'Modifications' banned

The problem mentioned about getting shunted in the rear end in a car fitted with a tow bar can be over come if you follow the Australian regs. Wnen not towing a trailer, the tow bar is required to be removed. This is simply done by pulling a pin, take of the protruding part of the tow bar, and stick it in the boot.

Ian S C

Ian,

That is one thing I will not be doing, it keeps all those too close parkers off my back.

Years ago I used to own a Mini pick-up. Nice vehicle for it's day but tiny and you were always getting leaned on in traffic to the extent you spent more time watching the mirrors than looking forward.

On day out on a quarry site a spotted a biggish wooden crate with

DANGER EXPLOSIVES - ICI MOND DIVISION stencilled on the side.

So heaved it in the back, strapped it down and Bingo - no tail gaters until Plod got upset and asked me to remove it ????

Some years ago a youth hit my wifes car in the rear. I had fitted a towbar the day before, the ball went thru' his radiator and oil cooler and ours was unmarked. No mention was made about the towbar, the youth gave a false name and address. Just had my van tested, just fitted with a tow bar of unknown make, did have to drill 2 holes in the floor but other fixings picked up on the makers holes. The fixings are checked, the electric socket only if a caravan socket is fitted. Don't know the logic behind that.

And who is to say that they are safe --- you!!

I would also suggest that the link you show refers to a design issue not building regs issue

Sam Longley: RICS: MCIOB

Edited By Sam Longley 1 on 12/04/2016 12:06:19

& were they qualified? Did you check?

& did they issue the EICR test completion cert afterwards?

My experience is that lots of the so called electricians are not actually qualified to do the work when they claim they are.

One of my clients ( does over a couple of thousand kitchens & bathrooms per year) regularly makes checks & it is surprising how many should not be doing the job & are not as they claim

Edited By Sam Longley 1 on 12/04/2016 12:18:49

I understand that the problem in Edinburgh is a lack of ties which sounds more of an execution and building regs issue to me than a design issue but I'll bow to your superior knowledge.

Jon Gibbs MIET SMIEEE

I may be very wrong & i confess I do not know the details of this one -so perhaps i should have withheld the unsubstantiated comment--- i should have studied the facts first.

It is not unknown for such things to happen due to poor building practice rather than regulation failings. But it has to be said that the regs do help to highlight design faults at an early stage

Edited By Sam Longley 1 on 12/04/2016 12:24:28

My stepson fits kitchens and has had no electrical training. He regularly finds wiring faults.

Neil

By coincidence I havejust had an email from the Institute of building. There is an article about the schools in question & that suggests poor construction. Missing wall ties are not a failing of the building regs. rMore likely failings in site supervision-- & that is an issue which will get worse as the standard of building staff coming into the industry gets lower each year

I built an extension some 12 years go,after paying exorbitant inspection up front, the time spent on site by the building inspector worked out dearer than a good solicitor, one inspector would not accept the position of the ventilation for the wood stove, a second inspector at final inspection queried why I located the vents in that position,he soon got told that one his lot told me to, After the 1987 storm a neighbour in the building trade said he was fitting a changeover switch for his generator did I want one as he knew a electrician on site.years afterwards when updating my electrics (before part P) !! I found that undersize tails had been fitted obviously because it was easier to fit ,though I managed to fit the correct size,how often does this happen? qualified --crap. Near me a 1970s built house was demolished to be replaced by a larger property,during demolition,although out of sight I heard an almighty crash, later speaking to the builder he told me that the house went over like pack of cards ,no wall ties had been used. I have little confidence in a lot of so called tradesmen particularly the ridiculously short so called apprenticeships . Has anyone noticed in TV programmes like "escape to the country"the number of building regulation infringements, like fire places too close to combustible items,and lack of handrails on stairs, etc etc.

Getting back to the original subject of making car modifications illegal, I've just had a thought that has brought a happy smile to my face. If it ever came in, there couldn't possibly be such a thing as a police car (all those flashing lights, two-tone horns, special radios and stuff), and the plod would be back on bikes and on foot, to the benefit of all of us!

