Photos Latest Purchases Thread: v2.0

Taking out one airbag will not normally disable the whole system provided that you can trick the ECU into thinking that everything is all cool and funky. When people replace the Yaris seats they just drop a resistor in the side airbag plug and that takes care of the dash light and system disable. I should imagine that most would be the same.

As for the legality, as far as I know, you don't need to have them, even if they were installed as standard.

 

I know in the U.S that they are not a legal requirement. My ex girlfriend's bags went off when she rear ended some one and she could not afford to replace them and it was legal.

I know that in Ohio at least it doesn't matter.

However, over the past couple of years we have adopted laws from Germany and so on. So now if there is any ECU fault showing whatsoever it is an instant MOT fail. I know this because apparently the steering lock on our Mini (BMW, '08) was showing as faulty with a red sign. However, you could clearly engage and disengage it when putting the key in (you can literally hear it whirr into place).

None of that mattered though. It still failed and cost us nearly a grand to get it replaced. Oddly enough you can't buy them off the shelf and because our Mini is kinda weird on that year (uses odd parts) I could not find one used.

But yeah, AFAIK even an empty wiper fluid warning light is an MOT fail now.

 

An empty washer bottle has always been an MOT fail, at least for the 25 years that I've been driving.

 

If the airbag system shows a fault, you'll fail.

If the airbag system indicator bulb is missing/broken/doesn't illuminate during the gauge diag, you'll fail.

If you properly install an after market wheel, or seats, and appropriately explain it to the airbag system via resistors, then you're all dandy.

Also, you'd be mental to modify your car and not tell your insurance people.

 

I've modded most of my cars, pretty basic stuff like a K&N air filter or induction kit. Never informed my insurer either.... yes the law may state it but in reality, it's hardly checked/enforced.

 

Don't have to declare a K&N filter, just like won't declare you're using a better brand of brake pads and discs. An actual induction kit you do, what's the likely hood they'll pull you on that after an accident.....small? maybe. Worth the risk........... up to you.

Personally, I have done things and not said anything, in hindsight I ask myself why did I risk it? Probably just laziness and not understanding the laws.

If you're into modding a car you should really be looking at using insurers that cater to that

 

One of said modified vehicles was involved in an accident, insurance assessor came and inspected the car and it wasn't even a concern. The car was written off by the insurer due to being uneconomical to repair without so much as a quibble.

I may have been lucky, but an air filter is hardly going to give me an extra 100BHP, probably not even 10BHP.

 

Tbh, it's all entirely up to the insurer.

My daily driver insurance company had a hissy fit about a dash cam.

My RS insurer didn't bat an eyelid when I said I'd ripped out the PAS lines and replaced them with braided hose (..Yes, with the correct PSI tolerances, plus a bit actually), likewise, don't seem fussed about the steering wheel situation, nor the BMW seats.

Best just to tell them, that way you've covered your arse.

 

I won't have all this kit until the end of the week at the soonest, but here it is - the first time I've bough all new components since 2007 when I built my first Intel rig:

MSI X99A Raider £169
32GB Crucial DDR4 2400MHz £141
i7 5820K £335

Total £645

Not top shelf bells and whistles X99 kit by any means, but the perfect base for my workstation build.

 

Yeah, it's not so much whether they care or not about what you've done, but they certainly do care if you don't tell them Ts & Cs almost always state that you must inform them of any modifications that you make in order for your cover to remain valid - regardless of whether or not such mods may impact your cover.

Goes without saying that specialist insurers are generally far more relaxed about mods, but they still normally want to know about them

 

...

 

I've never driven in the UK dude so don't be too hard on me

But yeah, last I checked we had adopted some euro rules and now any warning light is a fail.

Tis my wife's car see, I just do all the work

Oh yeah this little beauty came up on the bay earlier so I nabbed it for my build.

 

Cute

 

Aww, look at it! How cute!

Looks very fat, is that triple-slot or double? Hard to tell from that picture.

 

Two screw mounts so will be double slot, it's just very short so looks fatter.

 

Yeah, the bracket is obviously double-height, but it looks as if the fan protrudes above the top edge of the bracket, and the heatsink/fan combo looks pretty tall too. As I said, though, it may just be the photo giving the illusion that it's fatter than it actually is.

 

Sure is a chubby little thing.

Do like it though, very quick cards for the size!