Modified cars - sad or not?

Andrew Duffy

Wouldn't want to spoil someone else's thread, would I?

ondafly

Not

Big al

extremely sad

Seth Brundle

It depends on the mod - Im all for (IMO) 'proper' modifications such as a custom chip or improved suspension where there is a technological theory to it but I believe that the visual mods that most young fellas(!) put on their cars are just there to humour other road users.
Everyone knows that a corsa (or whatever) with 4 exhaust pipes coming out the back, and a cosworth spoiler is still a corsa!
Also this growing trend to place neon under the car and glowing washer jets IMO is just stupid. Would it mot be cheaper to get a set of Christmas lights and trail them around your car?
If you like a car so much that you spend up to 15 or 20 grand on it, why then do you deface it?

www.barryboys.co.uk
www.topgear.com/content/fun_stuff/carbage/

Creamy Goodness

there are mods that look good but most of them look like their owners spent more doing up the car than what the car was actually worth which is stupid in my opinion.

also neon lights under a car is the ****est thing i've seen.

ando

alright, so there are some chaps that go overboard somewhat... so what, it makes them happy. I modify my car, I don’t like putting mad spoilers onto the back of the thing, just subtle mods like lowering, alloys, tints, clear indicators and smoked rear lights... I love the way my car is looking at the mo. Some people think I'm mad spending so much on my car, but I think its ironic that they waist their money on drink.... What do they got to show for spending their cash ?? I tend to put smokers in the same league.

I can't help feel there is a bit of jealously kicking in when I see comments like 'extremely sad' when referring to modders... either that or the people making these comments are extremely narrow minded :ninja:

mike65

This is the sort of thing I can't stand...snapped in Gorey last Tuesday.



Mike.

DaveD

Ok, have to agree that Mondeo looks ridiculous... but there are alot of very nicely modded cars out there.

I myself spend alot of money modding my car.... i enjoy it, would rather have something to show for my money insted of blowing it on drink as previously pointed out by ando.

But hey, everyones entitled to their own opinion and everyone has their own hobbies !

sceptre

Originally posted by kbannon
It depends on the mod

I tend to agree. If it suits the car AND it actually looks good (and those blue lights under the car just look puerile) then great, good for you. If the mods are basically a step up from speed holes and go faster stripes to make the car look "more sporty" then you've just wasted your money twice (once when paying for the speed holes and once when you sell your car in the future).

Seth Brundle

Originally posted by DaveD
Ok, have to agree that Mondeo looks ridiculous... but there are alot of very nicely modded cars out there.

I myself spend alot of money modding my car.... i enjoy it, would rather have something to show for my money insted of blowing it on drink as previously pointed out by ando.

But hey, everyones entitled to their own opinion and everyone has their own hobbies !

yes but I suspect that these people are the type that would cover their house in tacky crap at Christmas and think it was top class (something like what Del Boy Trotter might do).
They think that others admire their cars when in fact everyone is chuckling away to themselves.

There are some nice mods out there but trying to dress mutton up as lamb just doesn't work.
A quick think of crap mods (IMO) are:-
* those things that are made to make people think you have rear brake discs and not brake drums (some even come in red or blue!?!?!)
* oversize spoilers and bodykits
* fancy exhaust back boxes that try to make the car sound powerful
* the idea of havng a 2nd (or more) exhausts peeping out from under your car (yeah right, a 1.1L pugeot is really better after that!)
* hacking the bonnet up and sticking on a scoop (do you think people think it is now an impreza wrx?)
* cutting up the front of the car and replacing it with chicken mesh (do you keep animals in there or maybe it is a two way thing - this process makes the car look so hot that it is there to cool down!)
* non standard (& illegal) lighting (this includes those poxy KnightRider radiator grille lights)
* neon and other added lighting effects under or over the car
* rally lights (you're not effin Colin McRae you know)
* those "Im a sad git" Max Power stickers (why not just sellotape an A4 sheet to your rear windscreen saying "I am a tosser (but not brave enough to buy a proper porno mag)")
Any others car vandalism ideas?

