I don't blame Badhobz. Let's be honest, everyone (the general public) hates mainlanders and their exotic cars. Most people don't know that a Maz could be a 10 or 11 yo car worth 30-40K now. Hell, people think that a S2000 or E46 M3 is worth 5K
There's also the factor that out of all the 38 pages here, there's not that many people that got VI'd. There's a lot of noise, so if you're not willing to step up,
help me find the right people. With over 100K views in a month, we definitely have the attention of many people. Honestly, doing the interview would help this cause a lot. But if you don't want to, I get it.
At the very least, spread this issue around to your networks. We just need to find the right people
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Of the people that I reached out to, some share the same concern as Badhobz on backlash, some share the concern that the public won't understand their car (jdm) or the rules, others have the concern that their cars are actually beyond the mva (lots of negative camber).
I think all those concerns are fair.
For backlash, yeah you're right, it could be a good or bad look from an employers perspective. On one hand, you're standing up for the greater good. On the other hand, car enthusiasts - to most people, are like gang members. Most people don't understand. However as for VPD backlash? I doubt it. If you got VI'd already (which are the people we're looking for) and passed (with/without minimum fixes), it's unlikely they would target you because of the interview. Why? Well, it brings more evidence that they're doing it out of spite and there's a clear lack of knowledge.
For the concern of the public being unsympathetic, cars actually modified, jdm cars, or the public not knowing the rules. True. I shared that concern with the reporter and she mentioned that it's not just the car that sells the public - it's also your story. There is more than one method of story telling here (see mj_39's summary). I think the focus should be on professionalism - not enthusiasts being targeted. Again, the question has to be raised,
why does asking a question or being understandably upset result in stricter penalties, answers of "check the MVA/law", or aggression from the LEO involved?
I'm going to be reaching out to the Abarth pistons guy. He said on his YT channel that he passed inspection, with raising the car above factory specs. Exhaust was legal.