Accidents involving converted vehicles

[nicoboy2]

guys, been hearing stories about accidents involving RHD vehicles bought from auction that have been converted... bumibigay daw pagka cut and weld...totoo ba to?

[boybi]

yup, especially if the conversion is poorly done. i had a thread (pakihanap nalang mga mods ) before about an accident wherein a converted SUV hit a car carrying the family of our friend. their 4-5 year old son was killed in the accident.

[Ungas]

Eto po yung nahanap ko:

- accident caused by converted SUV <<== Ikaw pala thread starter nito boybi. :D

- van safety

- First timer in the Malinta auction! Pointers please...

[RedHorse]

merong bighorn na wasak ang front hood (considered total na ba ito?) na nakadisplay lang sa labas ng talyer...

location: mayon street cor maria clara street quezon city

[Ungas]

Nakita nyo rin po pala yun, kinakahoy na lang yata nila yung Trooper. Pero pag may nakita kayong Trooper for sale sa tapat nito at nawala ang wreck unit sa talyer, pag-isipan munang mabuti.

[garyq]

Can convertion ba done properly? Yes. karamihan ba tama ang pag-convert? No. Yung sa mga accidents and safety concerns ng converted vehicles mahirap gumawa ng sweeping conclusions. Opinion ko lang. Little knowledge is very dangerous sabi nga nila. If you are contemplating on buying a converted vehicle dapat alam mo yung ginagawa mo. ( or at least you have someone who you can trust and who knows what he's doing ) Yun ang bottomline. A poorly maintained vehicle can be as dangerous as a converted vehicle and also can be as dangerous as an idiotic driver IMHO

[fishballz]

thanks for the heads-up, this will make my dad think twice about buying from subic.. :D which means i get closer to having a NEW car.. hehe

[ezgrand]

Eto ang opinion ko sa "RHD, accident syndrome". While it is true that there have been accidents involving RHD vehicles lately, it is also true that LHD vehicles are also involved in accidents daily! This is what I call "pansin fallacy". Example, may kilala ako heavy smoker, he always tells me when I confront him about smoking that his lolo lived till 98 and was a smoker.(Sabi ko sa bawat smoker na umabot na 98 yrs old, there must have been hundreds that died way before that age na hindi napansin! ung 98 yr old smoker napansin lang kasi umabot ng 98.

Similarly, pag may naaksidente na RHD conversion, immediate conclusion--ah converted kasi. Pag LHD, ah baka lasing, nakatulog, namamadali. etc.

The best way to settle this issue is to gather data on RHD conversions that have actually been in MAJOR accidents and compare this with LHD cars. e.g. 500 subic pajeros say 250 naaksidente, d 50% rate of failure.(mataas pala) Compare with LHD population vs major accident ratio.

Think about it pag may nakita ka o nadinig ka na major accident say LHD Pajero, pinapansin mo ba? iniisip mo ba kung laspag na ang steering, suspension? Pag RHD kaagad un ang sisisihin.

[boybi]

very informative analysis, ezgrand. tama po kayo sa "pansin fallacy" nyo. but, IMO, most converted "subic" vehicles still have a greater chance of being involved in an accident caused by the poor convertion made. i want to stress here the accident caused by mechanical failure, not by human (driver) factor. kung ogag kasi ang driver, kahit anong sasakyan ang ipa-drive mo, siguradong ma-aksidente.

[ezgrand]

Agree ako dyan, mas malaki chance ang magka problems with conversions

[Olive Drab]

i agree.
conclusions should be based on hard facts/evidence.

para sakin mas madami pang accidents involving orig.LHD
kasi nga mas madami sila vs. converted.
so, its more of a "driver" factor not vehicle factor.

[badkuk]

since this is about RHD conversions...are there any shops around that specialize in doing these conversions?

[nap123]

I also agree nasa driver yan. Ma pa LHD or RHD yan kung hindi maingat magdrive maaksidente talaga. Isipin mo nalang ang daming owner jeep dito sa pinas. dito lang gawa yan puro surplus pa yan kung baga halohalong piyesa pa ang ginamit mga power steering pa.

