Meeting With Sapol

[RubyRS4]

Goodluck guys, we started a relationship up with HT and SAPOL late last year, was great for three cruises, then the defects came. I hope the result is better for you guys and the import community. Best thing to do, is not have illegal mods.

SAU try to conduct themselves a little better, I would like to believe. We've established a good report card with SAPOL out of this meeting and will endeavour to keep that relationship postive. I've attended/spotted some of the HT cruises and some of the hoon elements unfortunately ruined it for HT. SAU will endeavour to learn from lessons prior and come across as a better car club by establishing rules and enforcing them.

We hope to lead by example, and show that relationships with the law is a two-way street.

i have no probs with neil having a account here if it all helps . the more police that know whats defectable and whats not is a good thing if it stops cars getting defects for fmic and pod filters that regancy have no probs with . looks like i have too remove my boost gauge but i hope that every car import or not that mounts a gps unit on the a piller has too do the same :-) ..all in all it seems a good result i dont think any of us that has a defect ie high mount turbo ect ect really had any complaints about getting defected if we know its illeagel .

its the getting pulled over for no reason than it;s a skyline with the old tired excuse just doing a lincese check routine when your the only car target out of a bunch that goes past .

I understand how you see this as similar, however those GPS units are removable (via suction) and not fixed to the dash/pillar. They are of less risk in the event of a crash. However, I am aware, through another source (not sapol or neil) that they pose concern for restricting the driver's view and some standards could be on the way in to prevent GPS units becoming a risk. But for the time being, GPS units are not a policing matter ... unfortunately, boost gauges on the pillar are. I love the look of gauges on the pillar/dash, but I agree they can be dangerous ... I, myself, had a car crash many years ago that saw my torso thrown into the pillar. No gauges, but I dread to think how worse I could have been if there were.

Non-compliant steering wheels (aka 90% of Autobahn steering wheels) is something I agree on. Most of them are made from poor materials, get destroyed on impact, etc. But... A pillar gauges?! It's a Regency thing, too, but gee... where did they pull this law from? If you're going to crash, your head will hit the steering wheel in most cases... not a small gauge tucked into a corner. But, we'll have to accept that. Nothing against Neil personally, just curious about that rule.

Cronic, as I mentioned above, my crash saw me thrown into the pillar. Not all crashes are front on. Hence, the concern about pillar mounted gauges.

Edited February 15, 2009 by RubyRS4

[mid life crisis]

ive seen plenty of gps units that are perm mounted on the a piller so there should be no difference between them and a gauge imho i have no probs with suction type i have one myself . i cant wait for niell to join up as i have a few questions i would like to ask him myself just so im clear in my own mind about a couple of things .

like i said b4 good job all round for all those involved

cheers dean

[Nene260RS]

Hey Dean... i might email Neil and officially invite him to join on behalf of sau

[RubyRS4]

ive seen plenty of gps units that are perm mounted on the a piller so there should be no difference between them and a gauge imho i have no probs with suction type i have one myself . i cant wait for niell to join up as i have a few questions i would like to ask him myself just so im clear in my own mind about a couple of things .

like i said b4 good job all round for all those involved

Ah, wasn't aware of that. Have not seen that myself. That would be a good one to raise with Neil. Whilst not a performance product, they could present a safety issue if mounted incorrectly. I agree, GPS units could and should be treated the same manner as any other fixture (gauges) in a cabin.

Hey Dean... i might email Neil and officially invite him to join on behalf of sau smile.gif

We'd be crazy not to utilise such a resource. If they're reducing the guesswork out of defects, we should return the favour and take the guesswork out of mods.

Edited February 15, 2009 by RubyRS4

[-RBD2-]

Hey Dean... i might email Neil and officially invite him to join on behalf of sau

im all for neil having an account,it would be a great reference point for all those need info or advice concerning mods and laws.it would be also be good if hes willing for all SAU to pm him with questions or concerns.you never know,after joining our site and seeing that we are all responsible enthusiasts,we might see neil driving a skyline...

[Madaz]

i too am all for Niel having an account, but i for see a bunch of question after questions from people not bothering to read a little and Niel being snowed under

[Nene260RS]

hopefully common sense would prevail Steve... Neil will let people know if they get to full on

[RubyRS4]

im all for neil having an account,it would be a great reference point for all those need info or advice concerning mods and laws.it would be also be good if hes willing for all SAU to pm him with questions or concerns.you never know,after joining our site and seeing that we are all responsible enthusiasts,we might see neil driving a skyline...

Well, he use to drive a WRX ... maybe we can convert him

Steve, as you keep enforcing, members can use the search function before asking repetitive questions. I'm sure Neil wouldn't be too fussed. I'm sure he's aware the initial contact with pose many questions! We'll see how it goes and keep positive.

Edited February 15, 2009 by RubyRS4

[Nene260RS]

Email sent to Neil inviting him to join. Fingers crossed...

[mid life crisis]

we might see neil driving a skyline lol have one here for sale but it might have two many mods lol

[Dohmar]

ive seen plenty of gps units that are perm mounted on the a piller so there should be no difference between them and a gauge imho i have no probs with suction type i have one myself . i cant wait for niell to join up as i have a few questions i would like to ask him myself just so im clear in my own mind about a couple of things .

This is a bit suss. How can something that is permanently mounted (aka affixed to a piece of the bodywork/frame) be any safer than something mounted with a suction cap? In the event of a crash, anything not mounted correctly turns into a missile... This is the sorta stuff we need clarified.

