Can I add this modification to my car?
- Image via Wikipedia
A common question and dilemma a lot of prospective vehicle owners have are around what modifications they can perform to their vehicle and what are best purchased as factory installed options. This post attempts to guide such buyers through that decision.
Modifications that cannot/should not be done after purchase of a new vehicle without considerable effort & cost and putting your warranty in question and having to deal with questionable quality:
- Adding/changing air conditioning/heating /cooling systems/climate control
- Changing engine
- Changing from petrol to diesel
- Changing from manual gear shifter to automatic
- 4×2 to 4×4
- Modifications to doors,bonnet,trunk
- Increasing/decreasing ground clearance
- Rear defogger/wiper
- Additional interior space
- Additional fuel tank capacity
- Performance/mileage modifications (Turbochargers, superchargers exhaust systems, chip modifications, tri-phase electrical, intake systems)
- Changing vehicle color
- Changing exterior so much that the vehicle is not recognizable. Some examples can be found at:Top Gear: http://www.topgear.com/content/timetoburn/sections/carbage/pages/0532/ & Team BHP: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/collection-best-threads/1954-pics-weird-wacky-mod-jobs.html#post21498
- Image by icathing via Flickr
- Image by joes2005via Flickr
(Please do think many times before you go down this path. Your/your parents’ hard earned money may make you the laughing stock of the world).
Thumb rule: If your rear spoiler is more than a few inches taller than boot/roof and looks like clothes can be dried on it and still does not have anywhere near as much horsepower as a spaceship: YOU ARE OVER DOING IT. You have enough warning from all websites ridiculing “show but no go” / “rice rockets” .