What are the Club's views on what is 'scene' in the car modification culture?

I share your pain mate. But I'd encourage you to stick around. Don't let it get to you.

This Club does and will cater for all of us VW ENTHUSIASTS, whatever we like or follow

And I agree with the age thing. I'm nearly 29, but still love and enjoy the show cars. My MK2 is slowly but surely getting there, with a few more updates coming up in the next coming months.

Take a look at the London meet pics. Plenty of cars there which have their own unique style going on, and I want to get some build threads of these going on the forum

Stick around though please. This is what I was worried about was loosing members and new comers !!

 

Clearly though there is quite lot of sentiment with regards to this thread.

I will remind all of the request asked in post 1.

The example I painted in post 1 shared quite a lot of parallels with the UK market modified Civic I pictured in my report.

I asked for a discussion and we have various views and some 200 posts. These views help with planning future events and shows we can target to attend.
Remember event planning will be done on behalf of the Club, many times from the pockets of the event leaders all volunteering. Nothing is worse than planning an event and having very little support for it.

Overall, I believe most on here can appreciate what I called a show car and the time spent in customising it. It does not matter if you are into heavy engineering or not. You all sort of aligned on that point.

Some on here, enjoy the social interaction of such show events, such as the camping, admiring the modifications of other first hand, up close and personal with pictures, tweeting, instagraming etc, be proud of being part of such modifications by carrying out some work, speaking to people face to face and getting to understand the characters behind some of these heavily customised vehicles. Yup I get that part of the so called scene.

However we have to accept we are an automotive club that also understands the principles of engineering. This means topics like this will have some strong opinion that will frown on vehicle modifications that are deemed unsafe and dangerous. While we can be cordial and mature at car a show, in a discussion like this, members and friends of this Club, who enjoy the unique atmosphere this club brings, will state their opinion on certain modifications. That should not be a problem. Ultimately no one has to action an opinion. Especially if the owner of a car with questionable modifications is spending his money.

So with the Club already active in participating in shows and events can we depend on you to support the Club?

Next year, if we say, let's plan to go to Worthersee. Would we be supported?
Think about, if guys with what some might think are questionable mods can drive hundreds of miles to such a location, what stops us with the 'healthy' engineered cars from making such a trip a reality?

Or to MIVW. Yes/no?
Or a track day at Zandvoort just a few kms from Leiden?

More local, what about Elsecar or Ultimate dubs. Do we have the vehicles or will to turn up to these events and make the club proud?

This is why I asked the question.

 

Another point regarding the club's opinion is that less than a dozen people have actually contributed to this thread so this may not be very representative of the club's views as a whole. Saying that I do wonder if a lot of members have an opinion on anything at all? lol

 

The world would be a boring place if we all liked the same thing.

 

Maybe they are scared to....


I`ve been reading it, but really don`t have anything new to add.


I appreciate the effort involved and some of the fit and finish is absolutely top notch.


But I simply don`t `get` the unsafe extreme camber and stretch.

 

Quite right.

 

Oh sorry my bad.

Let me know what I'm allowed to post so that I dont inconvenience you again.

 

I look at current car culture a bit like fashion.
There's plenty that doesn't suit me, but enough that does suit me to keep me clothed and happy.
I don't get (openly) upset at the stuff that doesn't suit me but do appreciate the effort that people go to as it builds up a richer culture for us all. My personal taste floats somewhere in between the two extremes.

I'd also rather see the people who most would consider "scene" using quality components as it keeps high grade brands humming along rather than using horrible eBay ****e.
Hence not getting upset when someone puts KW clubsports on a car and drops it on its ring.

Gaz, I enjoy your per perspective mate.
Be sure to get in the water on your holiday and wash the sand out of your fanny before coming back full bore.

I'm half way round the world and joined (and paid) to be on this forum as I appreciate the volume of knowledge and banter within!

 

Ive shot some footage of Downshift AUS, it's where all genres of car lovers come to meet and greet while hanging out with peers enjoying our beloved cars. The best thing about it is the diverse range of cars and styles people enjoy and admire. I really think it's an internet phenomena to feel alienated, perhaps the snide remarks in real life whispered out of the range of ears is heard by all on this "bloody internet"!

Back to the point, while I pondered with the new gens picking up old granny's corolla and deep dishing with a stupid amount of camber and tyres to small, in truth they're doing their own thing and enjoying it like the rest of us. Some go for big stereos, some for phat wheels, some like giant tail pipes, others hood scoops, some interiors are out of this world, others like it factory, the list can go on and on, but if you don't like chromed intake manifolds or low ride heights, carbon fibre or anodized hi grade aluminium, then wtf are you doing with cars, might want to consider playing golf, not playing with a Golf.

