Trying to understand why there is custom access to mods since there is no way to monetize?

I don't complain about custom access at all. Of course, the right of the author to decide who to give access to the mod. Sometimes I ask author online for access, but quite often they ignore it — can't blame them, cause what's the point of custom access when you're ready to give access to random dude online?

But why do I even see here on the forum when it's private? It makes it some kind half-private: see, but don't touch?
Also, why is custom access mods moderation is public?
Isn't this one of the reasons for delay of "public mods" reviews?
How about at least making viewing public mods a priority over custom access mods? Or even make it true private.

I think that sort of access was meant for groups developing mods as a team, so that all could test it on track. But yeah from day one it's mostly used to barter mod access especially of some that won't get public release anyway for obvious reasons.

i used the option "hidden" to release T46 mod before it is finished.
to permit selected users to improve setup or engine.
for me, it is unfair to release a buggued or unfinished mod with too hard handling. so i prefer hide, private access for few testers, collect informations from tests and release later.

unfortunaly, with that method, T46 was not listed by LFStech in his dedicated topic about mod.
so i will not re-use this method for the Nascar wich i work actually ...

but private access has a real interest to release well tested mod.

LFS has a lot of people, pilots, racers. Cars with the advent of mods have a very different character. From a ball to a supermarket cart. Therefore, I believe that private access is necessary for a group of people who share an interest in any car. People love racing, they prefer racing cars. People love the cruise and free driving, they prefer stock cars. People love drifting, they make cars for drifting in their own style. In order not to fill the public list with unnecessary cars for "ordinary" people, people hide their cars so that they can be accessible to a narrow circle of people. This is one of the few reasons why cars remain in the private list and never leave there.

i feel that quite pity that potentially great mod became private sometimes 😦

for me personally, it's okay to be "private" as long as it meets some criteria:

-it's a specific / paid mod, that only you (maker) and one or some specific people who had pay the maker for specific agreement of mod usage
-it's for specific event, that only registered member that could use it
-it's contain copyrighted and/or people creation that you haven't asked about permission to re-use it, which I believe it still prohibited by LFS moderators

other than that criteria, I think there's no reason to keep it private, even if you give permission to people that wanted to try later