Posted on 12/31/2004 9:47:28 AM PST by Libloather
'Pimp My Ride' shop fined by feds
Replacing air bags with video screens illegal
By Danny Hakim
NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE
Posted on Fri, Dec. 31, 2004
DETROIT - Pimp the ride, pay the price.
In the first of what is expected to be a broader crackdown against auto customization shops, federal regulators this week levied a $16,000 fine on West Coast Customs, the celebrity auto body shop affiliated with MTV's "Pimp My Ride," a reality show that makes over rundown cars.
The shop, which has customized sport utility vehicles for celebrities such as Shaquille O'Neal, was fined for removing front air bags in cars to install video screens on steering wheels.
Another celebrity shop, Unique Autosports in Uniondale, N.Y., was fined $5,000 for a similar offense. A reality show featuring the shop, to be called "Unique Whips," is set to appear on the Speed Channel, a cable automotive channel, in February.
Rae Tyson, a spokesman for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said the fines were the first of what was expected to be a larger crackdown on car customizers who were disabling safety equipment.
"We're actively pursuing several others," Tyson said, "It's not only a bad idea to disable the air bag, it's against the law. Air bags are there for a purpose, to protect you. If you have a DVD player there instead of an air bag, it's not going to protect you in a crash."
Calls to West Coast Customs, of Inglewood, Calif., were not returned. Will Castro, the proprietor of Unique Autosports, had no comment.
Most states have laws against watching televisions in the front seat, though many of the laws have not been updated to include DVD players and other new technologies.
"We know that all kinds of distractions can be a problem, but it would be hard to think of something more distracting than watching a video while you're driving. It's a really worrisome trend," said Anne McCartt, a vice president for research at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a group financed by car insurers.
"Our country has turned into a bureaucratic, authoritarian nightmare, administered by parasites."
Other than that, though, it's a pretty cool place.
Think postpartum abortion.
I be thinking the Feds be havin it against my home boys..
*pointing downward from 3 feet over my head* WHUD UP???
My nephew is going to LA with a female friend of his to get her Cadillac Escapade painted by this bunch.
She paid $90,000 for the vehicle, then had $70,000 worth of upgrades done. Now it is being shipped to LA for one of their paint jobs. It is one of four vehicles.
She pays my nephew (very well) for overseeing her numerous little projects. She is a recent lotter winner...11 million.
Man, imagine what useful things could be done with that money.
That could be Escalade...beats me. What do I know...I drive a Ford!
I noticed that too when I watched the show. What's the point of having a wicked-looking ride if the chassis is a PoS?
Personally, I'd rather have an embarrassing looking exterior hiding a fine-tuned hot rod chassis under the hood.
already done on Y100 FM Philadelphia
Crawl under dash; remove offending bulb. No more blinking light; problem solved.
A blinking light will be noticed, and so will one that stays lit after the vehicle is started, but very few will ever notice that a specific light didn't come on with all the rest of the dashboard Christmas tree when the key is first turned on.
Hell I would sell my pimped vehicle on ebay for a fortune as a collectible - who cares if it is a lemon with a new coat?
What a great country! There's no crime anymore, and so all the idle cops can go around busting shops that do dumb stuff to dumb people's cars.
Some of you folks would probably rather have them chasing mild scofflaws like axe murderers and baby rapers. Well, that just shows how wrong you are. The number one threat to America is tastelessly decorated automobiles, and it needs to be crushed without mercy.
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F
You sure about that? I've watched that show and I figure the way they dumb down the rundown, it's gotta be just something they skip.
And at least if they have to replace the drivetrain they can put a mortgage on the car to get it. :)
It's not so astonishing when you remember that this is the network that thought having a stage act sh!t all over the crowd was a really cool idea.
I've seen it three or four times now and it seems the suspense is whether they'll put in 3 or 4 screens for the Xbox...and that fireplace is soooo functional I must get one. /sarcasm
It is a common misconception that a person can "assume risk" in this way. The problem is, that he can waive his own right to sue, but not that of other persons. So if he croaks, and has signed such a waiver, it's meaningless, because the ambulance chaser is now focusing on his wife, kids, 3rd cousin 9 times removed, or other survivor.
Same deal if the owner of the modified car made every passenger sign a waiver... he can't make third parties sign. And what about kids? They can't sign legally.
All we can do is encourage more attorneys to take up BASE jumping, extreme mountaineering, and other high-risk sports... and feed the others lots of cholesterol and make sure the cardiologists know they're plaintiffs' attorneys.
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F
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