We're all motorheads and I think it's topics like these which are misrepresented on the net, if were in real life, we'd be loving a good banter over all the effort that goes into "doing our thing"... So I don't believe we can discuss issues like these because they are over-read, misinterpreted and cause a false view of how it really is in the car lovers world, and we're usually a good bunch, crazy as, but in a good way... </rant>

 

Saw this posted on our very own Facebook page this evening

 

The above internet comment sounds like a defense towards maybe a negative comment in some context.

There is a time and a place to constructively critique a motor vehicle if required. Sometimes that can happen on a forum, like in this thread. You cannot really control that.

Enthusiasts do have different levels of automobile understanding that would either be learned or gathered during they years they spend around the scene or industry.
In an ideal world, the experienced should not snob the inexperienced (as we were once responsible for years ago), as they were once the same and the inexperienced should also appreciate the experience of the those are quite knowledgeable.

Car shows, events or meets allow those extremities to mix where discussions can be had on reasons for certain mods, custom and functional, or even how the mods were executed as well as the social concept of men and ladies in a field, car park etc.

Examples where this does happen would be:
Ace Cafe, Homegrown, Curborough, London meets, Westside VW, Elsecar, VW Action, Apex festival, GTI international, VW Audi day and so on.

 

That's the way the scene is headed - more motorsport wheels, bigger tyres, slightly more thought put into how low the car should be etc etc but it's predominantly motorsport "themed" rather than anything actually performance orientated as the main criteria.

There was a guy on a more scene friendly forum I frequent literally asking for opinions on whether he should swap his rubber band tyres for something that fit properly and offered traction because his car handled like **** but looked cool. I mean can you ever even imagine giving that a second thought nevermind asking if you'd still be considered cool first?!

I think it's a lot to do with age/maturity as well, new drivers are out to impress folk, more experienced drivers actually think things through and think what's best for them whether that be full track spec car, undriveable "stanced whip" or something to actually use day to day.

Probably just reiterated most of the thread there but I couldn't be arsed to read it all

 

You speak a lot of sense.

 

Well stated Mr Rubjonny

It's a bit like Motorsport rules , they're to control the racers who are always looking to push things as far as allowed stretch the bubble of development . But when they go to far they get penalised or fined by the governing organisation of there sport .

With unsafe modifications ,in the real world it's usually going to be some time before they're spotted by the police or fail a mot.
If there's a few bad accidents because of stretched tyres we will get a knee jerk reaction by the government that will affect us all who like working on our cars
Example
A MP's daughter dies from an electric shock because of dangerous wiring by a dodgy landlord !
Reaction you're not allowed to do electrics yourself without certification " legally " so if you follow the rules you can do very little yourself anymore no matter what your experience . Some small things are allowed to be DIY .
Here's the rub though that all the dodgy dudes don't give a stuff and just carry on regardless , it's just made life much harder for us honest people

Car wise it's getting more and more difficult to do significant modification without a paper trail to garages / mechanics ( to blame if something goes wrong ?)

So to comment about something that is unsafe is in the best interests of us all as car enthusiasts and members of the public
But as a person who is constantly reminded by his Mrs has no tact I would say we need to be carful how we respond to unsafe modifications !
Words of warning rather than mockery , advice rather than criticism .
These are the way we can develop our community rather than fragment it

But at the end of the day some people won't be told and others can't hold their tongue that's just life and where we need members and moderators to work together to keep thing cordial and the forum as happy as possible for a place frequented by grumpy old men and the youth of today lol

Just my 2 p

 

Could you give us a glimpse of this show? I do not mind if it has a few non Vags in it. Just an idea of the scene culture in that part of the world.

 

DownShift AUS

Like with any burgeoning movement there are divisions, I not sure if all the founders are still running it, but it was a huge movement where anything goes, so I took a camera to capture some nice wheels.

[video=youtube;t4NzIZbTLYg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4NzIZbTLYg[/video]

Then this happens.. :/

[video=youtube;VFZfun86c8o]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFZfun86c8o[/video]

 

It's strange to see the police targeting a show like that as we don't tend to have that in the Uk, well I have never experienced it at a show! I did arrange a huge VW meet in Birmingham a few years back though and VOSA turned up with West Midland traffic cops! Luckily all the cars that showed up were legal and they left empty handed!

As for the way people modify their own car, up to them! As long as you are not paying the bill, why does it matter?!

 

It does not, at least I hope not!

However certain types of car modifications on a forum will create discussion, especially on this one.
Modifications such as shoe honing a R36 into a MK1 with a turbo, Fitting a W12 mid ship in a Fridolin, creating the ultimate track MK4, creating a difficult 3rd project like PABs or slamming a MK5 on the ground with 20 in Rota wheels. Creations like those will create discussion.
Nothing wrong with discussion.