[CentreOfGravity]

As automotive enthusiasts, we love our cars and are constantly in the pursuit to make them fit in our lives better, be it in terms of aesthetics, function, or performance. In the automotive aftermarket scene, there are some staggering options to enhance your car and the list of possibilities is endless. But quantity doesn't equate to quality, does it? There are some fantastic, drool-worthy modifications out there, and then there are those gaudy, cringy and stupid accessories that'll make us cry.



In this thread, feel free to vent out your frustration on the car mods that you personally despise and mention why you wouldn't get them installed in your car.

Please note: Kindly talk about only those modifications which haven’t (yet) been declared illegal in India, or else this thread will turn into a never-ending rant.

Related threads:
1. What kind of modifications do you prefer? Functional, aesthetic or performance
2. PICS : Tastefully Modified Cars in India
3. Pics of weird & wacky mod jobs in India!

Here's my list:

Aesthetic:

1. Stickers that stick out like a sore thumb:

I love the idea of stickers about witty and amusing car quotes. I also love Team-BHP stickers (in fact, we have them stuck on our car), but there are some stickers which make me want to look away immediately. Huge stickers on the windshield are a big no-no for me.







2. Shouty paint jobs:

I am chill with tasteful repaints and wraps but repaints that look like these?! I’m out – enough said.





3. Cheesy chrome grille sandwich, anyone?

India’s obsession with chrome knows no limits to the extent that people slap aftermarket chrome grilles on cars, in turn grilling enthusiasts like me. Some are so shoddily done that they look like they’ll fall apart anytime.







4. Undercover Cop I – Steelies:



Generally, I am not a fan of wheel covers (even the OE ones) and would swap out the wheels for alloys, but for some reason if I can't, I will stick with the OE wheel covers or remove them (and paint the steelies black if they are silver). But aftermarket wheel covers? No thanks. Nowadays, you can find wheel covers that mimic the alloy wheel design of some cars like the Kia Seltos.



5. Happy married life, IRVM!

At least in Kerala, I have seen a HUGE number of people hanging decorative accessories on the IRVM. Hell, the IRVM isn’t a wall that you can hang stuff on! Not to mention the safety hazards that come with these hangings – in the case of an accident, these can act as projectiles potentially causing harm. Moreover, your frontal visibility is compromised. Precisely why I don’t prefer spray-type car fresheners as you'd have to hang the card on the IRVM.







6. The half-hearted wannabe:

Seen reports of a Jimny/Gurkha/Thar/Bolero being converted to a G-Wagon/Defender? More often than not, these mods are neat and done tastefully.





But when a Maruti Dzire owner decides to "convert" his car into a Mercedes? That's what I have an issue with. Accept the car for what it is and live with it instead of this monstrosity!

Functional:

7. Sequential turn indicators that are a turn-off:

One of the situations I love to be stuck in a traffic jam is when I’m waiting behind a Hector / XUV700 / Audi etc. which has its indicator on. Reason = these cars have sequential turn indicators! I love well-executed dynamic swipe indicators (aka sequential turn indicators), but the moment people try to get them installed through the aftermarket in their Swift, Vitara Brezza or Creta, my fuse goes off (pun intended). Mind you, I’m all in for a simple halogen --> LED indicator conversion as long as it is plug-and-play, but I’m against them being sequential. Not only do they mess up with the electricals of your car, but they also look c-h-e-a-p and unnecessary.



8. Reflect on your choices - Halogen to LED swaps:



Now don't take your chappal because I said that I prefer simple halogen to LED swaps just now - that was with respect to indicators. As much as a strong word ‘hate’ is, this is the noun I’d use to describe my feeling towards cars with LED-swapped headlights. The problem with replacing a halogen bulb with an LED unit is that the housing wasn’t designed for an LED in the first place. This implies that oncoming traffic will be blinded by that car even in low beam. And if you’re wondering about the legality aspect, yes, this swap is unfortunately legal as of now.

9. Wheels Pro Max - The ultimate overkill:



For a hardcore enthusiast, it is quite natural to upgrade from 17-inch wheels to 18s or 19s, at the most. But going to 28”? That’s just an unfruitful exercise to grab eyeballs IMO. And what are the gains, if you can call them that? Bumpy ride, awkward stance, poor FE, performance that becomes unusable thanks to the anxiety of cracking the rims on the slightest undulations, fear of being the target of theives due to the extra attention the wheels bring, the list is endless. Not to mention the glaring eyes, those of mine included.



10. Aftermarket touchscreens that look a touch too… well, aftermarket:



On any modern car, I personally dislike aftermarket head units for the sole reason that they take away the feeling of the car being stock. Moreover, the third-party OS may not have a smooth UI. You also lose out on car-related functions. This is the reason I prefer higher variants of any car. Exception = old cars which have an aftermarket sound system and need an HU.

11. Undercover Cop II – The steering wheel:



Leather-wrapped steering wheels that come from the factory look and feel great, but the same can't be said about the aftermarket ones. Their quality and long-term durability is a question mark. Not to mention the considerable increase in the girth of the steering wheel, thereby making it... well, less joyful to use.

12. Undercover Cop III – Seats:



Just like steering wheel covers, most seat covers available in the market ruin the feel of the car IMO. There are very few seat covers that are actually good. Considering that most cars today come with 6 airbags, you can't install seat covers and not worry about their interference with the airbags, even if they claim to be airbag compatible. Moreover, they damage the underlying seats.

13. Lowered cars that kiss the ground:



The thought of lowering a Virtus slightly salivates me, but the thought of lowering it so much that there is no clearance from the ground, slammed as they are called, is far from salivating. Thankfully, not a lot of people invest in this modification because of the Indian road conditions, but there are a handful of people who don't give a damn!





