VWAudi Forum - "Main Forum Rules" - Please read

VWAudi Forum

Rules & Regulations

Please take the time to read these rules and regulations regarding the use of the website and forum. By registering with this website & forum, you agree to be bound by these, and any future amended "Rules & regulations". If you do not wish to be bound by these "Rules & Regulations" please email the administrator who will delete your account.

1. Moderation of Posts/Members: Any Member. post or thread found to be of an inappropriate nature, such as bad language, or pictures, illegal in any way, including the poster not owning the copyright, will be moderated or removed. This includes any inappropriate use of abbreviated letters or smiles to make them appear as any of the above. Anyone found to be posting such threads would be advised of that fact. Should the person or persons concerned continue to post such threads, a warning will be given, followed by a ban from the forum if thing did not improve.

2. Banning: The website uses the “infraction” or “Automatic” banning system to issue a “points” value for each reason considered an offence. Once a member reaches 7 points, a 10 day ban will be given. Exact details of this system can be found in this thread. This action will be a private matter between the ADMINISTRATION TEAM, and the MEMBER concerned, and under no circumstances must the matter be taken to the forums, this will not be tolerated.

3. E-Mail and PM system: These are in place for everyone’s benefit, and abuse of these systems will not be tolerated. Anyone found to be using these services to be abusive to other members of companies, or using it to SPAM, might have the facility removed.

4. Other Websites: Under no circumstances must any other website be abused on this site. The Administration also reserves the right to remove any thread, post, Signature, OR Avatar, which puts detail of, or links to, or poaches members to other Companies, websites or forums. Whilst we have no objection to promoting other websites, you must contact the administrator BEFORE you post. Any link to a Business or another website, VAG related or not, will be removed unless prior authority has been given.

5. Other Companies: As above.

6. Opinions of members: We are all entitled to our opinions, but please do not use this forum as a base to abuse other members or companies either in person or about their product or services. Anything considered unsuitable, or anything that could place this site and its owners in an inappropriate situation will be moderated or removed.

7. Technical section: VWAudi Forum recommends that you take professional advice from a qualified vehicle technician before carrying out any repairs on a vehicle following advice given on the site. VWAudi Forum will not be held responsible for any damage caused by following incorrect advice given; you do so at your own risk.

8. Pictures: Any picture posted on this site must be of an appropriate nature; any found abusive will be removed, this includes the poster not owning copyright of the image.

9. Vehicle & Personal Details: To protect yourself, DO NOT posts any details that show your Registration, Vin/Chassis, or Engine numbers. In addition please do not publish any details of your address.

10. Commercial adverts: Unless authorised by the forum administration, no Company may advertise on this forum. Commercial adverts must be checked by the forum admin to ensure they benefit the members, by way of a discount on a service or component. Any commercial post will be deleted, unless authorised.

11. Other Links: VWAudi Forum or the Administration will not be held responsible for the content of any links followed from the "Google" advert links or "Main Site" links. Members follow any links to 3rd party sites at their own risk

12. Since this is a "real-time" Forum, it is impossible for us to review messages or confirm the validity of all information posted.

13. We do not actively monitor the contents of posted messages and are not responsible for any messages that are posted.

14. We do not vouch for or warrant the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any message, and we are not responsible for the contents of any message.

15. The messages express the views of the author of the message, not necessarily the views of VWAudi Forum or any entity associated with this Website & Forum.

16. Any user who feels that a posted message is objectionable is encouraged to contact us immediately by email at this address: stuart@vwaudiforum.co.uk

17. We reserve the right to remove or edit objectionable messages and we will make every effort to do so, within a reasonable time frame, if we determine that removal is necessary. This is a manual process, so please realize that we may not be able to remove or edit particular messages immediately.