As sceptre mentioned, after you have tarted your car out in a couple of grands worth of sh**e, its resale value will plummet. Who in their right mind wants to buy it? You can be damn sure a dealer won't take it back.

Seth Brundle

just thought of another sad mod:-
* adding badges like "turbo" or "16 valve" or "GTi"

Gerry

It would be nice if the original poster could define what they meant by modding. I'd agree with what people have said already. Mods that improve performance, that you can actually appreciate when sitting behind the wheel, are worthwhile. Stupid, stupid mods which fool no-one are retarded, and there should be penalty points for them. The classic example is the golf, where people try to turn it into a GTI, but forget to change the headlights, or put on body coloured bumpers. They just end up looking like complete fools, can they not realise this?
Thank **** the corsa is not a popular modders car anymore, they usually brought out the most idiotic mods.
"Gti" mudflaps are a major crime all by themselves.
Wheels which do not suit the car are a stupid waste of money. For example, 3 spoke alloys do not suit most cars. It seems that people don't care if something looks classy or not, its just there to attract attention.
There are also mods which make your car perform worse, and which may be dangerous. Like fitting wheels which are too big, rubbing the wheelarches, or too wide, straining the suspension, and making the handling worse.
Most modified exhausts sound crap, there are also plenty of muppets who cut holes in the airbox to get a roar out of the engine. I've even heard of people removing the air filter if they are too cheap to buy a sports air filter. Yeah, nice move.

I don't own my own car yet, but when I do, most of the modding is going to concentrate on the engine. ( probably going to be a 205 ).

byte

Totally dependant on the mod job. I also dislike the neon lights under the cars, as they serve no purpose whatsoever. And indeed those fake bonnet vents.:rolleyes:

bla

totaly aggree with what gerry had to say anything that has a positive performace to the car yeah fine but as for looks hacking the bonnet and cutting holes here are there just ruins a car and i dont understand the mentality of the people who destroy cars like this, also a large incress in the number of cars that have been hacked like this are on the roads and the number is growing for some strange/stupid? reason

Eye

ok first off i gotta say i laughed my ass of reading through this thread

to begin i'm a biker, never driver a car and for now have absolutly no desire to want to (basically coz i can't afford €4400 that i was quaoted for a 1l corsa)
if i do ever change that i would'nt mind modding... within reason but i would make sure it's worth doing on a car that it would suit, sure as hell ain't gonna waste my money on modding a '96 nissan sunny, or a '94 toyota starlet, god those kinda mods just make me wanna puke, do buy a decent car for feck sake.

anyway's there has been plenty of critasizm of mods here, keep em coming they are funny as hell hehe

the thing i love the most, i live in a small town and there are quiet a few tools that have old bangers with neon lights under them and aircraft wings on the back of their starlet's :rolleyes: but what i love to do is roll up along side them at traffic lights on my bike
Usually you can here the (i hate to call it music but) dance crap coming from the car, you can just about see through the tinted windows that the car is full to the brim with passengers (mostly other lads younger than the drive who at best is like 20) and as the lights get ready to change you can here them all in there cheering him on as he (i can only imagine he's trying to unstick the accelorator pedal :rolleyes: ) revs the crap outta that 1l engine and the exhaust that sounds as though it's in pain.
Then the lights change and i let me bike (yamaha dragstar 650 with slash cut exhausts) roar and off i go leaving them well behind me i always get a great deal of satisfaction doing it hehe

anyways, one other thing i thought i might mention before i go....

