · Dec 30, 2003

The one time I had this, I pulled the inside of cable out to see if it was OK. It looked good so I wiped it off and put it back thinking something else must be wrong. Never happend again.

Whittaker · Dec 30, 2003

That happened in my Chevelle except the officer let me go, partly I think because I was in my Church parking lot when he caught up with me. My speedo eventually started squalling and then the needle broke and it spun around and around. The odometer kept working which was very weird.

I replaced both and it has been good to go.

RatONaStick · Dec 30, 2003

had the same thing happen to me when i was 16 in my 1966 malibu, the speedo would go crazy swinging from 0 to 120. not too fun when you have the law behind you.

i removed the cable from the car, pulled out the the inside of the cable and greased it real good. put it all back in and made sure there werent any tight bends or kinks in the cable and it worked fine from then on.

kjett · Dec 30, 2003

I got a hefty speeding ticket in my brand new 1987 IROC-Z camaro back in late 86' I told the officer that my speedometer wasn't working correctly as he filled out the ticket on the roof of his car. Me and a friend of my dads pulled the speedometer gear out of the tranny, and put one in to make the speedo read slow. I then took the car and had the speedometer calibrated showing the margin it was off by (~17 mph as I recall). I took the speedo calibration info with me to court and got the fine reduced, but not completely eliminated. It was reduced enough so that I at least got to keep my license

RatONaStick · Dec 30, 2003

Originally posted by kjett:
I got a hefty speeding ticket in my brand new 1987 IROC-Z camaro back in late 86' I told the officer that my speedometer wasn't working correctly as he filled out the ticket on the roof of his car. Me and a friend of my dads pulled the speedometer gear out of the tranny, and put one in to make the speedo read slow. I then took the car and had the speedometer calibrated showing the margin it was off by (~17 mph as I recall). I took the speedo calibration info with me to court and got the fine reduced, but not completely eliminated. It was reduced enough so that I at least got to keep my license

i tried that too, the judge looked at me like i was crazy and tossed the calibration slip in the trash. i still lost my license and didnt have the money for the fine. they put me in cuffs and gave me one phone call and put me in a cell. my mom was pretty happy over that one, she had to drive out there and pay the fine.

funny thing is if i didnt even mess with the speedo calibration i would have had the money for the fine!!

RacnJsn95 · Dec 30, 2003

You must have been haulin some serious ass to get arrested. Here if you haven't had a ticket in years they will always reduce your fine by like 30-40%. My speedo will bounce back and forth between like 10 miles either way of how fast im going, Only when its cold out though.

RatONaStick · Dec 30, 2003

most definitely, i was cited doing 87 in a 55. the trooper said he clocked me well over 90 but was going to take it easy on me.

the thing though is i live in New Hanover county, and N.H. county will let you pay your fine at a later date, all you have to do is fill out a form after you talk with the D.A.

Brunswick Co (where i was ticketed) will not let you pay later, they want their money NOW. maybe it has to do with all the people coming and going to Myrtle Beach.

i was 18 or 19 at the time, im 26 now and have no points. its nice not to have to pay $190 bucks a month for just liability insurance on one car.

buzz1670 · Dec 30, 2003

i had this happen last summer.female tropper said i was doing 72 in a 55,i said i was going by my tach,that the speedometer was off.she said i have to give you a ticket for speeding or an inadiqute speedometer,i took the latter,judge said did you fix it? yes sir.25 dollar fine.

RatONaStick · Dec 30, 2003

Buzz
i wish it were that easy here, i guess its different in every court room.

bored&stroked · Dec 30, 2003

I got a ticket in my 79 truck. The speedo was way off, and I got it verify'd by a speedo shop. The judge only reduced the fine

