Are 2nd hand 'lowered' models of cars to be avoided? Do lowered carshave problems with speed bumps? What about cars with these K&F? airfilters installed? How does this affect insurance premiums? Youstart to wonder how harshly the car has been driven if it has thesemodifications.

As a rule your assumptions are fairly near the mark.IME of 24 years in the trade, it is pretty usual for anybody thatmodifies their car to want more performance from it. Even if it is apretty fast car to start with. Thjis also usually indicates an'excessive' driving style.Apart from that though, I have seen so many problems caused by badlydone modifications. For a start if you see lowered suspension, how wasit done? - It is common to see somebody has simply hacked a bit off thesprings. I recently saw a Civic Type R that had all four stuts fallingoff it in a dangerous way, and these had been fitted by a so called racespecialist!K&N filters can be a good thing, some are simply a direct replacementfor the original, and can help improve performance or economy (althoughthe difference might be negligible). Performance filters, often called'induction kits' can affect the way a car drives, they are inlikely toactually improve performace though, they simply change the power band.This is more...

Are lowered cars to be avoided?

Dec 17, 2004 86 Replies

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Guy King 21 years ago

Also sprach snipped-for-privacy@spamcop.net (Andy Hewitt):-

Though oddly, people sometimes buy a second Corsa.

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DervMan 21 years ago

*cough* Write for yourself!

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AstraVanMan 21 years ago

Well I had 5 Mk3 Escorts in succession. Also a horribly rotten Mk4 XR3i I'd bought for spares.

Peter

-- "The humble bic biro draws 13 beards, 9 devil moustaches and 49 penises on newspapers in its lifetime."

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AstraVanMan 21 years ago

I don't think there's a single one of us that couldn't say that, somewhere along the line, they've learned things the hard way, be it on the road or elsewhere in life.

Yeah, erm, anyway, Happy Christmas everyone.

Peter

-- "The humble bic biro draws 13 beards, 9 devil moustaches and 49 penises on newspapers in its lifetime."

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Andy Hewitt 21 years ago

Mk III's were OK, it was the '92 Escort that was crap.

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Ian Johnston 21 years ago

: > One learns through experience. : : He was damned lucky to the get chance! I've done similarly dim things : when young - and I'm still here though.

I liked his MOT technique. As well as the grease filled shock absorbers (nipples fitted for the purpose) he had a horrible dodgy chassis[1]. So before each MOT, he'd drive a couple of times round the family small holding. Where they kep the cows and the goats.

Half an hour later ... "OK, let's just get it up on the lift and have a look underneath"

FX: Whirrrrrrrrrr

FX: Slow dripping of stinking green cow and goat s*it from every part of the underside

FX: Retch. Heave

"OK well that looks fine"

Ian

[1} Amongst other things, his mother had once backed the car so hard into a wall that the chassis had shortened (by bending up the bit over the back axle even more) by three inches ... on one side only. Longer spring hangers to put the axle more or less level ... what do you mean, replace the sheared body mounting bolts?

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Guy King 21 years ago

Also sprach "Ian Johnston" :-

The MOT chap should have refused to test it - as is his right if it's too dirty.

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