18. You agree, through your use of this Forum, that you will not use this Forum to post any material which is knowingly false and/or defamatory, inaccurate, abusive, vulgar, hateful, harassing, obscene, profane, sexually oriented, threatening, invasive of a person's privacy, of a distasteful nature, racist, incite terror, violence or insinuate the same, or otherwise violative of any law either English or International. ANY POST OR SIGNATURE that the administration feel is "not in keeping with the website”, "not to do with the general content or theme of the website", or "Not of a suitable nature" will be deleted without prior notice, and no communication will be entertained between members posting such items, and the administration.

19. We have a very strong policy regarding any form of copyright , so, by joining and using this site, you agree not to post any copyrighted material unless the copyrighted material is owned by you. Although we do not and cannot review the messages posted and are not responsible for the content of any of these messages, we reserve the right to delete any message for any reason whatsoever. This includes all links to people selling copies or using the site to advertise there use, of, VAG COM, VAG CAN COMMANDER, ETKA, ETOS, ELSA, or ELSAWin, or anyother item, software, or publication. These publications are all copyright of the VAG Group or the respective owners. We also reserve the right to remove any pictures uploaded to the site, that are taken from any of the publications mentioned above. This does not mean that Legal versions of manuals, products or software are not available. This also applies to any other form of published or recorded works, we will not allow any form of piracy to be advertised, or allow the posting of any method to enable you to create pirate copies of the same. These will be removed without explanation and the user removed from the site database!

We have also had clarification for the legal department of Volkswagen UK that it is illegal to download any form of manuals from any torrent or file sharing sites, as it is a breach of there copyrights. Only Volkswagen Group Retailers and Repairers have authorisation to use these manuals, therefore, any manuals, either handbooks, workshop manual etc that are available to the public on these sites are illegal to download. Any links, uploads, or pictures that breach this copyright will be removed.

Members can subscribe to ERWIN on a day,week,month or year basic to use official workshop information. Volkswagen, Audi, Seat, Skoda

20. By registering with this Website and Forum, you agree to remain solely responsible for the content of your messages, and you agree to indemnify and hold us harmless with respect to any claim based upon transmission of your message(s).We reserve the right to reveal your identity (or whatever information we know about you) in the event of a complaint or legal action arising from any message posted by you.

21. Also consult any other rules and guidelines that may be in place here

22. VWAudi Forum is a privately owned, enthusiast website and forum registered and run as a profit making business in the UK

23. Personal Feuds. Sometimes, though luckily not often, a Bulletin Board debate will turn into a personal feud between two posters. We want to make it perfectly clear that,

a) We will not allow, under any circumstances, this feud to be carried out publicly;
b) We will not intervene nor be a judge to personal feuds; and
c) We will not offer any of the VWAudi Forum tools - primarily the Private Messaging system - to serve this feud, unless BOTH sides are willing to engage in this dialogue.

24. If you send an offensive Private Message to another poster, unsolicited, be aware that it is their full right to complain to us about it, and should we find that PM to be indeed offensive, we will not allow you to again use the PM system, and upon repeated complaints (from one or all) treat this as any other public issue - we will ban that user altogether from the forum.

25. Furthermore, in radical situations, when a couple of posters constantly attack each other or harass each other - in public or via PM - We will bar BOTH sides from exchanging ANY word on the forum (in public or via PM) with each other. If they continue to do so, one or all, they will be thrown outside.

26. This is NOT a forum for personal feuds, put simply.

28. Moreover, this is not a "who started it" situation. If someone insulted you, you are not absolved for insulting back. And, if you think someone should be banned and we disagree - then tough; if we're not convinced about it (and you're welcome to try to convince us reasonably by private means i.e. email) then it doesn't license you to take the situation into your own hands and launch a campaign of harassments against that poster. Insulting him back won't make us think you're right; it will only make us think you're the trouble we should be dealing with.

29. Reference to the hosts. We have an underlying rule that you may not like but we insist on: ALL administrators and moderators on VWAudi Forum are to be treated with respect. That is pure and simple!!

