General Site Rules

• One account per person. Each person is completely responsible for all content posted using their account. If you want to change your username you have to sign up for a "supporting member" account.

• NO PERSONAL ATTACKS, PERIOD. Report it to a Moderator, do not reply to it. This means that you are not to insult, harass, belittle, threaten, accuse, or spread slander about another member, non-member, shop, website, organization, etc - either directly or indirectly - nor are you to reply to someone who has done so. This applies to all public and private posts in all sections of the site, including private messages. No elitist, smart-ass, or negative attitudes. Be welcoming, respectful and friendly to all.

• No Trolling. A "troll" is a person who posts content for the sole purpose of baiting someone into a hostile confrontation - they do this for entertainment, to make themselves feel more adequate, and/or to get attention. It can be blatant or subtle. Do not reply to troll-like messages. If you come across a troll-like post, just report it and move on.

• No Flame Wars. A flame war is where a debate ends and an emotional argument begins with personal attacks. These arguments will be removed from the discussion and the members involved are subject to account banishment.

• No offensive or not-work-safe content should be posted on our site in the public forums. If it's not DSM/car related, and it is controversial, it will likely be removed. Other things we would rather not see posted here include, but is not limited to: spam and commercial posts (see our Vendor Policy), politics, religion, social outrage, culture wars, nudity (hot chick threads), racism, drugs, street racing, illegal activities, etc.

• Threads posted involving accusations about classifieds transactions, other members, or shops are not welcome in our forums. We have a Buyer/Seller rating feature for our classifieds in place of forum complaints, as well as a Vendor Reviews section for vendors. If you're sharing your experience with a product in a thread where someone is asking for opinions, that's fine, but starting a thread to serve as a review for a product or vendor is discouraged - use the Vendor Reviews or Product Reviews section for that, not the forums. The forums should not be used as a soap box for complaints.

• Please do not use the Private Messaging and/or the Visitor Messaging features to ask members tech questions - use the Tech Forums. The point of the Tech Forums is to allow everyone to see the questions and benefit from the answers that are posted in response to those questions. If you send private questions to members, you're going around the system in terms of the way it was meant to be used. Sometimes the PM and VM features make sense, but for most of your technical questions, use the Forums.

Warnings, Suspensions, Account Termination
We don't ban users, they ban themselves. If you're suspended, it means your account is temporarily frozen - you will not be able to post content on our site or use various site features. Most account suspensions last a few days. If your account is banned you are permanently restricted from the site. Do NOT attempt to re-register under a new account name. Do not publicly complain about a Moderator action in the forums, as they're only enforcing the site guidelines that we've posted. Do not take out your frustration with our site policies on them. If you feel you've been treated unfairly by a Moderator, contact the Site Administrator.

Chances are you'll receive a private warning from the moderators to help you correct your behavior before you're suspended or banned. If the violation is severe enough we'll bypass the warning. If your participation on our site is deemed disruptive, inappropriate, or troublesome, you can be banned without directly violating a specific rule. Again, use good judgment and things should be fine. Don't cause trouble and contribute in a positive way.

Tech Forum Rules

Yes, we are somewhat strict with our Tech Forums. When posting a question in our Tech Forums:

• Post in the correct forum, no cross posting in multiple forums

• Use proper grammar, spelling, capitalization, etc. No texting/instant messenger lingo

• Use a descriptive thread title

• Give as much info as possible and make sure your profile is filled in.

• No bumping threads (replying to your thread in an effort to get more exposure without posting additional information). If you do not receive a reply to your question, reply to your thread with additional information that might help others answer your question easier. Do not just reply to the thread repeating the same request for help. Thread bumps will be removed by the Moderators.

• If you ask a question and get the problem solved, be sure to reply to your own thread and let everyone know what solved it. If someone helps you with a tech problem, be sure and return the favor by giving that member reputation points for their helpful reply.

When replying to a question in our Tech Forums:

• Stay on topic - do not reply to an existing thread with a new question or topic. Start a new thread.

• Do not reply to a thread with "Use the Search" - answer the question, link to the answer, or don't reply at all.

• No elitist or smart ass replies to what you may consider a "dumb" question.

