Car Enthusiasts Read This

[Alkatraz]

My two cents.

If you can, try to get the likes of Shannans and Just Car insurance involved. Something tells me that Shannans would not like all car enthusiests to be labeled as hoons and probably make a reasonable amount of money from imports and modifed cars.

[bubba]

While an excellent idea, it will be a hard slog.

I agree with the pushing of an alternate licensing/education strategy, it is something I have been an advocate of for a long time.

One thing I must point out though is, if you set up a petition, make sure it isn't one of the online pieces of junk and it MUST contain the words "THIS IS THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE" otherwise it holds no weight whatsoever and will be filed in the bin

[kawasakirider]

But this is where the general poplulation get there info from, what people see on TV regulates what issues they see as a threat and what is brought up at loal council meetings, from the local it goes to state, from state it goes to federal.

ACA not needed ? the people sitting on the lounge watching this rubbish make their discisions on voting and such on what the media tells them, how can you think you change things if you think that doesnt matter.

The media and what they vomit may be incorrect, seem unfair and is bias, but Joe Public bases there views on what they see and are told is a threat.

And reporters are paid for a good story that gets airtime, fear, terror, violance, sensationalism, people crave these things,and the media supplies.

We may be passionate about our hobby, they are not.

Gun laws anyone ?

ACA won't show car enthusiasts in the right light 99% of the time, no matter what they've told a boost cruising forum member. I believe if we put in the hard yards, they might run a halfway decent story, though. I never said ACA don't have the power to sway peoples opinions, they do. What I said is, we do not need them to get our message out there. Millions are connected on FB and youtube and all over the internet. We can use this to our advantage and if we get some big names behind us (someone suggested just car, which is a GREAT idea), mainstream media WILL follow.

It will be a hard slog, no doubt. The alternative is to sit back and watch our rights get taken away.

If we present ourselves well, have a report ready to hand over to the MP's outlining why modified cars do not pose a threat to road users and pedestrians alike and a good ad campaign for the public then I believe we can get a good reception. Days where the public is invited out for a barbie and a look at the cars (I know this is already done, but it's just another thing to add to our campaign) would be great, local news would get amongst it and we could start a club that all enthusiasts can come under, regardless of what forum they frequent or car they drive. Together we stand, divided we fall.

I didn't start this thread for naysayers to come in and voice their opinions on how futile this idea is. If you were true enthusiasts, the thought of you losing your rights to modify and drive your car would be enough for you to actually want to pull your fingers out and get behind this.

Edited January 27, 2012 by kawasakirider

[Longz]

and how the hell are we suppose to obey the law by engineering our cars if alot of new cars these days are not 90db stock for a noise emission ?

Do lambo's ferrari's HSV V8's and harley's ? i don't see them getting a EPA noise notice

hypocritical government.

Edit : They pick the most retarded people to interview on ACA why not interview one of our SAU club elders !

Edited January 27, 2012 by Longz

[hamiltonau]

Write letters to your MP's.

wheres my PM on what i should write to mine chunky?

oh and like hey, totally agree on this campaigning for equal rights, i dont think its exaggerating to use that term when we are getting pulled over day in day out based soley on our 'appearance' rather than actual behaviour.

Ironically i am guilty of the same kind of generalisation in my role as a train guard, if i see a bunch of kids leaning out of the train at every stop with their flat caps and little scooter things then of course im going to pay more attention to them than other passengers. however im not going to roll up on them and slap them around/kick them off the train until i actually SEE them do something wrong. In our case we are being pulled over and harrassed regardless of our actions.

sounds like discrimination to me, and why not buy into the current PC lingo? if it works for the other minority groups (which even though there is a lot of us, to be honest we are a minority, and unfortunately a splintered one at that)

in for petition, next track day in nsw is on the 12th of feb, someone want to bring one to that and get fifty or so signatures?

edit/just read the boost cruising thread.

is someone from SAU QLD going to get in touch with ACA and show them how its done properly? odd that the story was filmed in sydney and the follow up is in Brissie, still we have responsible folks up there dont we? ...

[blk94r33]

The big issue?

It isn't safety.

It isn't the public concern.

It isn't fear of "hoons".

