Riviera Performance is a multi-forum automotive bulletin board where discussions focus primarily on the Riviera by Buick. Topics include Riviera maintenance, performance, and troubleshooting; also anything else related to Rivieras, Buicks, or cars in general. Our goal is to build a knowledge base that will help Riviera owners to restore and/or improve the performance of these great cars.
Anyone can join! Our membership consists primarily of Riviera owners, so it helps to have an interest in Rivieras, but all are welcome. We encourage future Riviera owners to become members in order to learn more about the cars before buying. We also hope that owners of classic and other previous gen Rivieras will join us. Most of our current members own late model Rivs from 1995-99, but we've recently expanded the board to include all years.
If you're having a problem, you most likely didn't get the message sent to your email account, or the message was accidentally deleted. First, try using the same email address with a different user name and password. Wait a couple of hours for the message to arrive. If still no luck, and you've double checked your box (including deleted mail) and there's still nothing, try joining again using an alternate email address, a different screen name, and a new password. If you don't have an alternate email, create one with a free web mail provider such as Yahoo! or MSN Hotmail.
After you've signed up and logged onto the board, your screen name, email address, and password can then be changed back to your correct information. The administrator can help you with this.
The administrator uses the screen name "AA". The forums moderator is "98riv". The moderator for the FL forum is "Mr.Riviera", and "Karma" is moderator for Series I Tech forums. Feel free to contact any of these members with any forum specific issues you might have. Please forward any general questions and all other board-related questions or concerns to AA.
Riviera Performance is currently divided up into 7 sections. They are: General, Discussion, General Tech, Supercharged 3800 Tech, N/A 3800 Tech, Turbocharged V6 Tech, and N/A V8 Tech. Inside each of these sections are the related forums. Take a few minutes to review the forums before you start posting. Many of them are self explanatory; a few of them will take some time to figure out where everything goes.
For the most part, forums in the General section contain topics about members and their cars, forum operations, and general board info. The Discussion section is for topics concerning our Rivieras and cars in general, driving experiences, new concepts, miscellaneous talk, and all other non-tech or board-related topics. Anything regarding Rivs, driving, racing, press/media, or car clubs should be posted here. Anything unrelated to Rivieras goes in the "Everything Else" forum.
The Tech sections (Supercharged 3800, N/A 3800, Turbo V6, and N/A V8) are for modifying and troubleshooting purposes, an online information garage if you will. Any trouble reports, write-ups, tips, or diagnostic materials go here. Each tech forum has a Write-Ups listing, and the most active categories are compiled in a dedicated FAQ thread as well. Post your tech issues or answers in the forum that best corresponds with the engine or model of your Riviera.
The General Tech section is not specific to the engine or model of the car. Instead it is generic and organized by subject; the information can be applicable to almost any Riviera, and even some other vehicles.
Learning to use the search feature is an important part of using our forums. Often, if you do a thorough search, you'll find what you're looking for without needing to ask. This will save both your time and that of other members'. If you neglect to search before asking questions, don't be surprised if another more experienced member points it out to you.
The Search feature is located at the top of the board in the header. Click on it and you will see a field for entering key words. This is a basic search. Generally, the results you get are from what the search engine finds in topic subject lines - for this reason, be sure when you create a thread to name it with descriptive words.
If you don't find what you're looking for using a basic search, an advanced search may be necessary. To use advanced search, click on the Search feature at top, then click the link called "Advanced Search". Enter your key word(s) in the provided field, choose any or all terms, and enter an author if desired. There are other options at the bottom you can also use. When ready, click on the "Search Google" button. It is important that you actually click the button for the feature to work correctly. The engine will search for info in subject lines as well as inside the posted text of all threads in our forums.
It's important to note that our search engine does not return results for two & three-letter words or acronyms in basic search mode. For very small words, try the advanced search feature.