ando - "I modify my car, I don’t like putting mad spoilers onto the back of the thing, just subtle mods like lowering, alloys, tints, clear indicators and smoked rear lights"

i must check this out with my mate who is a copper, but i'm almost certain that smoked rear lights are illegal, so too are clear indicators as they must be orange/yellow to my knowledge and well the tinting... depends, certain types are just about legal, but most of the cars round my town that i see definetly are'nt, if memory serves me right it must allow at least 70% (don't quote me on that) of light through, if it blocks more than 30% it's illegal....i think
just thought you might like to know that while you mod your car and it may well look fine, it's still illegal from a safety point of few
i know a mate of mine got done about 2 years ago, was caught speeding (40 in a 30 i think) but he was also done for his smoked rear lights coz you could barely see his break light when it was on, he was also warned about his neon light under the car but not fined for that.

ondafly

Originally posted by Eye
ando - "I modify my car, I don’t like putting mad spoilers onto the back of the thing, just subtle mods like lowering, alloys, tints, clear indicators and smoked rear lights"

i must check this out with my mate who is a copper, but i'm almost certain that smoked rear lights are illegal, so too are clear indicators as they must be orange/yellow to my knowledge

Well mate - you better tell Dublin Bus - as all new Dublin buses are now running with completely clear lights on the back. With top half of it lights up red, bottom half amber.

As for the indicators - you better also tell Volkswagen/Honda and I'm sure others, that their side indicators can't be clear anymore - even if the light up correctly.

Also Tell Lexus, that their indicators on their IS200s can't be clear on the back too !


:rolleyes:


As for the numpties with the tacky mods - who cares ! Why are you all getting so upset and irritated by them ? are you all 60 years of age and grumpy old men ? Enjoy yourselves with these plonkers when they pull up beside you at the lights - generally in the bus lane, all staring at you - lights go green, you do your usual clutch gear brake accelerate - and you look in your rear view as the little numptie has skipped and bunny hopped into first.

Sometimes I think its pretty juvenile the way people laugh and point at these cars - reminds me of a certain BMW trackday I was at - when a pretty heavily moddified BMW drove up the pit lane - you could see all the other BMW drivers holding back the giggles. I say fair play for standing out on your own and trying to be different.

ando

Originally posted by Gerry
there are also plenty of muppets who cut holes in the airbox to get a roar out of the engine

First of all, dont be calling them muppets. Cutting holes into the airbox is yet another way of increasing performance (if done correctly). If they know what their doing, they'd feed a tube to the front of the engine so as to make it a second cold air intake into the box, and install a better panel filter. Getting the sound of engine sucking in air is nice and not as loud as an induction kit or exhaust. And what you said about people removing the air filter altogether... where are you hearing this?

Sarky

Four words:

Honda.

Civic.

Dear.

God.

ando

Originally posted by Eye

ando - "I modify my car, I don’t like putting mad spoilers onto the back of the thing, just subtle mods like lowering, alloys, tints, clear indicators and smoked rear lights"

i must check this out with my mate who is a copper, but i'm almost certain that smoked rear lights are illegal

just so happens 3 of my family members are gards :eek: and I've ran all my mods through them to make sure its all legit

The lights I am on about (rear smoked lights) are fully legal...



and the indicators are Focus RS indicators... with Philips silvertec bulbs

Kali

Well I voted sad...

The vast majority of body-kits and visual modifications to cars look terrible, yes modded cars can look good but its hard to get right and it has to be subtle... its rare to see one on the road where you actually go "whoa thats a good job".. just doesn't happen... in fact the last decent looking modded car I seen (and was in) was a complete Dimma-kitted 306 all of three years ago.

Its also very trend-based, which leads a lot of people to put modifications on cars which aren't very suitable just because its the flavour of the month (lexus lights.. on everything).

Again, as with a number of the other posters, I've no problem with performance modifications, except when people have the idea that loud = fast. complete and utter bollox.

padraigmyers

Originally posted by Kali
The vast majority of body-kits and visual modifications to cars look terrible, yes modded cars can look good but its hard to get right

Well, I think this just about sums it up. When exactly is "right". Everyone would like to think they have got they're car "right", thats th reson its done in the first place. My car is pretty modified (Audi A4 with full body kit/17" alloys/S4 grille etc) but I'd like to think thats it all suits the car and looks quite well. But thats just my opinion, I'm sure some people would think that it was over-done, some people would say that there are loads more mods I could do (perhaps 18" wheels, more ICE etc) but I'm happy enough with it now.