[theveed]

I guess the issue is... Converted vehicles have a larger chance of accidents that weren't due to driver's error... Meaning, an accident caused by mechanical or structural failure.

[gearspeed]

I also agree nasa driver yan. Ma pa LHD or RHD yan kung hindi maingat magdrive maaksidente talaga. Isipin mo nalang ang daming owner jeep dito sa pinas. dito lang gawa yan puro surplus pa yan kung baga halohalong piyesa pa ang ginamit mga power steering pa.

I agree to this depende sa driver yan...

[ownertype]

Originally posted by nap123
I also agree nasa driver yan. Ma pa LHD or RHD yan kung hindi maingat magdrive maaksidente talaga. Isipin mo nalang ang daming owner jeep dito sa pinas. dito lang gawa yan puro surplus pa yan kung baga halohalong piyesa pa ang ginamit mga power steering pa.

Yeah also yung mga PUJs (e.g. LGS, Morales) na napakatulin tumakbo sa mga daan...puno na ng pasahero at me sabit pa. Biro mo makina ng minitruck nilagay sa jeep tapos bumibiyahe ng almost 24 hours a day. Yung mga aksidente na nabalitaan ko about this custom made vehicles e driver ang me sala.

I could say magaling ang mga mekaniko natin. Pero wala nga lang quality control yung gawa kaya wala kasiguruhan. I guess if you're planning to buy a RHD vehicle, make sure ipasuri mabuti sa inyong trusted mekaniko. For me, these vehicles are already surplus from Japan and di na nila pakikinabangan so might as well gamitin natin mga pinoy. Sapalaran na lang.

[vsm712]

few comments...i had the same impression before sa mga converted..takot na takot ako bumili ng isa hearing about those accidents and all that...i even started a thread whether to get 3dr pajero or rav 4. bottomline..nauwi ako sa pajero...no regrets at all..

i'm presently using converted pajero, si sir jgaa22bo have 3 converted pajeros...i have several friends na meron din mga converted pajero and landcruisers. true nasa pagka convert nga malaking factor ng safety...so bago ka kumuha..make sure may kasama kang marunong tumingin... pero when u talk to converted pajeros or the likes are not safe...better not ride any jeepney or owner or mga assembled vehicles na nakikita mo dahil mas delikado mga yan kung tutuusin...but fact is, we've been using them since time you were born....so bago ka matakot dun sa mga pajero sa subic..matakot ka na sa jeep...meaning, it's ok to get the converted vehicles...as long as you have it checked by a mechanic or better kay sir jga22bo who's expert in pajero conversion....he'll make sure na yung pajero eh parang good as orig when u have you gearbox and other parts replaced by him.

[ECG]

just read an article that headlights should also be adjusted when converting a RHD to LHD.

[vinj]

For me, with converted vehicles, the probability on a mechanical/structural failure can be more probable in an accident over a non-converted car (meaning: hindi sa driver). This is if the owner is not properly informed on what he should look at and do to ensure the safety of their vehicle after they have purchased it.

Just to add, one of the worlds greatest F1 Drivers, Ayrton Senna was believed to have died in an accident not caused by driver failure but mechanical... his steering wheel was improperly welded and snapped due to metal fatigue. This is one of the scary thoughts that enter my mind whenever i happen by a Delica or convertd SUV speeding down the NLEX (and they always seem to pick on my lil old pick-up, tinututukan ako lagi)

[snyc3]

well there are 2 major parts where accidents happen sa converted imported cars, FIRST is the steering wheel where the Fitman arm w/c connects the wheel and the sterring control are either cut and welded or heated and twisted. 2ND is the cut and install of the brake controls or footbrake where sometimes the connection or welded portion of the footbrake itself is disconnected.

So if you're to buy a "SUBIC" car, better check and replace the Steering Gear box or the fitman arm to the local fitted side. Also chk the connection of the foot controls like the brake and the accelerator, if the accelerator pad becomes loose while you're overtaking then that's a problem!

So far i read 2 news that a converted car got involved in an accident (yun reported lang) both had a problem w/ the steering wheels coz the fitman arm wasn't welded properly.