The most likely reason for this problem is a setting inside your profile under preferences. A button that says "Always attach my signature" controls the signature display. If it is switched to "Yes", your signature (or "sig") will always show by default whenever you post. If set to "No", you must manually check the option box at the bottom of each post to show your sig.
Another possible cause for signature error is exceeding the maximum number of characters (500) in the signature input field. If you exceed this number, a message in red will appear at the top of the screen. You really shouldn't need more than 500 characters in your sig, but if you do, one way around this limit is to save your text as an image, upload the image to a hosting service such as photobucket, then place the image within the signature text. If you are unable to do this, post for help in the Board/Info Updates forum, or contact the administrator.
If your sig consists of images, and you are exceeding the limit, try shortening the URL path for the images. If you need help doing this, contact the administrator.
Own a Riviera? we'd like to know anything and everything about your car. If you've ever had a problem, tell us the details. If you've ever fixed something on the car, let us know how it went, and any problems you ran into. Know any part numbers? Please submit them to our FAQs.
If you plan to work on your car, no matter how simple or complex the procedure, please take some pictures and do a "write-up" if it's something that isn't yet covered in the forums. Write-ups are one of the most useful types of information you can provide. Don't worry about where to post it; we'll move it to the right place.
Know of any useful weblinks or other information that could help Riviera owners? Please post these in the forums. We'll find a way for them to be of good use, and we'll give you credit for submitting.
The Riviera Performance board does not offer image or video hosting space (except for avatars). You must store your pics/movies using a third-party image/video hosting service. Most ISPs (AOL, Roadrunner, etc.) give you an amount of space as part of their service package for uploading images, video, and personal files. If you do not have an ISP, there are web-based image & video hosting sites on the web that you may use for free. Photobucket.com, Imageshack.com, and Pixpond.com are a few examples of web-based image hosts. YouTube.com is a popular free video hosting site.
The first step is to decide if you will use your ISP storage or free web-based hosting. If you have an ISP, find out from them how to use your storage space, otherwise sign up at a web-based image/video hosting site; then upload your images or video. Once uploaded, your file(s) will receive an internet address called a URL. Example of an image URL:
Links:
Once you have a URL for your image, you can copy and paste it inside your posts or signature. To include a link to your picture inside a post, simply key or paste the URL in the text field. The URL will appear as a link that others can click on to view.
Embeded Images:
To make the image appear directly inside your post, key the URL startling with [IMG] and ending with [/IMG]. Here's an example:
When you post, the code & URL will not be visible. Instead you will see the image, like this:
You may use this same method in the signature of your profile providing the URL isn't too long. Our sigs have a limit of 255 characters.
To post a video link, just copy and paste the URL into the post (as a link). To embed video directly inside a post, you will need to use HTML code. A sample video link:
To embed the video in a post, copy and paste the "embed" code found at the YouTube link or other video host, like this:
The video should now appear as a window inside the post. If you cannot see the video, or you see code in the post, make sure you have HTML turned on in your profile. Otherwise, double check there are no mistakes in your text.
Occasionally a post is deleted or moved by one of the moderators. The only reason it would be deleted is if it is a duplicate or unnecessary post, or if the post is deemed inappropriate. In the latter case, you will be notified of the deletion.
If a post/thread is found to be in the wrong forum or category, it may be moved to a different location. Moved posts/threads are not announced, but the original poster will be credited. The easiest way to find a lost post or thread is to do a search. You can also click on your screen name to view your profile, then click "Find all posts".
Once in a while, part of a post is copied and pasted into another thread by a moderator. The only way to find these posts is to do a search.
This is an automotive discussion board. Topics should relate to Rivieras, or at least to cars. Please try to preserve the integrity of the forums by posting appropriate subject matter. Occasionally there is the need to post humorous material, or that which is "interesting" to the majority of our membership, and that material could contain nude or explicit imagery. Please read the rule below, and use good judgment when posting this type of material.
Links to still or moving images (video) containing nudity will be permitted, provided they are linked to an outside URL source. No still or moving images, photographic or animated, which contain nudity shall be directly embedded within any post. Links to still or moving images, photographic or animated, which contain nudity in the context of graphic sexual activity are considered pornography and shall not be tolerated.