30. Spam: VWAudi Forum DOES NOT knowingly send out "spam" emails, or allow any of its registered members to do so. When you register with VWAudi Forum, the "default" setting for all members, is that you allow & agree to receive, from time to time, "newsletters" or "site update" emails from the site administrator. These are designed to let you know what is going on with the site, or to ask your opinions on the site. Should you decide that you do not wish to receive any such emails; you can change your individual settings from within the "user control panel" or "UserCP" In addition we have a facility to send out a mass email from one of the site Sponsors. These emails will be from the respective Sponsors email address. These emails are sent using the websites email system by the site Administrator.Owner, no personal details have been passed onto a third party... The Sponsor in question has no access to your details in any way.

To help prevent Spam the site uses the database of vBStopForumSpam to check all registrations. This checks for "username", "IP Address" and/or "email address". If any one of these is in the database registration will be refused. To help prevent spam, and that do get through and are found to be spam, the post will be deleted, the member banned, and all the details will be passed on to vBStopForumSpam to add to the database.

Hotmail Account Users Only:

VW Audi Forum is now a Hotmail Junk Email Reporting Partner. MSN/Hotmail will block any IP address that is used to send emails to Hotmail email account users if it is reported enough as "junk mail" by the email account holder... This will effect any email or notification sent by the site, as well as stopping members activating new accounts.

As a member of this service, VW Audi Forum receives a message every time an email is marked as Spam/Junk by a Hotmail account holder. This allows us to see if it is genuine abuse, or just a member that reports us as a spammer so no longer want emails from the site. If it is the latter the account will be deleted from VW Audi forum without warning or contact as full instructions are provided in all emails to unsubscribe, so there is no need to report the site.

IF you are a Hotmail account holder, wish to remain a valid member of the site, and receive emails from the site, please DO NOT report the email as junk unless you want your account deleted.. This will apply to ALL MEMBERS regardless of how long they have been a member, how many posts they have or when they last visited the site.

This applies to any Hotmail, Live, MSN, Outlook email address provided by Microsoft/MSN

ALL new registrations will receive a welcome PM which also states the policy.


IF you do report this an get your account deleted, there is nothing stopping you joining again, BUT DO NOT ASK where you posts have gone, we will not adjust any post count to the level the old account had..

31. Administrator access to accounts: The Administrator has the ability to access ALL account with OR without the member’s permission. This is to enable the Administrator to have control over a members account without the need for passwords to be emailed, to enable the administrator to rectify or replicate problems with your account. This will also allow me to read "Private messages" that may be on the account. This is only available to the site administrator, and no one else! And does not affect your privacy.
Thanks

32. The decision of VWAudi Forum and its administration is final.

33. VWAudi Forum, its administration or any Company offering services or advice on the site WILL NOT get involved in any legal action between members and any Company they deal with. (For instance, between members and dealers following advice given on the site which resolved an issue with a vehicle.)

VWAudi Forum has no control over any work carried out by any Company that advertises on this website, this includes any work that is part of a part of a "Group Buy" or "Special Offer". Any dispute following any work carried out MUST be dealt with between the Company in question and the owner of the vehicle. All work carried out will be at the owners risk! AND we always recommend you get a receipt for any work done!

34. Any post or thread that would put the Site or the site owners in a liable position will be deleted, and must not be resubmitted. Anyone found doing so would be banned from the site, no question asked!

As we are unable to read/vet every single post or thread on the site, any Person or Company the find a post or thread on the site that the consider to cause offense or is believed to be untrue MUST contact the site administrator by emailing admin@vwaudiforum.co.uk as soon as the post or thread has been found on the foum, with a link to the said post or thread. This will then be removed by the site administration as soon as possible, and confirmation sent.

