Forums. Different experiences in other countries

[LouG]

I've just joined the UK Abarthisti forum, and it took me back to when I was in the Leon Cupra forum there.
There's a huge difference between there and a US forum. US members seem much more involved personally with their cars in terms of modding, DIY'ing etc.
Not to mention being a lot more active. A great deal more informed and informative too.
In the UK, there's more talk about purchasing methods, dealers, general day to day stuff. Modding is often done by a specialist business. Owners don't usually get their hands dirty.
I'm not denigrating them, just observing.
I suspect that car culture there is much younger than the US and NZ/OZ. In the 70's around half their households did not have a car.
It doesn't help that a lot of houses still don't even have a driveway to work on your car.

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[Achlys]

And yet the UK has had some terrific automotive shows. I visited London and surrounding tourist hot spots back in the early 90’s, which required using trains and buses for a large part. The streets in Europe as far as towns go are thin and do not allow what we consider a normal size car, if a vehicle at all. The Grand Tour did a skit on American cars while driving through Scotland I believe. Europe engine displacement is a bread box compared to ours and yet can put out a noticeable amount of power. Interesting find on your part LouG!

 

[agreywolfe]

the American car scene is unlike most others, even Australia's held back compared to what we can do with our cars, similarly Europeans are even more restricted in what they can do to their cars so theres not many people willing or able to care for their stuff. I have a buddy in Australia i play iRacing with, who talked about modding his car during a race and all the steps they have to take to install something performance oriented the number of hoops they have to jump through is insane and apparently its super easy to have a modded car impounded. Needless to say he was super jealous when i told him all i had to do to supercharge the mustang was pay for the parts and pay a tech to install it.

to think Europe's even worse when it comes to regulating cars...

 

[keithwalton]

You would of thought the land of the liability lawsuit would be the one that's the most strict on mods but it's more the opposite.

Germany is one of the strictest going with every component change requiring full documentation and type approval. It's a price they pay for de-restricted roads.

It's mostly don't injure others with the modifications you make to your car,
and yes the UK is more about having trained professional shops installing things and providing the documentation for insurance companies than 'wrenching' on it at home.

If you modify your car and don't inform your insurance company / get their approval and you get into an accident they will use any excuse they can to not pay out, even if it had nothing to do with it or it wasn't your fault.

 

[LouG]

the American car scene is unlike most others, even Australia's held back compared to what we can do with our cars, similarly Europeans are even more restricted in what they can do to their cars so theres not many people willing or able to care for their stuff. I have a buddy in Australia i play iRacing with, who talked about modding his car during a race and all the steps they have to take to install something performance oriented the number of hoops they have to jump through is insane and apparently its super easy to have a modded car impounded. Needless to say he was super jealous when i told him all i had to do to supercharge the mustang was pay for the parts and pay a tech to install it.

to think Europe's even worse when it comes to regulating cars...

True. We have less restrictions on mods here. You can get some extreme stuff approved for street use if you get Low Volume Vehicle certification.
And Germany's TUV system certainly ensures a car's safe, but they'll take it if you don't have that certification on aftermarket parts.

 

[MidwayJ]

I had a performance shop install my suspension mods and a muffler shop do my H pipe, but I know several people who do that stuff themselves. One guy installed his procharger.

I recall seeing posts on the 6G forum by people from the UK explaining how strict the insurance companies are about mods. Accident claim denied, for example, because changing the mufflers meant the car was no longer properly insured. And the authorities treated the situation as if the owner had not bothered to insure his car. I can understand a reluctance to do mods in that environment.

 

[Skye]

Gravitating to car forums, we don't read much of trucks. For those with and living in the US, read your insurance policy. Things like lifts, the amount of lift, tire size and other changes are being scrutinized more and more. Some insurers will ask for specific details upon renewal and adjust premiums accordingly.

 

[agreywolfe]

Gravitating to car forums, we don't read much of trucks. For those with and living in the US, read your insurance policy. Things like lifts, the amount of lift, tire size and other changes are being scrutinized more and more. Some insurers will ask for specific details upon renewal and adjust premiums accordingly.

it makes sense though, Trucks already have horrible lines of sight, increasing tire/wheel size and throwing lifts on only damage that visibility even more. its crazy how many non lifted trucks i pull up next to at a stop light and i can fit my entire mustang between them and the actual stop line, they just cant tell where the front of their truck is.

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