-D

[Stagstock]

This is the reason we get picked on

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mnq-rHDh2tY

I know they're not us, BUT, we get bundled into that category. So I can understand where neil is coming from.

Lets hope what nene and ass. have started will change atleast their perception of SAU.

It appears there can ONLY be positives come from this. Seriously a huge thanks to the organisers of this, especially as it seemed you were swimming up stream.

BTW Great to see a number of SAU members at the cruise today, I know I didn't say hi to anyone (somewhat new). Well behaved considering a NS cruise.

Edited February 15, 2009 by Stagstock

[PREISS]

Good work .

Im also alittle confused with gauges.

what about the s15 Japspec's with standard gauges ? they are allowed.

[SkyHi_33]

Great result guys, although one thing i am concerned about.

Talk of having receipts etc for all the modifications done by workshops. Personally (and I know that lots of other people are in the same boat) I like to mod my car myself... paying workshops is all good and well but learning about your car while doing things is priceless. Now obviously I know that the biggest issue with this is that some people that choose to do their own mods do them in an unsafe manner. How will this affect those more responsible owners who do the right thing and do an above average job on their own car but have no documentation to prove?

I am personally very fussy and don't like other people touching my car unless its something beyond my abilities... as more than often I've had to come back due to something that hasn't been properly connected back (and been charged on top for their incompetence) or I've had to do more work on it afterwords because they failed to tell me i needed to get an alignment or something like that done.

[RubyRS4]

Great result guys, although one thing i am concerned about.

Talk of having receipts etc for all the modifications done by workshops. Personally (and I know that lots of other people are in the same boat) I like to mod my car myself... paying workshops is all good and well but learning about your car while doing things is priceless. Now obviously I know that the biggest issue with this is that some people that choose to do their own mods do them in an unsafe manner. How will this affect those more responsible owners who do the right thing and do an above average job on their own car but have no documentation to prove?

I am personally very fussy and don't like other people touching my car unless its something beyond my abilities... as more than often I've had to come back due to something that hasn't been properly connected back (and been charged on top for their incompetence) or I've had to do more work on it afterwords because they failed to tell me i needed to get an alignment or something like that done.

Unfortunately, its impossible for the police to distinguish between dodgy backyarders from those who know what they're doing. Its just easy to identify cars that have been to a reputable workshop. If you like to work on your own car, like I do, just be sure the end result is handled by a pro. Such as, I like to fit my own intercooler, but have a workshop fabricate the piping ... or fitting aftermarket suspension, but have a wheel aligner ensure its all safe. Its simple, regardless if you don't want others touching your car ... its either a qualified professional, or Regency. I know which pro I'd rather deal with. If you have the money to mod, you have the money to see a pro to ensure its safe. It would be good for the workshops also.

I have a brake upgrade to do next to the Stagea, and I am not shy about getting a workshop to handle the job ... even if it is just for them to check the mounting and bleed the system to ensure its all okay.

As far as the police are concerned, many mods are stuffed up (unsafe) from owner/drivers and very few workshops make dangerous errors.

Edited February 15, 2009 by RubyRS4

[SLAPS]

Pretty much spot on how I thought it would turn out.

IMO it was definitely worth the effort to find out exactly where sau stood before accepting what was said on the stag cruise and not clarifying the details.

So the question begs... Will hood popping occur on the 'odd' occasion?

Agreed on the back yarder mods. Some are just plain dodgy and don't know when enough is enough and to seek the advice of a professional.

Edited February 15, 2009 by TheRogue

[RubyRS4]

This is the reason we get picked on

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mnq-rHDh2tY

I know they're not us, BUT, we get bundled into that category. So I can understand where neil is coming from.

Lets keep the RCK filth off this forum

This is just the kind of drivers Neil and his associates want to catch. We are welcome to do our own cruises, and more welcome to dob in any unwanted tag-alongs or hoons. It will look better for us if we cover our own arses, by taking steps to ensure they're identified as not being one of us and bringing SAPOL's attention to them.

Pretty much spot on how I thought it would turn out.

So the question begs... Will hood popping occur on the 'odd' occasion?

Agreed on the back yarder mods. Some are just plain dodgy and don't know when to seek the advice of a professional.

This will vary from cop to cop, and from cruise to cruise, or individual drivers. But do expect hood popping to occur on the 'odd' occasion if they're given cause to. The upside is, they want to treat us fairer. It boils down to buyer beware ... as mentioned above.

Edited February 15, 2009 by RubyRS4

[Nene260RS]

Neil said the "hood popping" wasn't going to be a regular thing... and when he did make all the stags pop their hoods, he wanted to point out there were many that could have gotten a defect.. yet none were handed out.

[Madaz]

i actually Flagged that video as harmful and dangerous acts hopefully the Tube takes it down

[SLAPS]

So random hood popping will occur at future events even if everyone is well behaved, or was that a 'going to be regular' thing that is 'no longer going to be a regular thing' due to the recent correspondence/meetings?

Almost ran out of breath saying that.

Not that it really bothers me as mine so far from stock its not worth driving on the road. Its a liability not worth taking the risk for.

Not worth driving a modified car on the road when all it takes is one silly accident; some one is injured and all insurance is void as a result of modifications that are picked up on.

Good to clear up for the rest of the SAU mugs though.

Edited February 15, 2009 by TheRogue