• Explain your answer in detail. If someone is asking about which clutch is best for their application, don't just reply with "ACT 2600". Explain to them why you think the ACT 2600 is the best for their application, or link to the answer.

• No Guessing - if you don't know the answer for sure, don't reply - we don't need you spreading hearsay and/or misinformation. If your reply contains phrases like "I think", or "I've heard", or "everyone else does it", or "my brother's uncle's friend did it and had no problems" - it is not useful. Only post a reply if YOU know the answer from YOUR own first-hand experience. Instead of replying with a guess, post a link to a thread where the answer can be found, or the same discussion already took place.

• Use proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation/capitalization - no texting or instant messaging lingo (in our Tech Forums). It makes your post easier to read and understand, and it helps our search feature find your post. We have a built-in spell check feature in our posting forms. Firefox users have it built in.

Common or Repetitive Questions

Be sure you've done research on the question before you ask. This site has been around a while now, and most of the basic questions and topics posted by newbies have already been covered here and in other DSM resources. Nobody wants to answer the same questions over and over again. We've put together a list of links that should answer 95% of all DSM questions you might have in one of these areas. Read through them before posting a question:

Frequently Answered DSM Questions Forum
Tech Resources Page
Tech Articles & Tutorials
Forums Keyword Searches
How to Use the Search Feature Effectively

If you post a question that is answered in one of the above areas, your thread will be moved to the Newbie Graveyard forum (a read-only forum) to let you know you didn't do the necessary research before you posted the question. We also suggesting doing a Forums Keyword Search. Be sure to read How to Use the Search Feature Effectively. If the moderators come across two or more discussions about the same topic the threads will be merged together. This is done to keep the forums clean and to ensure the Search function works better.

Vendor Policy and Commercial Posts

We'll have two types of vendors on our site, Supporting Vendors and non-supporting vendors. Supporting Vendors are the businesses who invest in our community and help us pay the costs of running this site in exchange for the opportunity to market their products/services to our members. Non-supporting vendors are the businesses who do not invest in our community and are not to post anything in our forums that would be seen as commercial or promotional. See a list of our Supporting Vendors here.

Supporting Vendors are granted special privileges because they support our community. They are able to discuss their products (pricing, availability, and list contact info) in the public forums where members are asking about their products or are discussing similar products. They also receive access to post special announcements in our Vendor Announcement Forum. We only choose vendors who we believe to be trustworthy to be on our Supporting Vendor list. Click here to find out how to become a Supporting Vendor.

All members who are not on our Supporting Vendors list are not to post anything in our forums that could be seen as promotional. This includes but is not limited to; new product announcements, pricing, availability, market feedback, phone numbers, addresses, email addresses, URL's, links, group buys, etc. This applies to new threads, replies, signatures, private messages and emails on our site. They are not to reference their business, products or services anywhere on our site, including in their profile. The information will be removed and the member will be warned, suspended or banned depending on the severity or the repetitive nature of their violation. Unless you are a Supporting Vendor your posts should not reference any commercial content whatsoever. Our members should not be aware of the fact that you're a vendor at all by your participation on our site. The only situation where we're a little lenient on this policy is when manufacturers want to chime in on a thread where their products are being discussed and they attempt to clear up any misinformation. However, we don't allow non-supporting vendors to use our forums for customer support reasons.

Though we don't mind our members occasionally discussing non-supporting vendors, we may choose to remove contact info, links, URL's, etc, for that non-supporting vendor if we feel that there is any hint of spam taking place. If we find a member posting repeated references to a non-supporting vendor or their products we tend to be suspicious. We also don't allow Group Buy threads in any forum except the Vendor Announcement forum, and they should only be posted by Supporting Vendors.

You're welcome to leave ratings for our Supporting Vendors and Non-Supporting Vendors in our Vendor Reviews section. If you have a complaint about one of our Supporting Vendors, please use that section to post your review and also tell us about it separately. Don't post complaints or (customer service) reviews about vendors in the forums. Product reviews are perfectly acceptable, and even encouraged - in the Product Reviews section. Vendors are not to engage in any type of arguments, personal attacks, or retaliation to an attack or harassment under any circumstances. They are to report the offending post to a moderator so that our staff can handle the situation appropriately.