Modifing your car shouldn't really be anyone else's business, if you wanna stick a teddy-bear shaped alloy (I've seen these!) under it then off you go, its all a matter of personal taste in the end. For the people out there who don't like the modifications, they're not really being done for your benifit anyway so just ignore it.

A lot of the reason for doing modifications is just to make the car individual, not necessarily to make it sound louder/look faster. In these days of mass-manufactured everything its not easy to find something that looks a little different, and if that means doing a few modifications to make your motor look a little better (in your own opinion) and stand out just a little then off you go.

ondafly

Originally posted by padraigmyers
A lot of the reason for doing modifications is just to make the car individual, not necessarily to make it sound louder/look faster. In these days of mass-manufactured everything its not easy to find something that looks a little different, and if that means doing a few modifications to make your motor look a little better (in your own opinion) and stand out just a little then off you go.

Well said - God forgive anyone for wanting to be different

mattg

Well,

Everyone who wants to mod a car has to start somewhere, and most of them would be young, and unable to buy audi's, etc so they have to buy a sh*t box. I think its a great challenge to turn it crappy old car into a stunner! So I dont have a problem with modding, and I am hoping to mod a nova soon.

Andrew Duffy

Someone asked for a definition. I suppose there are two types of car modification; there's fifties-style hotrodding, where components are replaced, suspension hardened, brakes upgraded and the like to make the car go way faster than the manufacturer intended. Then there is fibreglass modification, whereby a young boy (or girl) glues a lot of GRP to his small-engined car, alters the exhaust so the increased pressure damages the converter and valve seats and makes the car sound ridiculous, and most importantly sticks yellow insulating tape around the body panels and replaces the registration plates with really small ones in non-standard colours.

The first type tends to be carried out either by older car owners with mechanical experience or by specialist companies. I suppose it can be seen as a way of creating a high-performance car on a budget, and so long as the car is correctly insured and any high-speed driving is confined to the track I don't really have a problem with it, although personally, I see a car as a tool for transporting you from one place to another. I don't drive at the moment since I live and work in the city, but the car I learned and passed my test in was very ordinary, and so will any I buy in future.

The second type of modifier drives me mad. They invariably drive too fast, think they are the best driver on the road and believe they are incapable of harming themselves or anyone else. Of course, you don't need a car that accelerates quickly to kill someone, and these young drivers abilities are far short of what they think. Hey, I'm 24 and therefore a young driver (albeit on a hiatus at moment), I have about 20,000 miles driving experience, and the way I drive reflects that - there are siutuations I haven't encountered yet, maneouvres that I haven't perfected.

Unfortunately for legitimate hotrodders, there is a large cross over between the two groups. I often see cars that have had their performance enhanced, but also carry illegal number plates. This is an indication that the driver intends to break the law in their driving as well, and they therefore are not mature enough to hold a driving licence.

I have a slight issue with the environmental effect of these cars - high performance cars pollute the atmosphere more than normal cars, and modified cars do not benefit from a well-funded R&D lab to improve their efficiency. On that note, I'd like to see off-road vehicles removed from the roads. Perhaps a punitive tax should be imposed on any off-roader that travels more than 2,000 miles p.a. on public roads, with exemptions for those who hold a certificate that they use their vehicle for towing a horse box or something similar.

Which brings me to the saddest of all modified cars - the modified 4x4s and vans. Need I say more?

kopijack

and where do you put modifying both in styling and performance?

Components get replaced, suspension gets hardened and brakes upgraded on today's cars as well not just fifty-style hot rods...........these modifications aren't going to jump out and say hello to you, but that doesn't mean that they don't exist.