In short, there is a difference between nudity and porn. Links to images containing nudity will be tolerated; porn will not. Any questions, please contact the administrator.
The Dashboard is a type of "portal" that now also functions as our home page. It can be used as a shortcut page to the forums. Clicking on the Dashboard button at the top (header) lets you to see the most recent threads and who's online. It also allows you to jump quickly to several categories, and to any of the most recently posted threads. Another way to access the Dashboard is to use the following URL:
or
If you save this URL in your favorites or tool bar, you can access the board through the Dash every time you visit. This is based on your preference, of course. You may also use the Index. Set it up however you wish.
The +/- buttons let you vote "thumbs up" to a post that helped you solve a problem, or that you otherwise found valuable. Obviously, a "thumbs down" can be given to a post that mislead you in the wrong direction, or that you found inappropriate. Posts with + votes will have a green bar, posts with - votes will have a red bar, and a mixed +/- vote will be split.
The +/- votes are what make the Integrity scores for each member. You can see these scores under their information (on the left). Higher numbers mean that person has more + votes from other members.
You will also notice there is a Contribution score. These are different because they have nothing to do with +/- votes. Rather, Contribution scores are based on a particular member's length of membership, number of posts, number of topics, and posting behavior as calculated by the board's computer, which is programmed to give more points for the most relevant types of discussion.
For more info on +/- votes, Integrity, and Contribution, please read this link:
Have you registered? Seriously, you must register in order to log in. Have you been banned from the board? (A message will be displayed if you have.) If so, you should contact the webmaster or board administrator to find out why. If you have registered and are not banned and you still cannot log in then check and double-check your username and password. Usually this is the problem; if not, contact the board administrator -- they may have incorrect configuration settings for the board.
You may not have to -- it is up to the administrator of the board as to whether you need to register in order to post messages. However, registration will give you access to additional features not available to guest users such as definable avatar images, private messaging, emailing to fellow users, usergroup subscription, etc. It only takes a few minutes to register so it is recommended you do so.
If you do not check the Log me in automatically box when you log in, the board will only keep you logged in for a preset time. This prevents misuse of your account by anyone else. To stay logged in, check the box during login. This is not recommended if you access the board from a shared computer, e.g. library, internet cafe, university cluster, etc.
In your profile you will find an option Hide your online status; if you switch this on you'll only appear to board administrators or to yourself. You will be counted as a hidden user.
Don't panic! While your password cannot be retrieved it can be reset. To do this go to the login page and click I've forgotten my password. Follow the instructions and you should be back online in no time.
First check that you are entering the correct username and password. If they are okay then one of two things may have happened: if COPPA support is enabled and you clicked the I am under 13 years old link while registering then you will have to follow the instructions you received. If this is not the case then maybe your account need activating. Some boards will require all new registrations be activated, either by yourself or by the administrator before you can log on. When you registered it would have told you whether activation was required. If you were sent an email then follow the instructions; if you did not receive the email then check that your email address is valid. One reason activation is used is to reduce the possibility of rogue users abusing the board anonymously. If you are sure the email address you used is valid then try contacting the board administrator.
The most likely reasons for this are: you entered an incorrect username or password (check the email you were sent when you first registered) or the administrator has deleted your account for some reason. If it is the latter case then perhaps you did not post anything? It is usual for boards to periodically remove users who have not posted anything so as to reduce the size of the database. Try registering again and get involved in discussions.
All your settings (if you are registered) are stored in the database. To alter them click the Profile link (generally shown at the top of pages but this may not be the case). This will allow you to change all your settings.
The times are almost certainly correct; however, what you may be seeing are times displayed in a timezone different from the one you are in. If this is the case, you should change your profile setting for the timezone to match your particular area, e.g. London, Paris, New York, Sydney, etc. Please note that changing the timezone, like most settings, can only be done by registered users. So if you are not registered, this is a good time to do so, if you pardon the pun!
