Good day everyone,
I hope everyone here is having a good weekend so far and is in the best of health.
Before I begin, I hope this is the right place to post this as I'm not looking for over the top mods for our incoming new car. Mods, kindly move this to the appropriate section in case I'm in the wrong, thank you!
Now, on to the meat of my post. My parents have booked a brand new Toyota Innova Crysta ZX which is due for delivery next month. We're super stoked about it and are looking forward to it, it's been an extremely long time since we've had a brand new car in the family. I live overseas, however will be in India at the time of delivery to ensure everything goes smoothly. The current plan is to take delivery of the car in mid-August so I can help the parents out with the post delivery inspections and what not. I'm a huge car nut (aren't we all?), and I am extremely particular about my cars.
This is where my thread comes in. I've got a few questions about some minor modifications that I was hoping to receive some help with here. As aforementioned, I live overseas and consequently have minimal knowledge about the current modification scene back home in India, specifically in the Delhi NCR where my parents reside.
We're looking to get two very specific things done to the car in addition to the usual accessories. The first and most important thing is to get the bare metal that's exposed in the wheel wells covered with... well something. I really don't understand why Toyota skimped out on this, not only does it look ugly, but it's a prime spot for rust to start taking over as the car ages. All we want is some kind of insulation or a coating done to prevent any damage to the metal from stones or otherwise. Here in Canada where I live, there's multiple shops that offer this service and I'm certain the provision exists in India too. Car enthusiasts exist everywhere after all. If anyone knows where we can get this done in the Delhi NCR area, I humbly request you to get in touch with me. We'd prefer to get this done within a day or two if not hours post delivery to keep the car protected right from the get go.
On a related note, the dealership is installing 3M paint protection film as well as some "underbody coating" which they say does NOT cover the wheel wells. Regardless, as they're offering that at no cost to us, we're thinking of taking it. Is anyone familiar with what they're going to use? My uncle asked at the dealership if they can just use the same stuff in the wheel wells and he was told that the product can't be used there for whatever reason. Go figure...
The second "modification" is a more cosmetic thing, but something that I've done on both my vehicles here. I'm talking about a clear headlight protection film. My father has been searching online but can't seem to find any shop that offers this service in Delhi. Keep in mind we don't want any form of tint, but just a completely see through film to protect the headlight lenses in order to keep them looking like new while also maintaining full optical clarity. My vehicles here in Canada use
XPel Ultimate and it's virtually undetectable once installed. Both my vehicles here have had it from the time of ownership and the headlights still look brand new despite taking a lot of salt and stone chips during our brutal Canadian winters. To my knowledge, XPel is mostly concentrated around North America, but I believe 3M offers a similar product (perhaps worldwide?) so I'm hoping someone in Delhi has it available. Once again, if anyone knows a shop that installs a clear film, kindly let me know.
As for the other accessories, we honestly don't know where to go and are very confused. I personally would prefer getting some things installed by the dealership themselves as I prefer OEM items, but my Uncle is adamant and saying you'll get the same stuff in aftermarket shops spread around Delhi for a fraction of the price. He believes the dealership is trying to rip us off by offering the same things available in the market. Is there a giant gap in terms of quality or is it the same? I'm assuming all the aftermarket stuff is from China so my guess is the quality will be dubious. However, if the dealership is also using the same, it really makes no sense to invest in it does it?
Thanks for taking the time to read my post, I look forward to seeing the various replies!