Whenever I see such cars, I'm reminded of this post and the following pictures by BHPian androdev . (Love reading your posts sir!)

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Kindly take no offense if you have any of the above mods/accessories installed; this is just a matter of personal preference

Your turn, guys!

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[JunkyardHunter]

A great thread idea, attaching my personal opinion-

Stance

Ever seen a car driven by a person who doesn't "understance" what stance is? Yeah, me too. I hate to think what would happen to them if they have to go over a speed breaker.

[Tutenkhamen]

Another timely post.

In Punjab, I have got 2 major buckets for modifications that I hate.

Big wheels. Everyone and their mum just has to get bigger / wider wheels which just look so bad that I unintentionally (ok, intentionally*) judge the owner's taste in cars. It's anti thesis of being classy.

Thar tops this list because sure, why don't we put some senseless money into wheels and hope it magically starts looking like a wrangler eh? Thats the end goal right?

Next up is Bolero, Scorpion and friends, with those monstrosities of tires edging out a good 2-3 inches making them a danger on roads.

(This is a personal opinion and I hope you don't take an offence. I think this is important to be discussed though)

[suhaas307]

One modification that seems to have gained popularity off late is the universal quad-exhaust + faux diffuser attachment, often found fitted to Wagon Rs, Swifts, Indicas and a whole bunch of other cars, including taxis:



I think we can all agree that this is universally ghastly.

[Xtremeyy]

Fake exhausts




Just why?

[Kar_Om]

One car modification i am not comfortable with is big size wheels, mostly on hatchbacks. These big wheels catch your attention first.

I currently own 2016 Jazz and i had taken it for washing at nearby washing center last month. At same time another Jazz came there for washing and it had big wheels protruding beyond car body by 1-2 inches. I felt it compromised side profile looks of the car and did not gel up aesthetically with rest of car. Also, these can create issues when driving through very tight spaces.

I have seen similar wheel modifications on WagonR, i20, Polo as well.

[Joe367]

Originally Posted by CentreOfGravity

Attachment 2629752

As automotive enthusiasts, we love our cars and are constantly in the pursuit to make them fit in our lives better, be it in terms of aesthetics, function, or performance. In the automotive aftermarket scene, there are some staggering options to enhance your car and the list of possibilities is endless. But quantity doesn't equate to quality, does it? There are some fantastic, drool-worthy modifications out there, and then there are those gaudy, cringy and stupid accessories that'll make us cry.

As someone frome Kerala I agree with every single modification you have mentioned here
Heres one accessory which I don't understand why people use: Acupuncture wooden beads seat cover.

It doesn't look good and It felt super uncomfortable to sit on.

Another modification which I find to be cringe is this body kit for Civic. Whenever there's a car meet, there will be 3 or 4 civics with this exact same kit.

To me it looks worse than the stock car design.

[Ad_J]

1. Absolutely agree with the point #9. Seeing these types of idiotic wheel modifications seriously makes me wanna prick my eyes. I really hold back my urge to go up to the owner and solemnly try to understand the logic behind this modification and his/her thought process in general so that I don't judge these people.

2. Ultra Comfort Seat Cover



Goodluck with your spine in these seats over a long drive and say hello to your new friend, back pain. Mercilessly butchers the R&D and the testing that goes behind in making the OEM seats.


3. Cringe Stickers and Horrible Exhausts

The other day I saw a young adult driving his Alto 800 modified with a cacophonous cheap aftermarket exhaust and a cringe fest of stickers on the car. The one that topped them all was this:



After a second or two of cringing, I felt sorry for that misogynist man and prayed him a speedy recovery


Source - Both the picture are downloaded from internet.

[Asish_VK]

No.10 ! What are those wheels? Probably it'll hypnotise people while on move
And the tires look like they are painted to the wheels.

No.13, that terrano actually looks good

[ambarkhan]

I hate the ongoing completions between SUV’s after market lights and lighting of wedding chariot.
Disclaimer : I prefer Halogens over LEDs

[ss11011988]

Excellent topic OP, some of them from my personal list that may resonate with many here and that may not :

1. Hideous wheel upsizing jobs done on Thar and other cars :- I'm all in for tasteful upsizing, but the ones that resembles chariot wheels, well a definite no. God knows what went through such owners' minds.

2. Fake diffusers and fake quad exhaust tips : Serves no purpose, and when done on mass market cars, it looks downright disgusting.

3. Spoilers : Again, when put on mass market cars which barely might get onto such speeds that may utilize the actual function of this part, makes me question the logic behind it.

4. Cheap a** Halogen to LED conversion / DRL jobs :- Serves no other purpose other than causing a nuisance to other motorists on the road and making an average looking car downright ugly.

5. Cheesy Sticker jobs :- Resonating with the BHPian who posted an example of this, stuff they think that may give them a false sense of macho vibes / bravado / ego / attitude(whatever that is), when in reality it makes them a comedy on 4 wheels(2 wheels too).

6. Garish chrome jobs : I know, Indians love some bling on their cars, but come on, a sea of that in a car will make it look like a chandelier on wheels.

Nuff said, I rest my case.

Cheers,
NI

[V0id2003]

Hate these front splitters, side skirts and rear diffusers that people put. Looks very riced to me.

[lemedico]

Stickers of political origins are too frequent in uttar Pradesh. And so are those of the names of various family members plastered over the rear window.

Sometimes a sticker could be very nice to see, as I did just yesterday

[CorporateMonk]

Another weird trend that I've seen in a lot of cities is the mention of your Religion/caste in large fonts on the rear glass. Also, the big hanuman pics are cringe.