If you are sure you have set the timezone correctly and the time is still different, the most likely answer is daylight savings time (or summer time as it is known in the UK and other places). The board is not designed to handle the changeovers between standard and daylight time so during summer months the time may be an hour different from the real local time.
The most likely reasons for this are either the administrator did not install your language or someone has not translated this board into your language. Try asking the board administrator if they can install the language pack you need or if it does not exist, please feel free to create a new translation. More information can be found at the phpBB Group website (see link at bottom of pages)
There may be two images below a username when viewing posts. The first is an image associated with your rank; generally these take the form of stars or blocks indicating how many posts you have made or your status on the forums. Below this may be a larger image known as an avatar; this is generally unique or personal to each user. It is up to the board administrator to enable avatars and they have a choice over the way in which avatars can be made available. If you are unable to use avatars then this is the decision of the board admin and you should ask them their reasons (we're sure they'll be good!)
In general you cannot directly change the wording of any rank (ranks appear below your username in topics and on your profile depending on the style used). Most boards use ranks to indicate the number of posts you have made and to identify certain users. For example, moderators and administrators may have a special rank. Please do not abuse the board by posting unnecessarily just to increase your rank -- you will probably find the moderator or administrator will simply lower your post count.
Sorry, but only registered users can send email to people via the built-in email form (if the admin has enabled this feature). This is to prevent malicious use of the email system by anonymous users.
Easy -- click the relevant button on either the forum or topic screens. You may need to register before you can post a message. The facilities available to you are listed at the bottom of the forum and topic screens (the You can post new topics, You can vote in polls, etc. list)
Unless you are the board admin or forum moderator you can only edit or delete your own posts. You can edit a post (sometimes for only a limited time after it was made) by clicking the edit button for the relevant post. If someone has already replied to the post, you will find a small piece of text output below the post when you return to the topic that lists the number of times you edited it. This will only appear if no one has replied; it also will not appear if moderators or administrators edit the post (they should leave a message saying what they altered and why). Please note that normal users cannot delete a post once someone has replied.
To add a signature to a post you must first create one; this is done via your profile. Once created you can check the Add Signature box on the posting form to add your signature. You can also add a signature by default to all your posts by checking the appropriate radio box in your profile. You can still prevent a signature being added to individual posts by un-checking the add signature box on the posting form.
Creating a poll is easy -- when you post a new topic (or edit the first post of a topic, if you have permission) you should see a Add Poll form below the main posting box. If you cannot see this then you probably do not have rights to create polls. You should enter a title for the poll and then at least two options -- to set an option type in the poll question and click the Add option button. You can also set a time limit for the poll, 0 being an infinite amount. There will be a limit to the number of options you can list, which is set by the board administrator
As with posts, polls can only be edited by the original poster, a moderator, or board administrator. To edit a poll, click the first post in the topic, which always has the poll associated with it. If no one has cast a vote then users can delete the poll or edit any poll option. However, if people have already placed votes only moderators or administrators can edit or delete it; this is to prevent people rigging polls by changing options mid-way through a poll
Some forums may be limited to certain users or groups. To view, read, post, etc. you may need special authorization which only the forum moderator and board administrator can grant, so you should contact them.
Only registered users can vote in polls so as to prevent spoofing of results. If you have registered and still cannot vote then you probably do not have appropriate access rights.
BBCode is a special implementation of HTML. Whether you can use BBCode is determined by the administrator. You can also disable it on a per post basis from the posting form. BBCode itself is similar in style to HTML: tags are enclosed in square braces [ and ] rather than < and > and it offers greater control over what and how something is displayed. For more information on BBCode see the guide which can be accessed from the posting page.
That depends on whether the administrator allows you to; they have complete control over it. If you are allowed to use it, you will probably find only certain tags work. This is a safety feature to prevent people from abusing the board by using tags which may destroy the layout or cause other problems. If HTML is enabled you can disable it on a per post basis from the posting form.
