This chrome-plated “false jaw”, apparently, gives the owner of the car additional self-confidence - after all, the law of the jungle, or the steppes, or other wilderness still reigns on our roads (to protect against the inhabitants of which they once invented this piece of iron in the distant from us Australia). An off-road vehicle without such a pipe construction looks incomplete …
SEARCH FOR STEEL PROTECTION
… Moscow, one of the popular automotive markets. Above the pavilion flaunts the poster "Everything for jeeps." Timidly:
- I would have a kangarin …
- We have all! Which car do you need?
“To the Patriot,” I say modestly, for some reason I understand that I will not find what I’m looking for on the first try.
“Pat-ri-ot, pat-ri-ot,” the seller mutters in syllables, while leafing through a catalog of impressive sizes with accessories. - No, there is nothing on such a machine!
During the sightseeing tour I conclude: “tuning in jeeps” (as it is written in one of the shops) is unlimited. By assortment, quality, price. But the "kenguryatnik" - on a special account among fans of this very tuning. The most modest, somehow welded from water pipes and painted in gray, costs from 4 thousand rubles. The design is intended for domestic all-terrain vehicles "Lada 4x4" (easier - for the "old" Niva "). The crown of creation of “tuning” named after Australian marsupials rolls over 60 thousand rubles!
- This … this … - I'm trying to find a definition for a chrome miracle with many inserts, crossbars and squiggles.
- This is a Kenguryat, native, Japanese, on Kruzak; what are you looking for? - the seller returns me from heaven to earth.
- I would have to "Patriot" …
- I'll take a look! - and the guy disappeared into the bowels of the pantry, leaving me to be torn to pieces by his colleague - he immediately began to examine with addiction the strengths and weaknesses of the new Ulyanovsk all-terrain vehicle. Finally, the first seller emerged, carrying a pipe on his shoulder! - Twenty-five thousand, you will not find cheaper in the market!
The toy is undoubtedly beautiful, but to lay out the price of used Lada for a shiny thing is, in my opinion, a bust.
After an hour of searching and thinking under various campaigns such as “Man, they can be uprooted!” Or “If you digest a bit, it will be just right for you!” I stop at a quiet seller of all kinds of tuning for domestic cars.
- I would have a kangarin on UAZ …
“It is possible,” he replies casually, and with a gesture of a magician he pulls out a hefty piece of iron, covering both the headlights and the hood with the radiator lining. And all this is painted with hammer enamel …
- Seven and a half thousand; count - for free! - stroking the pipe, says the "king of tuning" of domestic cars.
- I take it!
… Even at the search stage, I asked the sellers if there was any catch in the product itself, whether its installation was legal. Most unanimously convinced that the goods are cool, “there is no demolition”, and it’s safer to ride with them (indeed, suddenly, somewhere on Leninsky a kangaroo will rush across the road!). Only in two pavilions made a reservation: there may be problems with technical inspection, but if it is done legally (“And who passes it legally? Don’t tell!”). In two stores along with the usual chromed monsters we found “kenguryatniks” fully dressed in a safety cover, as required by GOST, which has been in force since March 1, 2006. Only, firstly, they cost, as a rule, 2-3 times more expensive than traditional ones, and secondly, they are offered only for a few popular foreign cars. I did not find this on a new model from Ulyanovsk - I had to be content with what I have …
THE LAW IS?..
I was offered to install a ram from pipes, designed to destroy all marsupials on its vital road, right there, on the market - for only 2 thousand rubles. But it turned out that this was not so simple: the mount did not fit. Several services were taken to solve the problem, the prices were called very different - from 2 to 8 thousand rubles. In the end, the miracle of Russian tuning thought was mounted in the technical center of the magazine.
And then I tried to “legalize” the acquisition. I won’t describe my negotiations with all kinds of car services for a long time, from simple, omnivorous, to branded, moderately expensive, the main thing is that no one (!) Understood what the safety kengurine overlays are for me and how they look at least. Demonstrative drives past the traffic police posts also led to nothing: our menacing “kenguryatnik” was not interested in anyone, although by law the operation of a car with this kind of “jewelry” is prohibited. A call to the nearest TRP point only confirmed my concerns. “Will I be able to pass the inspection if I haven’t installed safety covers on my Kenguryatnik?” I asked timidly. “Why are you kidding me?” Nothing to do? I’ll “break through” your phone number now, and we'll quickly figure it out! The joker also turned up!”
… I regularly read the editorial post. I quote one of the letters: “On the road, in addition to catching intruders who are not wearing a seat belt, there are a dozen more tasks that must be completed for the shift” (this is about the raid in ZR, 2006, No. 9). And that is true! There are a lot of us, motorists, and there are nothing of them, traffic police officers …
But still, what about the fact that almost every “kenguryatnik” in Russia is capable of mutilating a pedestrian in the event of an accident, and it’ll just do a lot of damage in case of an accident involving other cars?
I’m not even talking about the safety cover; "Kenguryatniks" are often attached in barbaric ways, even welded to the power frame of the body! But, apparently, the main thing in this accessory is beauty, so they are molded not only on large SUVs, but also on all other cars, including the tiny Oka. Similar art has been outlawed for a year now: the operation of such cars, according to paragraph 3 of the Basic Provisions for the Admission of Vehicles (Appendix to the SDA), is prohibited. True, it is prohibited at the level of the TRP; received the coveted ticket - and everything is already in accordance with the law. Or the coveted “body kit” is removed before the technical inspection, ashamed of such an unmanly act, and then put back.
PS Apparently, the “kenguryatnik” installed as part of the raid on the editorial “Patriot” had such an attractive force that in just a few days the off-road vehicle … was stolen. Although before this, during the year no one had encroached on him. Verily, beauty is a terrible power …
As we were looking for a car, read in one of the next issues of ZR.
EXPERIENCE OF NEIGHBORS
Invented by the Australian truckers "kenguryatniki" became the culprits of many deaths in Europe and America. Therefore, they have been banned in Europe since January 2006 - the European Parliament unanimously voted for the corresponding law. The exception is elastic or easily deformable arcs, which can be used on some types of vehicles to increase passenger safety. Moreover, such devices must pass tests. By the way, since the beginning of the decade, all-terrain vehicle manufacturers in Europe have voluntarily refused dubious decoration.
In the event of an accident, the “kenguryatnik” will mutilate the pedestrian, and it just does a lot of harm if it collides with another car.