[Piwoslaw]

Originally Posted by euromodder

Europe sure does have a general regulation on cars, which then gets translated into national laws.

At least in Belgium, just about all the mods you lads can do stateside are forbidden.

Except for a list changes that one is allowed to make, it is basicly forbidden to mod a car without the consent of its manufacturer - and they won't let you.

With the exception of stripping off logos, keyholes, chromestrips and the like , all these allowed changes are merely optical tuning, with none of them having any relevance regarding fuel economy.

Getting rid of exterior mirrors : forbidden.
Streamlined underbelly trays : forbidden.
Changing gear ratios : forbidden.
Engine (de)tuning : forbidden.

Changing parts for non e- or E-approved parts, requires a (costly) validating procedure.

Europe hasn't integrated its local laws enough yet, unfortunately, so you have to do a lot of reading before driving to another country. Speed limits, blood alcohol level, even things like whether a first aid kit is mandatory, depends on national, not European, legislation. I've heard stories about the police of a certain country knowing exactly what to look for when they stop a car on foreign plates: They don't care about whether you're insured, or what's in your fuel tank, or how bad your emissions are, they check to see if you have a reflective vest or whether you fire extinguisher is expired.

Thankfully directives from higher up are trickling down, though slowly. For example there is an EU directive which allows the use of running lights instead of normal headlights during the day, but a Hungarian officer reached into my car and turned my headlights on anyway...