It isn't vehicles that ACTUALLY pose a safety risk (ie. the pulsar with bald tyres dead shocks and no brakes.

It's money:

http://www.who.int/tobacco/healthwarningsdatabase/tobacco_medium_australia_statistics_02_b_en/en/index.html

Smoking causes more deaths each year than anything else combined. But ACA doesn't want to run stories showing 5 minutes of a 25 yo smoking a cigarette when there can be up-roar over a VL Calais doing a skid.

So long as there is a dollar or two up for grabs to line the coffers, so long as on-the-spot fines can be issued without any actual cause, so long as mobile speed cameras can book someone and make millions a year for the people doing 103km/h, it's a losing battle.

Rego, insurance, maintenance and there-fore GST, fines (if you're un-fortunate enough), speeding and parking tickets are a multi-million dollar industry for every state.

No, I don't think it's right that TRUE enthusiasts are discriminated against. It is time to take action and draw the line before we're all driving camrys. More 1/4's are being reduced to 1/8's, insane, biased brutal laws are introduced due to blind stupidity on the publics behalf and the situation is degrading quickly.

If all clubs, enthusiasts, after-market parts manufacturers and even the kid with a VN and enclosed pod filter get together and make a stand instead of whinging on forums, then things CAN change....

TL;DR?

This is a good idea....

[luke gtr]

You're onto something.

I encourage you to not lose your keenness on this.

and your calmness......

i agree, its a good idea, and pretty sure it has been tried before.

from memory, it just lost momentum.

so keep the ball rolling.

maybe do a report yourself.

texi is coming up, shoot some vid, do some interviews with owners that take it off the streets, that kind of thing.

better understanding of cars is a good thing.

joe public doesnt care.

so, how long until non factory alloys are a defect?

idm in for support.

[mad082]

and how the hell are we suppose to obey the law by engineering our cars if alot of new cars these days are not 90db stock for a noise emission ?

Do lambo's ferrari's HSV V8's and harley's ? i don't see them getting a EPA noise notice

hypocritical government.

Edit : They pick the most retarded people to interview on ACA why not interview one of our SAU club elders !

you will find that all stock new cars will meet the noise restrictions.

harleys are motorbikes so they have slightly different regulations, but you will also find that pretty much every harley on the road has an aftermarket exhaust. and i'm sure that if import owners were all bikies then they wouldn't get given EPA notices much either.

back to the original topic though, while i think the idea is good, and something needs to be done, it isn't just import owners who get pulled over and their cars checked. you will get it in any sort of car if it looks like they might get a result from it. the other thing is that there will always be some minority that will screw it up for the rest. take the person/people killed in the crash in victoria the other day. high speed crash while trying to run from the cops. what sort of car was it? it was an r34. now i'm sorry for their family and friends, but the driver of that car just gave the police and general population yet another reason to hate imports and young drivers. and i hate to say it, but i agree with them. i'm seeing more and more P plate drivers acting like complete twats on the road. i also see plenty of imports being driven stupidly as well. now i'm no saint, i drove like a dick when i had my r33 and my 180sx. but i also never pretended i was a saint. i was always waiting to get caught and fisted by the long arm of the law and i would've accepted it knowing that i deserved it.

my general point is that if the car enthusiast community wants to stop getting so much negative treatment from police and the media, it isn't a case of trying to get the police to leave us alone. it is a case of trying to get the idiots off the road, and making all our cars legal. stop given the police a reason to pick on us and they will back off. you won't get the police setting up a defect station outside a seniors only event because they know it will be a waste of time. you will get them setting up a defect station down the road from something like jamboree since they know they will get a heap of cars with illegal mods and unsafe cars (bald tyres, etc). car clubs need to show that they are working with police to get members to have cars that meet the laws. no point just having a sook to the media saying "it's not fair. sure we have cars with illegal mods, but the cops shouldn't pick on us for it. we ain't done nuffing wrong"

[Longz]

Terry is always a calm gentleman , i for the other hand am a VERY ANGRY BIRD ! :domokun:

Edited January 28, 2012 by Longz

[Ziller]

I'm hearing you brother but publicity is whats got us into this shit, the media wont allow any positive publicity now and never really have, the general public want modified cars banned and are only interested in negative stories as they provide the best ratings. The import scene needs to fade away from peoples minds and get out of the media.