Smileys, or Emoticons, are small graphical images which can be used to express some feeling using a short code, e.g. :) means happy, :( means sad. The full list of emoticons can be seen via the posting form. Try not to overuse smileys, though, as they can quickly render a post unreadable and a moderator may decide to edit them out or remove the post altogether.
Images can indeed be shown in your posts. However, there is no facility at present for uploading images directly to this board. Therefore you must link to an image stored on a publicly accessible web server, e.g. You cannot link to pictures stored on your own PC (unless it is a publicly accessible server) nor to images stored behind authentication mechanisms such as Hotmail or Yahoo mailboxes, password-protected sites, etc. To display the image use either the BBCode [img] tag or appropriate HTML (if allowed).
Announcements often contain important information and you should read them as soon as possible. Announcements appear at the top of every page in the forum to which they are posted. Whether or not you can post an announcement depends on the permissions required, which are set by the administrator.
Sticky topics appear below any announcements in viewforum and only on the first page. They are often quite important so you should read them where possible. As with announcements the board administrator determines what permissions are required to post sticky topics in each forum.
Locked topics are set this way by either the forum moderator or board administrator. You cannot reply to locked topics and any poll contained inside is automatically ended. Topics may be locked for many reasons.
Administrators are people assigned the highest level of control over the entire board. These people can control all facets of board operation which include setting permissions, banning users, creating usergroups or moderators, etc. They also have full moderator capabilities in all the forums.
Moderators are individuals (or groups of individuals) whose job it is to look after the running of the forums from day to day. They have the power to edit or delete posts and lock, unlock, move, delete and split topics in the forum they moderate. Generally moderators are there to prevent people going off-topic or posting abusive or offensive material.
Usergroups are a way in which board administrators can group users. Each user can belong to several groups (this differs from most other boards) and each group can be assigned individual access rights. This makes it easy for administrators to set up several users as moderators of a forum, or to give them access to a private forum, etc.
To join a usergroup click the usergroup link on the page header (dependent on template design) and you can then view all usergroups. Not all groups are open access -- some are closed and some may even have hidden memberships. If the board is open then you can request to join it by clicking the appropriate button. The user group moderator will need to approve your request; they may ask why you want to join the group. Please do not pester a group moderator if they turn your request down -- they will have their reasons.
Usergroups are initially created by the board administrator who also assigns a board moderator. If you are interested in creating a usergroup then your first point of contact should be the administrator, so try dropping them a private message.
There are three reasons for this; you are not registered and/or not logged on, the board administrator has disabled private messaging for the entire board, or the board administrator has prevented you individually from sending messages. If it is the latter case you should try asking the administrator why.
In the future we will be adding an ignore list to the private messaging system. For now, though, if you keep receiving unwanted private messages from someone, inform the board administrator -- they have the power to prevent a user from sending private messages at all.
We are sorry to hear that. The email form feature of this board includes safeguards to try to track users who send such posts. You should email the board administrator with a full copy of the email you received and it is very important this include the headers (these list details of the user that sent the email). They can then take action.
This software (in its unmodified form) is produced, released and is copyrighted phpBB Group. It is made available under the GNU General Public License and may be freely distributed; see link for more details. Forumotion hosts and update this forum for free. Modifications/deletions/functionalities additions have been done compared to the original script.
This software was written by and licensed through phpBB Group. If you believe a feature needs to be added then please visit the phpbb.com website and see what the phpBB Group has to say. Please do not post feature requests to the board at phpbb.com, as the Group uses sourceforge to handle tasking of new features. Please read through the forums and see what, if any, our position may already be for features and then follow the procedure given there. If you think a function must be added, please visit the support forum and see what other users and administrators think about it.
You should contact the administrator of this board. If you cannot find who that is, you should first contact one of the forum moderators and ask them who you should in turn contact. If still get no response you should contact use the litigation tool (by clicking here)