What's wrong with a little change these days:rolleyes: , yes some cars look different and don't appeal to everyone but maybe that's the best they can do with the resources they have and good on them for trying.:)

Gerry

Originally posted by ando
First of all, dont be calling them muppets. Cutting holes into the airbox is yet another way of increasing performance (if done correctly). If they know what their doing, they'd feed a tube to the front of the engine so as to make it a second cold air intake into the box, and install a better panel filter. Getting the sound of engine sucking in air is nice and not as loud as an induction kit or exhaust. And what you said about people removing the air filter altogether... where are you hearing this?

But they are muppets, why are you defending them? Its normally done to a car which sounds awful anyway, like a 1.0 litre starlet, or an old micra. They cut holes in the airbox just to increase the noise, they don't care if the performance doesn't increase. They aren't concerned with doing it correctly, because 90% of them don't know what they are doing.
You sound like you know what you are talking about regarding getting a cold air feed, so why stick up for idiots?

RicardoSmith

I'd say 80% of modified cars (In Ireland) look sad. If its done well and looks like a pro job then thats cool. But most of the time its just looks like a badly constructed airfix kit. I'd reckon that a badly modified car would cripple its esale too. So when I look at these cars I think, poor git hes slashed the value of his car. I can appreciate the work and creativity involved but theres a point where is becomes just becomes a joke on wheels.

In Germany and the UK you see lots of really nicely professional modified cars. But in Ireland the bulk of them seem to be following the US/Japan (Max Power) trend. Even doing this if its done well it should be like a racing/endurance style car, not a Hot Wheels toy for ages 3+

Gerry

Originally posted by kopijack
and where do you put modifying both in styling and performance?

Components get replaced, suspension gets hardened and brakes upgraded on today's cars as well not just fifty-style hot rods...........these modifications aren't going to jump out and say hello to you, but that doesn't mean that they don't exist.

I'm not sure you have read the replies properly. I haven't seen anyone so far who has a problem with modifying for performance. Problem is though, that when you are
doing laps of the local housing estate, you just can't get up that much speed, so people feel the need to lash on thumping bass bins, neon lights, mad dump-valves, anything to grab attention basically.

Originally posted by kopijack
What's wrong with a little change these days:rolleyes: , yes some cars look different and don't appeal to everyone but maybe that's the best they can do with the resources they have and good on them for trying.:) [/B]

In a lot of cases, the car would look better unmodified. You might say "well then it looks just like any other car of the same make and model". True, but it doesn't look like just another idiot.

eth0_

There's nothing individual about modifying your car. It looks stupid and knackerish, which is handy as the car owners are usually....stupid knackers. A load of bowsies used to congregate in Castleknock village during the summer with their modded cars and they all looked like your atypical 'howya bud' Dublin scanger.

Also, what's the deal with buying a ****ty 1 ltr 106 for a few grand and then spending four times what you paid for it on stupid under chassis lights and tinted windows etc etc? Why not just get a decent card from the outset?

RicardoSmith

Theres was one guy I read about who spent 20-30k modding his VR6 Golf mainly on audio gear. I dunno but thats for the loons.

ando

Originally posted by eth0_
There's nothing individual about modifying your car. It looks stupid and knackerish, which is handy as the car owners are usually....stupid knackers. A load of bowsies used to congregate in Castleknock village during the summer with their modded cars and they all looked like your atypical 'howya bud' Dublin scanger.

nothing individual about modifying your car? Will you get off your high horse, you dont know what your talking about.

if you don't like people that modify their cars, thats fine but dont start calling us scangers... Did you ever EVER go to a modified car meet up? (I'm not talking about cruise's, I'm on about sunday afternoon organized meet up's). The people there are an incredibly friendly bunch of people and all share the same interests, very easy to go upto someone and start having a conversation. I've made a lot of friends through modifying my car. Sure, ofcourse there are some idiots, but putting us all into the same basket is unfair... Its like saying all women drivers are auwful and should be taken off the road *cough*

I can see where this thread is going so I'm not going to be commenting much more on this issue. Going by all the anti modders comments so far, its surprising for me to see that its 19-17 on the poll?