Signatures and Avatars

Signatures

The signature area should only be used for your first name and a short description of your car. That's it. If it's anything more than that, your signature will be removed or edited. We'd prefer that you just used your first name in your signature. When we say "short description of your car" we mean:

1. A short summary that quickly and specifically describes your DSM - nothing general or loosely related to cars please. If you have to explain how it relates to your car, it doesn't meet this requirement. Your detailed mod list should be posted in your profile, along with your 1/4 Mile Time and your Dyno info - don't use the signature area in place of your profile. Examples of acceptable signatures would be "16g-powered 91 TSi" or "11-second 97 GSX" or "2005 SCCA Class Champion 95 GST" or "600hp 92 GSX". If you are still not sure what we're asking for here, please just use your name for your signature and nothing else. Our Moderating team will have final say when it's not cut and dry. If they ask you to remove or change your signature to better fit the spirit of these guidelines, please just do so without complaining.



2. Absolutely NO text that doesn't specifically and directly describe your DSM or isn't your first (or last) name. Our Supporting Vendors are the exception - they will be allowed to post their shop name (and/or domain name) in their signature if they choose. However, there should be no addresses, email addresses, or phone numbers, etc. Supporting Freelancers are also given flexibility to mention in once sentence, the products they offer/service they provide.

Avatars

Avatars must only consist of one of two things - a photo of your face or a photo that clearly depicts your DSM - this means any 1990-99 Mitsu Eclipse, Eagle Talon, Plymouth Laser, a 91-92 Galant VR-4, or any 4G63-swapped car. One should be able to quickly identify what kind of car is in the photo, please avoid extreme close-up shots. If you don't own a DSM, and only if you don't own a DSM, you are welcome to use a photo that clearly depicts the vehicle you do own. If you do not have a photo of your vehicle please do not use the Avatar feature. The photo should be square in dimension and no larger than 200 pixels wide/tall. Supporting Vendors may use their logo in place of a vehicle photo.

If your signature or avatar is removed by the Moderating Team, then you probably strayed a little too far from the spirit of this policy. Do not attempt to challenge the removal or attack the moderators for the removal - both in your new signature or anywhere else in the forums. If you are not sure why it was removed post a polite question in the Site Feedback forum. We feel the rules are very simple and make sense for everyone. Don't get bent out of shape over something as stupid as a Signature or Avatar, please.

DSM Profiles & Journals

What is a DSM Profile? It's just that - a profile for your DSM. You can add very detailed information about your DSM, including specs, modifications, photos, video links, time sheet info, dyno info, etc. Please choose the appropriate category for your DSM Profile and if there is no appropriate category, contact the site administrator to discuss it before submitting your profile.

What is a DSM Journal (previously called DSM Blogs)? It's a forum thread used to share information with others. The DSM Journals here on DSMtuners are to be used as journals or diaries for your project car build, a track day experience, or a detailed write-up on an install or modification you've done (like a Tech Article). If you want to document your project car build or your racing endeavors, you are to use the DSM Journals section, not the forums.

We ask that you not post about non-DSM related topics or about your personal life in the DSM Journals section - use the Hangout forum for that stuff. Your DSM Journal entries should not contain any accusations, personal attacks, or insults towards other people or organizations. It should also not be used as a place to ask Tech questions - use the Forums for that. The basic Site Rules still apply here. No complaints about Classifieds transactions, and none of the usual controversial topics like politics, religion, war, drugs, nudity, street racing, etc. Vendors are not to post commercial content (anything about products or services they sell) in the Blog area.

If you don't quite understand when to post a DSM Journal entry or a Thread in the forums, think of it this way - are you looking to start a discussion or post an update about your project/racing efforts? If you're looking to get a question answered or start a discussion around a specific topic, you'd start a thread. If you want to post information in an article format to share with others, you'd post a journal entry. Questions can still be posted about the information you posted in your journal, but those questions won't get in the way of the content like they do in a thread.

Classifieds Rules

This is a Private Party service only. For Sale, Trade, or Wanted to Buy (WTB) type ads only. Probationary Members should be avoided due to security and fraud reasons.

