[utkarsha87]

I remember being fined in January this year while driving back in my vcross, from a beautiful snow fall in Theog, Himachal. The fine was on auxiliary lamps that were covered when I was stopped. I chose just to pay the fine and move ahead. I guess it’s more about the big brash look of the vehicle that attracts undue attention. I have seen fortuner drivers suddenly become spirited as they drive by as if it’s some sort of kiddish fast and furious movie. But hope some comprehensive judgement comes out of this case.

[alikidwhy]

I’m surprised at the responses to this thread.

Team-BHP is India’s largest automotive forum with strict rules for entry and only enthusiasts are here and yet we are appreciating illegal mods.

It doesn’t matter if they’re tasteful or distasteful (its all subjective) the point is that mammoth is a menace to other road users and pedestrians and it should be taken off the street.

How can BHPians vouch for such practices on a public forum as huge as ours? This will just motive every tom, dick and Harry to illegally modify their vehicles because the general emotion here is that of sympathy towards the owner.

I personally do not care if the mods were expensive or not. We already have a huge chunk of our population flouting general traffic rules just because they ‘know’ somebody. Imagine what will happen if this car ‘nut’ wins this in the court of law. The people with massive 20inchers and black tints on their Scorpio(s) will have another motive.

Simple things like Window tints is illegal in India but it does not deter people from using them and our government is busy in making useless rules and charging us for every penny we have. When in a country as hot as ours we do not get the option for tints (regularised) we really can’t expect anything.

This is an offence and should be condemned. If one wants to modify their car (trust me, I hope we could modify as much as various countries that allow) they must show their car to the RTO which should approve of the car and state that it, in no way compromises on the safety of its occupants and other road users.

For those appreciating the young lad, you should not be doing so on a forum such as ours to motivate others. Imagine being hit by this bulldozer. What will you do if he does that? Since he has money, we know how the law will affect him.

[AirbusCapt]

For all the Karens....do you have the spine to call out illegal and dangerous modification to truck chassis (heavy extension of length) to carry more cargo? Any comments on "vip" cars who have black tints and a big flagpole which can kill a pedestrian?
Or those buses who carry 6 feet of cargo overhead thereby tipping the cg?
Where is the foolish MVD then? What about idiots carrying cargo sideways ? Can a two wheeler be used as a cargo truck? Or a omni a school bus?
Easy to target a single owner right? Targetting a lobby or a politician takes some spine, only forum posts and online talk won't do.

[hserus]

This "Jao jaake pehle us aadmi ka sign lekar aao, jisne mere haath par yeh likh diya ki mera baap chor hai" will not quite work in front of a traffic cop.

1. You run a stop light - by accident or whatever
2. Cop comes to challan you
3. You yell at the cop to stop a rashly driven bus instead of challaning you

Will you escape being challaned?

Originally Posted by AirbusCapt

For all the Karens....do you have the spine to call out illegal and dangerous modification to truck chassis (heavy extension of length) to carry more cargo? Any comments on "vip" cars who have black tints and a big flagpole which can kill a pedestrian?
Or those buses who carry 6 feet of cargo overhead thereby tipping the cg?
Where is the foolish MVD then? What about idiots carrying cargo sideways ? Can a two wheeler be used as a cargo truck? Or a omni a school bus?
Easy to target a single owner right? Targetting a lobby or a politician takes some spine, only forum posts and online talk won't do.

[MaddyCrew]

Originally Posted by AirbusCapt

For all the Karens....do you have the spine to call out illegal and dangerous modification to truck chassis (heavy extension of length) to carry more cargo? Any comments on "vip" cars who have black tints and a big flagpole which can kill a pedestrian?
Or those buses who carry 6 feet of cargo overhead thereby tipping the cg?
Where is the foolish MVD then? What about idiots carrying cargo sideways ? Can a two wheeler be used as a cargo truck? Or a omni a school bus?
Easy to target a single owner right? Targetting a lobby or a politician takes some spine, only forum posts and online talk won't do.

So going by that analogy - you would rather choose to forgive or overlook a crime just because you could not get all other criminals booked? That's brilliant. Wow!!

Karen's or not - the modification is illegal and downright dangerous to fellow road users. It should be fined and possibly taken off the road. So should the other jugads you have mentioned. FYI - I am one of those who have reported such dangerous mods/ rash driving/ road rage etc. to the authorities.

[sunishsamuel]

I think there should be some sensible changes to the existing laws while maintaining compliance on factors like overloading, dangerous or illegal modifications etc. Times have changed but looks like our rules take much longer to catch up.

