Well they are and can't change stripes in the GT 500 KR,Vinyls are important if you are trying to keep your heat level down.I never patch mine and works fine.
You seemed to have missed the part about "1.0.1.18 adds the challenge series which in turn unlocks 3 special cars: Battle Machine RX7, Speed Machine 911, Dominator Z06". 1.0.1.17 works, but doesn't include the challenge series or the bonus cars you can win.
It doesb't include those cars you are think about the Boss cars Bundle and yes it unlocks that for those.The game plays better unpatched.What it needs is a whole new patch that fixes a lot of issues and balances the cars out and maybe add a few more car like Toby Marshalls 69 Torino.I have got UC installed unpatched..I have dominated it 4 times now.
Here is a link to a description of the Challenge Series and the 3 cars you can unlock from doing the series, which is included as a free update with patch 1.0.1.18:
Need for Speed Undercover - Challenge Series Expansion
This is for the PC DVD version of the game. I did a web search at the common online stores and there are still a few of the PC DVD versions available for less than $10 (USA).
This is different than the boss car bundle, which is for the PS3 and XBOX 360 (I don't know if there is a PC version).
Need for Speed Undercover - Boss Car Bundle
Apparently there is some issue with the steam version of Undercover and the patches meant for the PC DVD version, and it is difficult to find the steam version updates, assuming they ever existed.
I have PC DVD version with patch 1.0.1.18, I am not having any issues with vinyls. Some of the cars vinyls are "stock graphics", which can not be changed, but can be deleted, and then you can add / edit / delete vinyls. I am aware of only one pursuit breaker issue: during a pursuit, the mini-map shows a pursuit breaker at a spot where there is no pursuit breaker, just a "road work" sign and some plastic delineator posts, but nothing else there. This is in south Palm Harbor, a bit east of the tier 3 car shop, where one cobble stone road goes over another. There is a cooldown spot there. My guess is that there should be something like a stack of pipes behind the road work sign and inside the plastic posts, but there's nothing there.
Go and try to change the vinyls in the 08 Shelby GT 500KR as well as some Mustang GT vinyls.Why do you need those cars anyway as the Porches and Mazada are over powered compared to American cars which are under powered especially the the Mustang GT and Gt500.UC needs a new patch which deals with a lot of balance issues.The pursuit break around the court house is important.This game was just to rushed out the door with all the money that went in it to get all those celebrities in it .