Doubt it.

All the car manufacturers would do is to make a special police version of an expensive car. This would then be sold to the police at an inflated price with the poor tax or rate payer paying.

I have a feeling this is already the case.

JA

I think it all depends if you're someone who feels that more and more legislation and regulation is the best way to improve anything.

Sam, you obviously feel that it is, at least in the case of Building Regs, but personally, I don't.

Without proper enforcement I think that the vast majority of the new laws and regulation just become an unnecessary burden in time and money for the conscientious law-abiding citizen, who wasn't really the target in the first place, and doesn't address the underlying problem or problems. There are numerous examples.

My point earlier on in the thread is that enthusiasm for legislation and regulation is not just a failing of EU legislators but HM Government too.

Jon

A lot of the qualified people do not actually do the work, they are in the office supervising. This is legal and as intended, common in electricity, gas ,plumbing etc. I have a certificate for insecticide spraying, I don't have to do the spraying, but I will be responsible if something goes wrong.

Sam,

Scary stuff, I believe you. But why didn't you report it at the time? Why don't you report it now? Do you really have direct knowledge that your employer or employees were or are bribing officials? If so please do something about it, these are serious offences.

You may be aware that the 2010 Bribery Act beefed up the law in this area. In addition to simplifying and clarifying previous law relating to offering and receiving bribes, it introduced "A new offence applicable to a commercial organisation that fails to prevent a bribe being paid by a person associated with it with the intention of obtaining or retaining business or an advantage in the conduct of business for the organisation. "? And "Even if the bribe is paid by another company to which you are contractually linked, your company may still face prosecution." The act sets a maximum 10 year prison sentence for individuals but company fines are unlimited. As I said, serious stuff.

Is there more bad-practice in the trade than just bribery? The building industry has above average H&S issues, and as discussed elsewhere in this thread, a range of other problems. Is it usual in your line of business to look the other way and do nothing whenever something illegal happens? If so, it might explain a lot.

Golly gosh Model Engineering covers a wide range of interests and issues! And I only came online to look something up.

Regards,

Dave

One of my uncles reckoned that the items needed to make the cars go faster at that time were in the police's garage. He was one and odd things were sometime fitted to his cars. All they need now is something to reprogram the engine management but the manufacturers probably do it for them now. Some have even produced police models.

John

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Out of interest, how exactly does this "chipping" up-rate the steering, suspension, brakes, transmission and heat management of the engine?

Mark

It doesn't, but having driven two mechanically identical cars, one of which is ex-police I am in no doubt whatsoever that they are chipped. The difference is NOT small.

Neil

The biggest problem with brakes would be fading. Cars are way way better than they used to be in the past but that's more of a formulae one driving style type problem which just wouldn't be appropriate on the road. 2ndry one is the brake fluid boiling. There are different fluids. I drove down the Glossknocker pass in a car once a long time ago and had no brakes to speak of when I got to the bottom. I'd guess all modern cars would do it easily now.

Suspension - maybe the uprate the springs.

Cooling. As Saab offered a power upgrade on a 95 without any effect on the warantee there doesn't seem to be a problem. They even pointed out that fuel consumption during some kinds of use would actually be better. I suspect what is actually happening really is that all cars are electronically limited. Saab normally offered a time limited power boost for overtaking. Some one working on engine management was wondering what to do about engine overloading when towing - from the engines point of view it's best to give the power that's needed. They can pick up when this is happening from engine data.

There seems to be a lot of scope on diesels for increasing power by changing the limit and or mapping but there were a huge array of possible power levels available out of Rover V8's as well. I toyed with the idea of having one fitted to a Shogan and it was a case of what power would you like sir up to silly numbers. We found a nice fairly cheap Landcruiser instead.

The problem with using the power however on modern diesels would be very likely to be the clutch. Once upon a time the diesel engine was entirely different to the petrol one and would have a larger clutch - not so now they use springs and things to try and absorb the torque.

John

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