People love to beef up their cars and vehicles. What/how they do should be within some legal/certification framework. Else we will continue to see such actions from authorities and discourage enthusiasts who love to get their vehicles modified to suit conditions like 4x4 tracks etc. Or even add an additional light or slightly oversized tyre..

I was googling and noticed this link from Australia They do allow modifications and classifies what all need certification from competent authority/agency vs the modifications that can be done without any certification. Pretty exhaustive I'd say. Hope our motor vehicle departments take a look at the same and come up with a guideline.

Yet to see MVD going hyper on some of the not so roadworthy vehicles like trucks, buses or cars.

Notable lines from the documentation.

Vehicle owners sometimes modify their vehicle to give it a distinctive appearance, improve its performance, add features, change the engine, change the suspension, add a long-range fuel tank, or for a combination of reasons.

Others modify their vehicles so that they are better suited to a specialised purpose.

Vehicle owners who intend to modify their vehicles need to follow the standards and guidelines that apply to the modification of vehicles for use on roads and/or road-related areas. This will ensure that each completed vehicle is safe for use and that the level of safety afforded by a vehicle to its passengers and other road users is not compromised by any modification/s.

[ohaak]

The laws exist for good reasons. Until there is a competent certifying authority on road worthiness and safety on significant custom modifications, let them stay banned.

On a note, there are many nicer modifications to the VCross like Ironman suspension and slightly larger tyres. This particular monstrosity with the lift and tyres is not fit for driving on crowded roads with pedestrians.

[Arjun Bharadwaj]

Offtopic comment : That Jeep looks "cute" next to the modified Isuzu

Fun apart, as a regular Joe, if I saw this vehicle next to my regular car, I may have been intimidated too. Maybe the complainant was intimidated by this vehicle and what damage it can cause if its owner decided to ever "teach a lesson".

[100Rabh]

Originally Posted by AirbusCapt

For all the Karens....do you have the spine to call out illegal and dangerous modification to truck chassis (heavy extension of length) to carry more cargo? Any comments on "vip" cars who have black tints and a big flagpole which can kill a pedestrian?
Or those buses who carry 6 feet of cargo overhead thereby tipping the cg?
Where is the foolish MVD then? What about idiots carrying cargo sideways ? Can a two wheeler be used as a cargo truck? Or a omni a school bus?
Easy to target a single owner right? Targetting a lobby or a politician takes some spine, only forum posts and online talk won't do.

I wonder how this word Karen ended up here

[utkarsha87]

This made my day. But any way, apart from 2 inch ironman lift and lockers, v cross just doesn't need any mod. As it is that vehicle is disproportionately large for Indian roads. That Isuzu I believe and hope is only an exhibition vehicle. Because driving it would need a helper/khalasi on the other side.

I wonder how this word Karen ended up here

[neil.jericho]

Phew! So many varied opinions. As someone living in Kerala, let me add my 2 cents.

Yes, Keralites will snitch on someone who has broken the law. It is a good character trait to be honest. Wherever you live, if you dont do anything wrong, you dont have to worry about your Mallu neighbour snitching on you

Yes, Kerala is Mod's own country and we have / had a ton of nicely modified cars and SUVs here.

Yes, things went overboard and we had a ton of those annoying brrrraaapppp brrrraaapppp Swifts and first gen Honda Citys (both cars just mentioned as an example) all over town causing a general nuisance to the public, in the name of automobile enthusiasm, passion and Instagram likes.

Yes, the MVD clamped down strictly and you know what, it has been a God send. We dont have those annoying modded cars racing up and down the streets at nights since that happened. Our roads are definitely safer and quieter thanks to this.

Yes, the tinted windows on Kerala cars are very rare now. It takes a special type of courage or I dont care about money attitude to install dark tints in cars these days.

No, the Kerala MVD officials are not as uptight as they are made out to be and no, they are not villains in the real world. They are doing their job. We often complain about traffic police and other government officials not doing their job and on this thread, we have so many members complaining about the opposite. Here we have people breaking the the law (in word and spirit) and posting it on social media for thousands of people to see it, and then we complain when they get confronted by the authorities for breaking the law.

I believe (not saying it is the truth, this is my observation) the Kerala MVD does provide some slight leeway or breathing space for minimal / reasonable mods but they are forced into taking action in more extreme cases. Changing from 175 to 195 section tires dont invite trouble or attention from them. Changing from 175 to a low profile tire that sticks out of your car by an inch on each side though, definitely will. Similarly using accessories sold by the company wont invite trouble by the authorities.

