AlVal

Like I said, my insurers have said they only require to take into account the roof spoiler and exhaust as modifications.

AlVal

heh, like I said, the M badge is gone already...

as for the plate, not a chance! at 29, im still Im not ready to grow up yet! Every time I'm in a traffic jam I end up in great conversations with other motorists, its a real social thing, and as yet havent had anyone regard it as antisocial or offensive. brightens up my day, every day!

at least you had some nice comments about the car too! I seem to be attracting quite the bit of hostility here! think its mostly due to the badge more than the plate!

aybeesea

Hmmm... maybe I'd like some of that action.

Are you able to say which company?

I would understand if you rather wouldn't...

I wonder if they are concerned about remapping?

ABC

ipp

Nice job! Do you have any pics of your M5 wood panels?

BangleBox_530d

Perhaps it's worth mentioning a few things that should be quite obvious.

Most people who object to your behaviour won't comment on it here, or when you're on the road. They will be far too polite to do so. But that doesn't mean that they don't think you're a complete tosser.

Just because a few people comment positively on your plate, doesn't make it OK to use. There's clear guidelines on how plates should be, and I think others have correctly pointed out that you blatantly ignore this. Being legal or not, or risk police attention or not isn't the issue. Similar to those that think it's OK to drive with fog lights on, or those that tamper with seatbelts warnings, it's not welcomed here.

I guess there's a fine line between "improving" your car with modifications, and going too far.

When you're driving on the motorway next, consider that a good portion of the drivers that you go past will be thinking one word when they see your number plate. And that word isn't "hero". Anyone seeing the "pretend to be a M5" look that you've created, and smart enough to understand that it's not a M5 will also be thinking that same word. Is that really the kind of response that you're trying to get?

I'm not personally commenting on what you've done, or in any way criticising you. I'm just saying what many others will be thinking. I just laugh and think "why spend the money like that", but others will be (privately) quite annoyed.

aybeesea

Can that be interpreted as altruism?

ABC

ferri

"sound system upgrade (from awful basic uk spec which is worse than basic us spec)"


what sort of stereo upgrade do you have in mind? please provide your thoughts after the project is complete....

AlVal

in my last car, a golf pd tdi, i had a remap by a company called amd in bicester, they called it the "one click" - it was a little cartridge which you could plug into the obd diagnostic port under the radio, and the cartridge held both the original ecu map and the modified one. you could at any time you fancy just plug it in and upload whichever map you like to the ecu. easily put back to standard, this would be impossible for an insurance company to detect if you were of that kind of inclination, which obviously I don't advocate.

I haven't remapped this car because, firstly, it's enough power for my driving style (at least for now!), and secondly, I believe it taxes the engine too much. i think ill make a seperate post about that in an appropriate subforum!

AlVal

well having examined my car, there is no amplifier at all in the boot,

the amplified sound comes from the head unit and goes directly to the speakers. so I'll be examining the wiring at the back of the (lets call it "head unit") in the dash, trying to establish whether theres a way of getting a line out output from it or whether i (less desirably) have to work off speaker-level outputs. once i decide which of these wires to use as my inputs, ill route the cabling back to the boot where ill install a 6 channel amp in the location where the factory amp usually goes. the outputs will then go back along the same route to the headunit and get passed on to the speakers, their original destination. the paltry 6 speakers in my system will be replaced with 10 logic 7 speakers, (the extra 4 being tweeters) as they should be better quality, and not incur any fitment issues. I'll let you know how I get on!

AlVal

ah, the old silent majority!! what good are peoples opinions if they dont speak them! at least you say what you think.

Ill put it to the vote here anyway to see who reckons the plate is a good laugh or who reckons im just a "complete tosser".