TL;DR
Keep a vehicle private when the record is incomplete, messy, or purely personal.
Make it public when the profile is accurate enough to function as a real build reference.
The main question is not privacy in the abstract. It is whether the vehicle record is trustworthy enough to share.
What a public vehicle means
A public vehicle is not just visible. It is usable.
Other people should be able to open the vehicle and understand:
- what the car is,
- roughly how it is set up,
- what it looks like today,
- and whether the record is current.
If the profile cannot answer those basics, public visibility creates more confusion than value.
Good reasons to keep a vehicle private
Keep the vehicle private if:
- you are still setting up the profile,
- the mod list is stale,
- maintenance is missing,
- the gallery is misleading,
- or the car is not something you want attached to public discussion yet.
Private is also reasonable if the profile is mainly for your own tracking and session handoff.
Good reasons to make a vehicle public
Make the vehicle public when it helps the rest of the app work better.
Common cases:
- You want to share the build in Community.
- You want a clean vehicle reference when asking for advice.
- You want the car to act as a durable public record instead of scattered screenshots.
- You want the setup attached to runs or discussions in a way other people can actually interpret.
What should be true before you flip public
A public Garage vehicle should usually have:
- clear identity fields,
- a current hero image,
- a legible mod list,
- maintenance context where it matters,
- and no obvious contradictions.
You do not need perfection. You do need credibility.
Public does not mean “everything belongs here”
Some context still belongs elsewhere.
- Ongoing discussion belongs in Community.
- Day-of coordination belongs in Messaging or Events.
- Session detail belongs in Racing.
Garage should be the vehicle source of truth, not the place where every type of conversation gets dumped.
Common mistakes
- Making the vehicle public before the mod list is current
- Treating public as a badge instead of a responsibility
- Leaving outdated photos or incomplete setup details
- Using a public profile as a substitute for real discussion or event logistics