Coming to this thread, there was a voice note going around recently that was supposed to be by the owner of above mentioned V Cross. I cannot verify the authenticity of it but here is what was said
- No fine was paid as the officials had come to his private property to inspect it.
- Someone informed the authorities and the Kakkanad RTO instructed the local RTO to go and check.
- Had it been caught on public roads, they could have fined him on the spot.
- Asked him to sign on some paper which he was not willing to do. Some mention of e-challan.
- Things will move to the court which the owner is willing to proceed with.
- Officials said that they are doing their duty.
- Owner mentions that it is not being used for some hit and run or absconding cases or any serious crimes (check image below).
- Some more points, but apparently ended on a positive or pleasant note and not an acrimonious one.

I received the above through whatsapp, Im not sure if saying your highly modified vehicle is not used in a rape case is a good defense.

[Malhi]

I am of the opinion that there should be absolutely no government interference in what a person does with his private vehicle apart from the basic registration and insurance stuff.

Having said that, there must be a clear distinction between highway-legal, street-legal, and trail/farm-legal vehicles. Only the ones meeting the highest of safety standards must be allowed on the highways, norms must be a little relaxed for street legal ones and vehicles which are customized for fun and adventure should be allowed on farms and farm roads.

In hindsight, what must be banned outright, specifically on national and state highways, are tractors and trolleys with no safety measures at all, trucks and buses which seem to have awakened from their graves, overloaded autos ferrying passengers, all animal carts, bicycles, cattle etc. All of these are much more dangerous and are a major cause for highway deaths in India. I am not trying to present my point in an elitist fashion, rather I want the government to make adequate arrangements for slow moving vehicles, in the form of byroads and bicycle tracks, along the highways, for the safety of one and all.

Sadly, no one in the official corridors wants to slog it out, in planning and implementing concrete policies, if a statement can easily be made by getting hold of a 'big' fish. Needless to say, in most hit and run cases the witch hunt starts with the driver of the BMW and ends with it's owner, the municipal body which was tasked with making adequate shelter arrangements for people sleeping on the kerb at night goes scot-free.

[v1p3r]

Originally Posted by alikidwhy

I’m surprised at the responses to this thread.

Team-BHP is India’s largest automotive forum with strict rules for entry and only enthusiasts are here and yet we are appreciating illegal mods.

It doesn’t matter if they’re tasteful or distasteful (its all subjective) the point is that mammoth is a menace to other road users and pedestrians and it should be taken off the street.

How can BHPians vouch for such practices on a public forum as huge as ours? This will just motive every tom, dick and Harry to illegally modify their vehicles because the general emotion here is that of sympathy towards the owner.

I personally do not care if the mods were expensive or not. ...
....
This is an offence and should be condemned. If one wants to modify their car (trust me, I hope we could modify as much as various countries that allow) they must show their car to the RTO which should approve of the car and state that it, in no way compromises on the safety of its occupants and other road users.

Buddy, since you're such a stickler for the law, please go to a bunch of threads started by DBHPians and moderators about the mods on their vehicles, and report them for being illegal. I'm saying this, because in case you didn't know, all mods deviating from the RC book are illegal, whether it is upsized tyres, or remaps changing the power output, or repainting in a different colour. Maybe you haven't gone through the forum in detail, but there are instances of these being carried out safely and tastefully by even the founders of this forum. Does that mean those OPs, and this forum, are bad?

Originally Posted by hserus

This "Jao jaake pehle us aadmi ka sign lekar aao, jisne mere haath par yeh likh diya ki mera baap chor hai" will not quite work in front of a traffic cop.

1. You run a stop light - by accident or whatever
2. Cop comes to challan you
3. You yell at the cop to stop a rashly driven bus instead of challaning you

Will you escape being challaned?

I have a lot of respect for your posts and outlook, but I must ask - are you saying that just because "the law is an ass", we must follow a similar protocol here?

@all - yes, this guy could be foolish in the way he drives. Yes, bad and dangerous drivers deserve to be taken off the streets, whether killer bus drivers or 300 kmph SBK wannabes. But don't let that get you on your high horse about mods being illegal, because then this forum would basically become an Autocar replica. We exist as a community because we understand the power and intricacy of the automobile, and carry out modifications while respecting their purpose and ethos. Taste is subjective, and someone may find a modded car to their liking (or not). But beware, the minute you drag the law into it, you are condemning ALL modifications. From a very responsibly driven SPoA 'Spidey' to a tastefully remapped Polo GTi, everything is now illegal and can be litigated. Are we really that forum?

[svsantosh]

A similar 6" lifted Isuzu is right in the heart of Bangalore, i dont want to get that owner into trouble by revealing where. (Ps - Parked right outside the home, I think it wont fit inside the drive pathway)

I wonder why each state in India implements the MVA act according to their own perceptions.

[northstar*]

That guy seems to be taking this on a lighter note.

He is posting the news screenshots on his Instagram and thanking for the free promotion.