EU to Ban Modding
 

It looks like a shitty future for the European bros. Old news but just in case you missed it...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/...disqu s_thread

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...MOT-rules.html

Fuck that

That is seriously !@#$…

Wait just a sec. That's for UK.
The problem is that MoT in the Uk let almost everything pass, so you end up with poorly built kit cars and extremely modified cars on the road.

UK is not entirely part of the EU.

EU actually has a E*-**** homologation number on parts (E1 is Germany, so the TUV, E1 is Italy, ministero dei trasporti, etc).

You can fit parts with that code on the car, with some limitation varying from country to country.
In Italy you can fit suspensions, exhaust systems, lights, seats etc if they have a EU homologation, but you can't alter the tyre and wheel size without the manifacturer OK, you can't fit spacers (they modify the carriage width) or big bodykit (they change the size of the car).
In Germany you can fit most of these things if you can pass the quite rigid test at the local TUV centre, so if you're car is drivable on the road (-->adeguate tyres, not too low, steering angle ok etc) you pass the test.

Actually Italy made some steps toward the legalization of tuned cars with certified components. At the moment some company as Brembo has homologated kits that you can legally fit on your car.
Basically you can't fit:
Extreme engine mods (transplants, turbo conversions...usually the rule is if they can't see it's ok...)
Rollcage
Spacers
HID with no projectors, height automatic adjustment and washing jets
Steering wheels with no airbags
Bucket seats
4-5 points hareness (you can fit them but on the road you must use the 3 point ones)
Non homologated exhaust systems (but they basically check just the muffler if the sound is not too loud)
Wheels and tyre sizes not on the car documents (you usually can have a few different size transcripted on them a the "DMV", on the BRZ you can have 18" in 225)
Extreme bodykits etc...

Just don't let an English aristocrat catch you saying that. :bonk:

I'm not talking in the geographical sense...do they have € in the UK? I don't think so...

In their defense, shit like this should be illegal.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/...85_634x286.jpg

Well in Sweden (also EU) there are already laws or regulations that states the a car must look and have exactly the same parts on it as it had when it was new. When going for the every year MoT.
But usually the techs working on the stations which inspect your car doesn't really care aslong as it's not totally insane mods.

If hes a real bitch the tech could deny your car if you have changed to aftermarket wheels that's not OEM.
There's no way in hell that you can turbocharge or supercharge a NA car here, it will never be accepted at the MoT.
You have to remove all parts, go do MoT, pass, then you can put all the parts back again....

And yes UK is 100% EU, it's not related to the money currency they have.

And you guys in California thought you had it bad!

Damn, I feel sorry for the piston heads that have to deal with this crap. It wouldnt surprise me if the US adopts something like this in the next 20-30 years though. :cry:

We already have similar strict laws in Belgium. We can't do engineswaps, brake swaps basically everything interesting is banned. That's why so many people overhere build showcars. Coilovers have to have special papers that state if they are allowed in Belgium. We have alot of die-hard performance car fans so they just do it and hope nobody sees it.
:burnrubber:

Kinda makes you glad we have SEMA over here.

I am for safety inspections however. We have them here in VA and it at least helps a little in keeping blatantly unsafe cars off the road. When I lived in Chicago I was blown away by the junkers on public roads.

I am against safety

What a communist, freedom hating government. Of course, many politicians in the US see them as a role model for us to follow so I'm sure they'll try to pass some BS law like that here too before long...

Actually don't worry.

The UK/EU is owned and operated by their governments. The USA is owned and operated by our corporations (and corporations from other countries) and you can bet something like this won't happen because it would affect too many "job creators" (aka: rich folk).

There's a billion+$ industry in automotive modifications that won't go unheard or unrepresented and also the cost to implement such laws are not something that any of our State governments could afford to swing as this would fall squarely in the laps of the States, not the Feds.

Call me a freedom hating socialist but just about ALL of this sounds good to me.

Agree with about 80% of that too.

- No point in harnesses if you don't have a roll cage
- No point in roll cage if you're not wearing a helmet
- Bodykits make Baby Jesus cry.
- Spacer - you can get around that with buying wheels of the proper offset
- HID without projector is really bad for everyone else on the road

No bucket seats? Can't remove Airbag? No Turbo or swaps?! Oh no you didn't!

But they're both owned and run by the same private central banks. But that's another story... But yeah, it seems pretty unlikely to happen here anytime soon. Or it would just end up as one of the millions of unenforced laws we have. :iono:

Of course, knowing my luck, I'd get pulled over by the one cop who does enforce it like, "Is that an aftermarket shift knob!?" *TAZE* *ARRESTED* *CAR IMPOUNDED* *CAR CRUSHED* :cry:

I actually knew a friend who got his car crushed in California for being modded and him street racing it so I guess we aren't too far off from that.

Wait...car crushed? I'm not doubting you but that seems pretty extreme. When did that become a punishment for car modding / street racing in California? It seems like it flies in the face of most US property protection laws - even if the mod isn't legal it could be removed and a citation issued. Is there a trigger for such a nuclear option?

Well, this was like 8 years ago. I don't know/remember the details but it was impounded and they kept it and crushed it for some reason. I know he wasn't lying because he would basically start crying every time he mentioned it (Acura Integra). :cry:

they did implement this law many years ago, and technically, it is still partially valid today. They use the same clause that they do for drug runners, etc. about breaking the law and losing the property for "evidence." I remember seeing one bust to where the county kept a vette from a drug bust, and used it as a cop car.

Check it out

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnmjVKlCHB0"]videos[/ame]

Its only a matter of time before this happens in the US the way things are going. You'll probably see it happen in CA or MA first then some overzealous federal bureaucrat will institute some law called Obamadrive or something and we are all hosed. I've actually heard of people in SC receiving tickets for replacing their exhaust with conservative axel back units. So perhaps SC will be first.

By the way, at the end of that video clip they ask whether or not it deters people from street racing or modding. Well, at least in the case of my friend, he just moved out of the state. LOL

The problem at least in Italy is not much about the police but more about the insurance, a modded car may result in the refusal to pay damage in case of accident and ruin your life.

:slap:

There are laws in place for excessive noise, but the violation probably depends on the officer. When I worked with SCHP (as IT, not a cop) there were plenty of guys that liked modified cars and didn't have problems with them. I had a Mazdaspeed exhaust on my Protege5 and was never hassled for it. I had a friend who was forced to run open exhaust on his S2000 for a day and wasn't bothered by the police either.

I had a friend whom got ticketed due to his exhaust was to loud. He was ticked for something called "intended disturbing of the surroundings" since there were people who lived nearby who complained about the excessive noise:party0030:
There was even a rumor going around that if you did a burnout and the police saw it, they would measure how long skid marks you made in the pavement and then ticket you depending on the lenght of the skid mark:slap:

In defense of the law, the cars are only crushed if stolen parts are found on it. (If you're in CA, make sure you know where your parts are coming from) And even then, they are destroyed only after a lengthy judicial process.

But yeah, CA hates cars. I'm amazed enthusiasts still live there..

Moving out of states with stupid laws is really the best solution we have in the US.

you piss a cop off in WA and your 240sx has a RB/SR/LS swap in it...crushed 240sx. Had a good friend lose his pristine s13 RB26det, all because he had an exhaust leak, got pulled over for loud exhaust mouthed off to the cop, cop said open the hood...impound and then crushed :(