21 replies to this topic

[Dasithkg]

so the long story short ; my car got defected because of my spoiler apparently... due to some non existing "sharp edges"..

so i googled but couldn't find much on the specific rules and regulation.....

my understanding was that you could have them as long as they don't protrude out from the body line of the car so mine was okay i thought...

but the cops being cops just had to put a canary since they stopped me....
mine does NOT have sharp edges and does NOT protrude out of the cars bodyline..


here's a small portion of what happened that shows their general automotive knowledge......


cop # 1 gets out of the ford territory and says to me...

cop # 1 : we are going to do a vehicle roadworthy checklist on your car

me : yep sure

cop # 1 : oky the tires are good thats great

(and goes to the rear of the car and bends down and looks under the car from the rear)

me : what's under there?

cop # 1 : im looking for diff oil leaks

me : errrrr this doesn't have a diff

cop # 1: yes i know its a front wheel drive, im looking at brake pads

me : you can look at brake pads from the bending down the rear ? really?

cop # 1: ("mumbles something incoherently")

me : ("kept my mouth shut trying hard not to burst out laughing")

if that dumbass can see the brake pads from just bending down from the back of the car, he must have superman clark kent vision......
and he didnt do that particular bending-down-brake pad-check on the front brakes though...... wonder why.......
probably didn't knew that most of the braking comes from the fronts.......

im a mechanical student and every time i wanna have a look at the brakes in a car my college workshop, i have to hoist the car up and remove the wheels and see.... should have asked him to teach me the trick... maybe its only taught to dumb cops....


anyway i still got the yellow piece of paper. and i also have to spend my money to get a new RWC done too....


so does anybody know the specific rules and regulations regarding spoilers? cos i wanna have a damn good go at them the next time the blue lights flash...

i know there are some really nice cops out there but these blokes just takes the cake

[BMGTZ]

if you made comments as above.....




there is most likely no problem with the spoiler.......I would say you just got a lesson from a cop because he "can" give you a sticker. I find the best approach ......after having taken 52 years to learn it......is speak only if spoken to and then say is little as possible.

[Dasithkg]

if you made comments as above.....




there is most likely no problem with the spoiler.......I would say you just got a lesson from a cop because he "can" give you a sticker. I find the best approach ......after having taken 52 years to learn it......is speak only if spoken to and then say is little as possible.

yeah i know... but honestly.... how can some one NOT SPEAK when confronted with that kind of sheer stupidity and ignorance?...

[bazeng]

Act stupid and you'll be better offthan acting smart but yes, they can be unfair.. What can you do? Btw, what spoiler did you have

[BMGTZ]

yeah i know... but honestly.... how can some one NOT SPEAK when confronted with that kind of sheer stupidity and ignorance?...

some time they are doing it on purpose.....just to get at you. and then there are the majority that really are that stupid.

[kaotik]

+1 to acting dumb

cop 1: Your car is a bit too low

me: is it really!? where abouts officer? i was under the impression it was fine?

cop 1: if u bend down here and have at look the exhaust is hanging down too much, its not the body thats too low

me: oh thanx for that, i supposei will get exhaust guy to have a look at it and see if he can fix it for me

cop 1: yeh if thats tucked up there shouldnt be a problem

me: thanks officer


i still drove away with a defect but only a minor which was quickly fixed by putting new hangers on that pulled the exhaust up




moral of the story....be polite even when ur gettin screwed over....chances are u wont get away with it but u will get off easier

[Dasithkg]

Act stupid and you'll be better offthan acting smart but yes, they can be unfair.. What can you do? Btw, what spoiler did you have

it was an aluminum GT spoiler........ now its off

[mymidlifecrisis]

Yep, I remember (i was 40 at the time) I did the yes sir no sir thing with a cop and he still gave me a sticker for a flat spare tire. Also depends on the cops atittude.

Dean

[evopwr]

moral of the story. do not install aluminium wings.

Take wing off > weld up holes > chuck it on ebay with GREDDY sticker > proft?

[Dasithkg]

moral of the story. do not install aluminium wings.

Take wing off > weld up holes > chuck it on ebay with GREDDY sticker > proft?

the wing is off... the holes are covered... but not gonna put it on ebay,,, .... it will soon make it to the car after i finish the project and get an engineers cert.. i hope....

[boostboy76]

Unfortunately, even with an engineer's certificate, a police officer still has the legal right to defect a vehicle for anything that constitutes "reasonable grounds" with regards to something about the vehicle making it unroadworthy.

"Define reasonable grounds!?" I hear you say -


- whatever the police officer feels constitutes reasonable grounds at the time of inspecting your vehicle.