tireburner396 · Dec 30, 2003

I just got a ticket for that in Oct. I was driving down the highway in a car I had just bought (91 GT Mustang) I know I know it's a ford. Anyways, I was going 2k on the tach, which I figured was around 70. The speedometer bounces all over the place.
I was in the left lane passing 2 cars in the middle. I saw a Mass statie getting on the highwas, so I slowed down and was a little behind him, although I was in the left lane and he was in the right. The two cars were still in the center lane. He slowed down a little, so I did too. He went in back of the cars in the middle lane, then got in back of me. I sped up a little to get in the middle lane and thats when he put the lights on.
After he pulled me over, the first thing he said was how us Rhode Islanders think we own the road and can drive in that left lane all day long. I then asked what I was getting stopped for, and he said speeding. I showed him my speedometer while we were sitting there, (it was stuck on 45) and he said he'd give me a ticket for defective equipment.(groan). Needless to say, I again heard about how many out-of-staters think they can just drive in that lane. Anyways, he comes back with the ticket..............$285.
$100 for using the left lane, $35 for defective equip, and $150 for doing 78 in a 65. I am fighting this ticket, in all my years of driving, I've never met a bigger jerk!! I was polite, and never lost my cool, as I figured it would not help my cause. It just makes you loose all respect for the law. The guy obviously had a hard-on for out-of-state vehicles, and I was the unlucky recipient. I have to go to court on Jan 14th, hopefully everything goes ok.
I was using the left lane to pass, I thought that is the lane you are supposed to ues. I probably was speeding a little, but I was not going 78. I figure anywhere between 70-75. But thats the thing, they can lie and you have no proof. I am going to get a voice activated tape recorder and carry it with me from now on. Sorry so long, felt like I had to vent.

kjett · Dec 30, 2003

Originally posted by RacnJsn95:
You must have been haulin some serious ass to get arrested. Here if you haven't had a ticket in years they will always reduce your fine by like 30-40%. My speedo will bounce back and forth between like 10 miles either way of how fast im going, Only when its cold out though.

115 in a 70 for me

Pvt.Cowboy · Dec 30, 2003

Originally posted by RatONaStick:

Originally posted by kjett:
[qb] I got a hefty speeding ticket in my brand new 1987 IROC-Z camaro back in late 86'

They put me in cuffs and gave me one phone call and put me in a cell. my mom was pretty happy over that one, she had to drive out there and pay the fine.

Click to expand...

Same thing happened to me: The put me in cuffs and threw me in jail, and called my pappy to throw my bail.

He said 'Son, you're going to drive me to drinkin' if you don't stop drivin' that hot rod Lincoln'.

tblw68ss · Dec 30, 2003

the first thing he said was how us Rhode Islanders think we own the road and can drive in that left lane all day long.

I again heard about how many out-of-staters think they can just drive in that lane.

I am going to get a voice activated tape recorder and carry it with me from now on.

Boy, With that you'd have the Trooper by his B@lls in court.

they can lie and you have no proof.

Mabey not necessarily true, I don't know in your state, but here you have the right to ask to see the radar reading and also proof as to when the last time the radar was tuned. I believe they have to tune the radar at the beginning of each shift, or after each time it's used.
However, if your truly guilty, that'll most likely get you the ticket

When I've encountered a "power-trip" officer in similar situations, when I don't feel I'm guilty. The first thing I ask "politely" is details on obtaining a court date to contest the ticket. More than once I've had the officer then in turn NOT issue the ticket but rather a written warning. They'd rather you roll-over and pay the fines and they'd rather not have to go to court too.

tireburner396 · Dec 31, 2003

it was clocked/estimated on the ticket. I am more aggravated with the $100 for the left lane than anything. I have all receipts for brakes and tires, that I had just put on the car. I only had the car two weeks before the ticket. I was trying to get the safety issues first.

Peter F. · Dec 31, 2003

When my speedo was bouncing it was some metallic particles in the speedo head on the magnet. They were catching between the spinning magnet and the cup that goes over it which is connected to the needle. Took it apart and cleaned it and it's good now.

Peter

firstchevelle · Dec 31, 2003

I had this happen about 2 years ago. I was test driving my uncles monty carlo and it had the "bouncing speedo". Long story short i was clocked at 93 in a 55, but he wrote the ticket for 96, saying he didnt lock it in fast enough. I was completly polite with the officer and recieved a $683 ticket, with i found out later that 3 mph was worth a few hundred. Got a lawyer, who posponed the court date 3 times, then finaly getting there the judge glances at the speedo paper from a frends shop, noticed the officer wasnt there and droped the ticket to 238, 70 in a 55. After that i learned how the good old boy system works and havent had a problem since.

young gun '71 · Jan 1, 2004

I get speeding tickets due to a foot problem I was born with.

got a ticket due to spedometer trouble

1968chevy

chevy_69_chevelle

Bob Johnson

Whittaker

RatONaStick

kjett

RatONaStick

RacnJsn95

RatONaStick

buzz1670

RatONaStick

bored&stroked

tireburner396

kjett

Pvt.Cowboy

tblw68ss

tireburner396

Peter F.

firstchevelle

young gun '71

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