Sadly the f**kwits out there wont let this happen and will always get first pick, we are just to much of a regulated society now.

Good luck anyway.

[kawasakirider]

I'm hearing you brother but publicity is whats got us into this shit, the media wont allow any positive publicity now and never really have, the general public want modified cars banned and are only interested in negative stories as they provide the best ratings. The import scene needs to fade away from peoples minds and get out of the media.

Sadly the f**kwits out there wont let this happen and will always get first pick, we are just to much of a regulated society now.

Good luck anyway.

I get what you're saying mate, but if we make our own campaign online then quite a few people will see it. Once it starts to get a bit of weight behind it, some big names like just car could be approached and then mainstream media MAY follow.

I can't do it myself, what I need is for you guys to help me come up with ideas, then we need people to put their hands up and say "I can fill that gap", be it an engineer, someone in the car insurance industry, a videographer who could put something together for youtube, people willing to be interviewed for videos, people to organise meet and greets with the public in a family orientated fashion and then people to do the footwork to get out there putting flyers up. There is much to be done, but it can work and we can slowly chip away at it.

So, with that said, does anyone have any ideas of what/who we need to get the ball rolling and is there anyone out there that could take on some of the aforementioned roles?

EDIT

I know it will never get to the point where cops won't hassle us completely, but it may open everyone's eyes. Are there any people out there who have been unjustly persecuted in regards to a modded car, taken it to court and won? We need to hear from you.

We need to get it out there that mods aren't dangerous if performed correctly. As I have said, our legal system operates on precedence, if we can site cases where people have been unjustly fined and have actually beaten it, it will give us a fair chance next time someone gets taken to court for no reason. If we can be a bunch of documented cases for each state, it will make it much easier for people to say "hold on a second mate, I haven't actually broken the law and I'm not out to cause a drama".

Edited January 29, 2012 by kawasakirider

[kawasakirider]

my general point is that if the car enthusiast community wants to stop getting so much negative treatment from police and the media, it isn't a case of trying to get the police to leave us alone. it is a case of trying to get the idiots off the road, and making all our cars legal. stop given the police a reason to pick on us and they will back off. you won't get the police setting up a defect station outside a seniors only event because they know it will be a waste of time. you will get them setting up a defect station down the road from something like jamboree since they know they will get a heap of cars with illegal mods and unsafe cars (bald tyres, etc). car clubs need to show that they are working with police to get members to have cars that meet the laws. no point just having a sook to the media saying "it's not fair. sure we have cars with illegal mods, but the cops shouldn't pick on us for it. we ain't done nuffing wrong"

My general point is that police should be able to distinguish between a sensible driver and an imbecile. The car has nothing to do with it, stigmas associated with certain things is prejudice. If people can wear a burqa to cover up their identity in a public place (allowing them to commit crimes without being identifiable) and they get the benefit of the doubt, then car enthusiasts should get the benefit of the doubt, regardless of what car they drive. Their actions on the road should be the punishable offense, along with UNSAFE mods, like cut springs, shocks riding on bump stops, etc.

[hamiltonau]

^^

Unfortunately cops are himan and generalise/make mistakes as much as anyone else. Still there should be something in place to stop too many of them slapping unjust defects on cars which are actually perfectly legal. Im sure there are a lot of cops who are careful about what they put on the notice but others seem to just write all kinds of silliness on there and you end up paying a fine whether its legit or not.

your idea of a list of said fines getting overturned would be interesting to see indeed.

anyway saw this link

decent vid

www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5X7g1j817Y

/edit , seriously why do none of my utube links work?