It's one of those great laws that is unclear, and interpretation will always fall on the side of the legislator, or the people enforcing it.

I know it sucks balls, and educated car enthusiasts are being unfairly tarred with the "Hoon" brush, but If they want to defect your vehicle, they will. I'm afraid arguing, even if you are in the right, will only make things worse.

You'll just get defected for more than the original item you started out with.

I know quite a few cops, and believe me, attitude can make a difference between getting a TIN (Traffic Infringement Notice) or just a verbal warning.

Maybe this is true with defects as well?

moral of the story. do not install aluminium wings.

I have to agree. Not because of taste, but because of the kind of unwanted attention it will attract from the police.

Edited by boostboy76, 05 November 2010 - 11:39 AM.

[OLDIE]

I see some stupidly low cars that bounce around like a billycart with zero suspension movement generally driven be some would be gangsta rapper with doof doof blareing loudly that are begging to be pulled over
I have a highly modified car and have never been pulled over for a check possibly because I drive sensibly on the street not reving it to the redline to hear the BOV & chirping the tyres every gearchange I keep that for the track

[EVL20T]

My mate used to always get pulled over for his T wing, he just got too sick of it and ended up removing it off his GTR

Apparently they are "Race Use Only" well thats what he was told lol

But i agree with what was said, play dumb and you will get away with some things, like my car

Ive thrown a forged 2ltre in my cc coupe, converted it AWD, 3" exhaust, interior, lowered on coilovers, gauges on the dash, 17" wheels

When i got pulled over and defected i played dumb and only really got done for no engineers, exhaust and suspension lol and they gave me 4weeks to clear them, so i can still drive around

Edited by EVOCPE, 06 November 2010 - 03:24 AM.

[Dasithkg]

I see some stupidly low cars that bounce around like a billycart with zero suspension movement generally driven be some would be gangsta rapper with doof doof blareing loudly that are begging to be pulled over
I have a highly modified car and have never been pulled over for a check possibly because I drive sensibly on the street not reving it to the redline to hear the BOV & chirping the tyres every gearchange I keep that for the track

yeah i've seen that scenario plenty of times..... but mine is factory height + i was doing 60kmph on a 80kmph zone + no stereo.... still got pulled over....

[ENGINR]

There is an ADR requirement that all exterior surfaces need to comply too - mainly for pedestrian safety, so that somebody who brushes past your car won't slice their arm open!

It's called a "sphere test" and basically it consists of a ball of a certain diameter on a stick and from memory two points of the same body panel/spoiler/bumper have to touch the sphere at the same time, otherwise the surface is "too sharp" and can be deemed a "risk".

If I remember I'll ask my mate at work who engineered the Commodore Series2 front bumper what the "ball on a stick" rule is for exterior panels.

Edited by ENGINR, 06 November 2010 - 11:13 PM.

[Evo-00x]

^^ sounds like it should be called the 'Dicky-knee" rule Shayne lol
(ball on a stick... get it? lol)
Yes, there is definitely a ruling on exposed sharp edges projecting outside the front or rear of the vehicle which can cause bodily injury to a person if they brush up against it. Rear T-wings and intercoolers are in the firing line and easy pickings for cops if the cop can brush up against them with their legs or body and consider them sharp edges.

I havent been pulled over yet in the coupe but I'm ready for a battle of whit with the officer who tries to say that some things are illegal when I know for a fact they arent
Scenario: {play pipe music, smoke clears, typical day at the side of a road after getting pulled over for doing absolutely nothing wrong, just because you're in what looks like a modified car).
Cop: Your car is too low
Me: Not according to the DOTARS Vehicle Data Sheet# 9631 for the CC Lancer coupe which specifies OEM wheel centre to wheel arch measurement as 380mm front and 360mm rear, and allows up to a minimum of 345mm front and 315mm rear. The vehicle also maintains a minimum ground clearance of 10mm, exhaust included.
Cop: er... um your seats and steering wheel are aftermarket and therefore illegal.
Me: Sir, the front seats have been replaced by Cobra Sidewinder bucket seats and manufactured to meet the ECE/R17 FMVSS207 European Standard (ADR3/01 and ADR22/00 recognised equivalent standard). The seats are also Code LK1 compliant bucket seats and are mounted onto the OEM Lancer seat rails without modification to the seats or floor mounting points. Hi-tensile steel bolts have been utilised at all points. Also my steering wheel is not less than 330mm outside diameter and does not affect compliance to ADR 10. The steering wheel is manufactured by Isotta (one of only two ADR recognised aftermarket steering wheel manufacturers, the other being Momo) and it is stamped with the steering wheel’s TUV Approval numbers on the reverse side of the centre spoke to prove compliance.
Cop: umm... er.... your wheels are too big!
Me: The wheels fitted to this vehicle fall within the VSI09 requirements for Minor Changes to Wheels up to 26mm wider than the largest optional wheel recommended by the vehicle manufacturer for the Lancer Evolution without the need to notify the RTA. The outside diameter of the wheel and tyre combination is also not more than 15mm over the largest diameter wheel and tyre combination specified for the vehicle and not more than 15mm below the smallest diameter wheel and tyre combination specified for the vehicle.
Cop: well.... ummm....
Me: Sir, are you sure you dont want to have a look at the engineer certificate and support documentation? I have it right here in the glovebox. I can also show you my RTA ID as I have worked in the Vehicle Regulations department before and studied the ADR's and light vehicle modification guidelines...
Cop: Ahhh... no that wont be necessary. Nice car you have there. Have a nice day.
Queue pipe music again and fade to black.... lol