By using our Classifieds section, you acknowledge and agree that DSMtuners is not involved in or a party to the actual transaction between buyers and sellers and cannot enforce or be involved in settlement of transactions. Whilst DSMtuners has policies in place and advisors and mentors to review activities on DSMtuners , DSMtuners has no control over the legality, quality or safety of items or content posted by members on our site, the truth or accuracy of listings, the ability of or legal right of sellers to sell items or the legal or financial ability of buyers to buy items. DSMtuners cannot ensure and does not guarantee that a member of DSMtuners will actually complete a transaction or act lawfully in using DSMtuners. Any transaction you enter into is at your own risk.

The only assistance we can offer are these tips to help protect yourself.

• Limit yourself to 5 classified ads submissions per week. No duplicate ads should be posted from any member. If you have 10 parts to post for sale, post 1 classified ad with all 10 parts you have for sale, with detailed descriptions and images for each/all. Don't post 10 separate ads for each part. If you are parting out a car, post it in the Part Outs category, as opposed to flooding the Parts for Sale category.
  
  
• Do not list your email address in your ad. We will remove it.
  
  
• If you do not have access to post in our Classifieds, you are not to have someone else post for you, nor are you to post something for another member who does not have access.
  
  
• List your ad once and let it automatically expire after 30 days. Do not repost the same ad for the same product until after the first ad has expired. Do not delete your ad and re-list that same ad more often than once every two weeks, and only do so if the listing is significantly different than it was the first time you listed it - again, we don't want people bumping their ads. Supporting Freelancers can delete ads and repost no more than once every week.
  
  
• Do not post Classified Ads in the forums. They will be removed.
  
  
• No Group Buy posts or commercial advertisements in the Classifieds or any of the other forums, period (vendors must contact us for special privileges). This is a private party classifieds forum for individuals to sell their personal items, not businesses to promote their products/services - this excludes the Freelancer section. Vendors/shops should also refrain from promoting their products in the WTB (Wanted to Buy) category. Vendors should not use this section as an opportunity to market their products they sell commercially to our members - they are to use our Vendor forum for that. The only commercial posts in our Classifieds should be posted in the Freelancer section by Supporting Freelancers.
  
  "Vendor" is defined as: anyone who sells parts for a profit on an ongoing basis. If you're buying and selling parts or cars for profit, and it's your primary source of income, you are a vendor. If it's a secondary source of income, you are a Freelancer. If we determine you are a vendor, and are posting your parts for sale in our Classifieds forum, we will ask you to comply with the rules and may restrict your access on our site if you ignore our request.
  
  
• Transactions are your responsibility, not that of DSMtuners. We will not be liable for any losses as a result of your transaction, nor will we assist in tracking down a fraudulent party, nor will we ban a user at your request. Do not contact us asking us to help you resolve an issue with a buyer or seller. We recommend that you use an escrow service like Escrow.com to help prevent a fraudulent transaction and do as much research on the Buyer/Seller as possible. Resolve all transaction issues outside of our forums. And follow all of the advice given here when buying or selling things online: Tips for buying/selling online
  
  
• No complaints should be posted about buyers and sellers in the classifieds section or anywhere else on our site. You are to use the Buyer/Seller Rating feature in the User Profile area to tell people about your dealings with another member. It is your responsibility to resolve transactions offline. We strongly suggest you avoid entering into a transaction with a Probationary Member (or be extremely cautious before doing so).
  
  From time to time we will go through the Buyer/Seller Ratings ourselves and will look for trends. If we find too many negative ratings for a particular member or if we receive an alert from Moderators or Admins from another community site, we may choose to restrict a member's access to our site (or our Classifieds) in the interest of keeping our community safer. We'll take care of it on our own though, no need to post public complaints in our forums or notify our site leaders.
  
  
• If you've posted an ad, and the parts have been sold, please edit your your ad and delete it.

  Most transactions will likely turn out fine, but protect yourself and don't be naive. There are some people out there trying to make a quick buck by ripping people off. Take every precaution possible when doing business with other people online. If you experience any errors with the Classifieds system, you can post about it in the Site Feedback Forum.