35. Copyright. This website and forum are Copyright to VWAudi Forum 2004 -2011. All images posted by the site Administrator may be copyright to the World Wide VAG Group of Companies, Inc the respective Car, Commercial, & Motorsport Divisions and may not be reproduced without the respective division’s written permission. All other images and text posted by any other member are copyright to the respective poster, and NOT VWAudi Forum or the World wide VAG Group of Companies. Any website, forum or individual that is found to be copying or distributing any material from this website that is deemed "copyright of VWAF", including, images, posts, threads, or any layout or feature of the website or forum may put the relevant individual, Company or Website liable to legal action.

36. Removal of posts & Accounts. Should a member wish to leave the site, for whatever reason, he/she can request that the Administration remove his account, BUT by joining this Website & Forum you agree that all threads or posts submitted will remain intact in order to retain the integrity of the forum and the corresponding post/threads. These will be shown as being posted by a "Guest" member once your account is terminated PLEASE NOTE: Your old username will still be visible.

37. Advertising on the Site: Any Company that advertises on VWAudi Forum will be expected to offer a certain level of service to members, any which offers a service that could bring this website into disrepute, or fails to offer this level of service either during or after work carried out, will be removed from the website. Please read in conjunction with item 33. In addition we reserve the right to request a fee to advertise on the home page and forum. This will be charged on a "per year" basis, and it will include ALL forms of advertisement, from a banner, to a link in a signature. Any "UN Authorised advert will be removed! Please contact the Administrator for current fees. Please see this thread 404 Not Found & VWAudi Forum - Additional Rules for "Advertising by Members or Companies" - Please Read

In addition, any member or Company that attempts to promote a business or service without prior approval will have these posts removed, and may be banned for “spamming” the site.

It is also to be understood that any item or service must not infringe any form of UK or Worldwide copyright. Any item that could infringe copyright must not be offered, and any Company found to be doing so will be given no more than one warning before being removed and banned from the site.

If we get approached by any Company regarding proven or suspected copyright infringement the advert or item will be removed, and an explanation requested from the Company in question.

No Member may offer there services or commercial venture without prior approval and payment of the annual advertising fee, this includes, but is not limited to a full or part time business carried on by that Member. Any member found to be doing this will in the first instance be warned to stop or pay to advertise, if the warning is not followed any future post will be removed without explanation and the member moved to the "Registered user's - Moderated" user group.. This will mean that any future posts will require team approval before being visible on the site, any that include any form of advertising will be removed without explanation and you will remain in this group.

38. Usernames & Signatures: Any member that registers with this site will be expected to choose a "reasonable" username and/or signature. Any that the administration feel could be offensive, such as "playing on bad language" or feel that it is not in keeping with the content of the website and forum, will make a request to the member for an alternative name to be chosen. Failure to provide this will result in that user being removed. In addition any signature content that meets the same criteria will also be removed.

39. It is a Rule of the site that ALL usernames and/or passwords are treated as "confidential". Anyone found to be making there username and/or password "Public" will be banned. This includes there IP address. This includes, but is not limited to, making details available to site such as www.bugmenot.com

40. It is a rule of the site that you are only allowed to register once. On occasions we will check for similar usernames & IP Addresses any found to be similar or from IDENTICAL IP Addresses will be removed. This must not be used as a "work round" to bypass any banning on the site.

41. Any member or company that fails to abide by the rules of the forum, and/or fails to take note of any warning a member of the team issues will have there account moved to the "Registered user - Moderated" usergroup. This means that all posts will need to be approved BEFORE they appear on the site. Any that the team feel is in breach of the rules will be deleted without warning or explanation.

PLEASE NOTE: Each Forum section on this site may have additional rules applying to that specific forum, i.e. the FOR SALE section. These should be read in conjunction with the above "STANDARD" rules and regulations.

This thread must be read in conjunction with the VWAudi Forum "Privacy Policy" which can be found here

These rules are correct and in-use as of the 2nd April 2012, and superseded all other rules, and may be amended at any time. Please check on a regular basis.