[3zercrowd]

^^ sounds like it should be called the 'Dicky-knee" rule Shayne lol
(ball on a stick... get it? lol)
Yes, there is definitely a ruling on exposed sharp edges projecting outside the front or rear of the vehicle which can cause bodily injury to a person if they brush up against it. Rear T-wings and intercoolers are in the firing line and easy pickings for cops if the cop can brush up against them with their legs or body and consider them sharp edges.

I havent been pulled over yet in the coupe but I'm ready for a battle of whit with the officer who tries to say that some things are illegal when I know for a fact they arent
Scenario: {play pipe music, smoke clears, typical day at the side of a road after getting pulled over for doing absolutely nothing wrong, just because you're in what looks like a modified car).
Cop: Your car is too low
Me: Not according to the DOTARS Vehicle Data Sheet# 9631 for the CC Lancer coupe which specifies OEM wheel centre to wheel arch measurement as 380mm front and 360mm rear, and allows up to a minimum of 345mm front and 315mm rear. The vehicle also maintains a minimum ground clearance of 10mm, exhaust included.
Cop: er... um your seats and steering wheel are aftermarket and therefore illegal.
Me: Sir, the front seats have been replaced by Cobra Sidewinder bucket seats and manufactured to meet the ECE/R17 FMVSS207 European Standard (ADR3/01 and ADR22/00 recognised equivalent standard). The seats are also Code LK1 compliant bucket seats and are mounted onto the OEM Lancer seat rails without modification to the seats or floor mounting points. Hi-tensile steel bolts have been utilised at all points. Also my steering wheel is not less than 330mm outside diameter and does not affect compliance to ADR 10. The steering wheel is manufactured by Isotta (one of only two ADR recognised aftermarket steering wheel manufacturers, the other being Momo) and it is stamped with the steering wheel’s TUV Approval numbers on the reverse side of the centre spoke to prove compliance.
Cop: umm... er.... your wheels are too big!
Me: The wheels fitted to this vehicle fall within the VSI09 requirements for Minor Changes to Wheels up to 26mm wider than the largest optional wheel recommended by the vehicle manufacturer for the Lancer Evolution without the need to notify the RTA. The outside diameter of the wheel and tyre combination is also not more than 15mm over the largest diameter wheel and tyre combination specified for the vehicle and not more than 15mm below the smallest diameter wheel and tyre combination specified for the vehicle.
Cop: well.... ummm....
Me: Sir, are you sure you dont want to have a look at the engineer certificate and support documentation? I have it right here in the glovebox. I can also show you my RTA ID as I have worked in the Vehicle Regulations department before and studied the ADR's and light vehicle modification guidelines...
Cop: Ahhh... no that wont be necessary. Nice car you have there. Have a nice day.
Queue pipe music again and fade to black.... lol

ROFLMFAO!!!!!!!!!!!! Funniest shit I have read in a long time!

[Dasithkg]

thats some EPIC stuff mate.... i bow to you EVO-OOX..

[Dasithkg]

There is an ADR requirement that all exterior surfaces need to comply too - mainly for pedestrian safety, so that somebody who brushes past your car won't slice their arm open!

It's called a "sphere test" and basically it consists of a ball of a certain diameter on a stick and from memory two points of the same body panel/spoiler/bumper have to touch the sphere at the same time, otherwise the surface is "too sharp" and can be deemed a "risk".

If I remember I'll ask my mate at work who engineered the Commodore Series2 front bumper what the "ball on a stick" rule is for exterior panels.

yep it would be great if u can post up the rule if u can find it...

[EVL20T]

Sure Rob you will be slamming your engineers report on their bonnet making them whip out their lil dicky book and write you up a fine for malicious damage to an officers vehicle lol

By the way, i didn't know tour car maintains a minimum ground clearance of 10mm