[mad082]

but how will the cop be able to distinguish between a good driver and a hoon with an illegally modified/unsafe car unless they pull them over? that's the main point here. as long as cops keep pulling over imports and their suspicions are justified then they will keep pulling over imports. not to mention that there are certain times of the day where a large portion of the people driving around aimlessly are probably going to break the road rules by either speeding, doing burnouts or race other cars. mainly the people who go driving around late at night, doing laps past the nightclub areas, etc.

while your end goal is sound, the way you want to get there is the wrong way IMHO. as i said in my previous post. you need to start with changing the car enthusiast community before you change the general community. you can't expect the general community to look at us differently when they can look around and see plenty of poor examples around them.

a better way to start would be for car clubs to take a no tolerance stance on members with illegal mods and poor driving behaviour. that way at least the car clubs can start to get a better reputation in the community. possibly even being in contact with authorities to name and shame members who get caught hooning.

[kawasakirider]

but how will the cop be able to distinguish between a good driver and a hoon with an illegally modified/unsafe car unless they pull them over? that's the main point here. as long as cops keep pulling over imports and their suspicions are justified then they will keep pulling over imports. not to mention that there are certain times of the day where a large portion of the people driving around aimlessly are probably going to break the road rules by either speeding, doing burnouts or race other cars. mainly the people who go driving around late at night, doing laps past the nightclub areas, etc.

while your end goal is sound, the way you want to get there is the wrong way IMHO. as i said in my previous post. you need to start with changing the car enthusiast community before you change the general community. you can't expect the general community to look at us differently when they can look around and see plenty of poor examples around them.

a better way to start would be for car clubs to take a no tolerance stance on members with illegal mods and poor driving behaviour. that way at least the car clubs can start to get a better reputation in the community. possibly even being in contact with authorities to name and shame members who get caught hooning.

OK, how about this, to join a club or continue to be a member of one you're in now, your car must pass scrutineering at every meet (not cruise) you attend, and to be a member you mustn't lose more than a certain amount of points per year (not sure how you'd go about proving/checking this, as in QLD I believe it's $90 for a record of your driving history, not sure if many people will be keen to do that every 12 months).

If these car clubs could implement this in a sound manner, and members of the club could put the stickers on their car (like SAU), cops will EVENTUALLY realise that not all of us are hoons and we are compliant with the law, it could possibly get to the stage where a car with an SAU sticker doesn't get pulled over as often (special members stickers would have to be made up, because the SAU normal stickers are everywhere). There are always going to be idiots that ruin it for everyone, so let's distinguish ourselves from them. Our campaign could be a little bit different...

For example, instead of "car enthusiasts are persecuted" we could have a campaign along the lines of "Here at SAU, our goal is to provide a family friendly club with an emphasis on safe and legal performance cars", then start to elaborate on how we don't condone hooning on the street.

We could still promote this image, weed out the idiots from the clubs and gain the respect of the public and the authorities in one. It won't be easy and it would take a long time, but you make a good point and it would be a good way to go, I reckon.

EDIT

It could theoretically get to the point where the club has more regular meets and perhaps even an award night every 12 months, one for the best improved driver, the underdog who has had a good crack at modding their car without any experience, etc. This is the way a lot of fight clubs are, family orientated and they do get amongst the community and they have awards nights and things like that.

Edited January 29, 2012 by kawasakirider

[The Bogan]

http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/topic/389781-itt-i-dump-my-cool-collection-of-car-videos/page__pid__6208892#entry6208892

This is what they will say, that Car Clubs promote idiots doing stupid shit on public roads, wow, he was hitting boost in a straight line, la de farking da, only one of the vids looked like a closed track everything else was on the public road.

You can thank this sort of stuff for the laws and regulations tightening around our necks.

20% of car scene are idiots being idiots, whilst the other 80% suffer.

[08r3308]

enough said

we should get this guy to make something for us

[GTR_JOEY]

awesome video!!!

[Tom Tucker]

You do realise that it is a government initiative aimed at propping up the new car industry? The irony being, as you stated, that hobby motoring is perhaps of greater economic benifit.

I think what really needs to happen is a shift from baby boomers to generation Y in governence, which realistically will take another decade. Potentially by then though, gen Y will be over imports and will have the wealth to afford brand new cars, forgetting all about the plight of every young man going through the vehicle modification phase. Damn vicious cycle!

Don't let me put you off though!

[SargeRX8]

You've got a government of old people who hate noise, hate the smell of fuel, oil, rubber and hate to see the next generation enjoying cars. We have no chance.

That video up there made me feel tingly, I'm going to go outside and give my car a hug.