'To-Be-Avoided' Car Accessories

[Mr.Boss]

When it comes to accessories, we have plenty of threads on "What to Have?"

http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/automotive-library/1728-spicing-your-new-car-must-consider-accessories.html
http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/accessories-modifications/27732-what-kind-accessories-do-you-prefer.html
http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/accessories-modifications/22083-must-have-accessories-taxi-need-advice.html
http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/accessories-modifications/17892-essential-car-accessories-long-distance-travelling.html
http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/accessories-modifications/17754-car-accessories-monsoon.html
http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/accessories-modifications/9525-most-wanted-exclusive-imported-accessories.html

And now, this thread is regarding What NOT to have

We live in a planet where anything and everything is possible irrespective of law, rule, standard, and what not. Just to give an example (related to Automobiles) our rules specify some criteria for automotive Horn decibel level. But companies (which are licensed and approved) produce after market products which doesn't satisfy certain (or sometimes any) rules and are being sold in the market. Same applies for the Automotive bulbs as well. Everyday each one of us is facing the menace of loud horns and blinding high beams. I agree it is more to do with self discipline rather than complaining for the source of such products. Other cases like colored / tinted headlamps, for God sake people please stop using them. Couple of weeks back I was riding my bicycle in the dark. On a sharp turn I noticed a Red lamp and assumed that being a 2 wheeler either halted or moving ahead, but that was a Red Demon lamp (or called Evil's eye) and the 2 wheeler is approaching me on a wrong lane.

There are millions of such modifications and accessories available in market which harms / affects the other fellow riders on road and this thread will be covering the list of accessories that are harmful / dangerous to SELF or our own vehicle

 

[Mr.Boss]

1. Seat Belt Reminder over-ride




This is the most stupidity one could ever do. Available in in all colors, shapes, forms and what not?









Though n-number of articles available over internet which speaks about the importance of wearing seat belt and the advantages self-spoken by the accident victims themselves, OEs add seat belt reminder warning / chime, Govt enforces (???) the law but people still don't understand the significance. To void the menace of warning chime people go with these accessories, risking their own life.

Alternatives:
Nothing except to cultivate the habit of using seat belt

 

[Mr.Boss]

2. Additional Cup Holders



This is one of the useful accessory what makes it to be a part of this thread is improper placement / usage

Friend of mine has a Tata Nano as his primary ride and added a similar cup holder to the driver side door pad, easy to reach from the steering wheel. One fine day he was driving with a Pepsi can in the cup holder and missed a speed bump. What happened next is horrible. Pepsi can slipped out of the cup holder and rolled right beneath the pedals He slammed the brake, poor tin gave up and spilled the entire liquid on floor, he spent his sweet time cleaning the mess.

What if it was a Hard plastic / Glass bottle?

This is quite unlikely to happen on a factory provided cup / bottle holder. Why? OE cup / bottle holders are designed in such a way and placed close to the floor (except for the ones in dashboard but with some holding mechanism), in other words, close to (or below) vehicle center of gravity. In such cases the probability of bottles / cups escaping from the holder is very minimal.

Alternative:
- Proper placement (better to be avoided on driver side)
- Seat back organisers

 

[Mr.Boss]

3. Bull Bars



Irrespective of the size and segment of the car, bull bars are equally dangerous in case of accidents. Cars are designed with crumple zone to absorb the energy during collision. Regular energy transfer path will be like Bumper --> Structure behind the bumper --> Crumple zone.

Bull bars are fitted on the frame / body directly by-passing the crumple zone just to save the bumpers and fenders getting scratched / damaged in B2B traffic. In case of collision, energy that the bull bar receives is being directly transferred to the vehicle structure and resulting in much more damage.

Most importantly, there are possibilities that the crash sensor fail to work and Air bags may not deploy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airbag#Operation

Alternatives:
- Bumper protectors (couldn't solve all the purpose though)

 

[Mr.Boss]

4. Overhead LCD Screens



No caption needed.

Does playing movies / videos distract the driver or not is other question. Where is the IRVM in the above snap? Overhead screens (and DVD players) hide the IRVM view and that's equally dangerous as driving with closed eyes. There are people who argue that ORVMs are more than sufficient to drive the vehicle. They fail to understand that ORVMs don't cover things that are close to (or behind) our tailgate. They are classified under regulatory items and all such parts have their own significance on safety.

Alternatives:
Head rest / in-dash screens

 

[Mr.Boss]

5. Body Kits



I don't say 'Avoid it', but avoid the cheap body kits and if installed take care periodically.

Happened to see a Fiesta in a FNG body shop. The fellow used a cheaper body kit with all sorts of juggads to fix it. In less than a year, water splash from tires started accumulating between the side skirt and running board. End result, completely rusted running board and badly needed a complete replacement.

Alternative:
Nothing except for periodic checkup / maintenance

 

[Mr.Boss]

I hope people agree on the above contents and I request fellow members to add your valuable comments and inputs to this thread with below template

x. Item Description
<Image>
How does that affect / harm
Alternatives:

Thanks

Image source for all the above posts : Google

 

[Akash1886]

Wonderful Thread Satish. Much needed! I am sure you had put in a lot of R&D as always. I am listing from my experience, the accessories which are useless as well as dangerous.

1) Product: Headlight Tints



Harms Done: Biggest of them being the reduced visibility at night and bad weather.

2) Bumper Canards: The canards on the Bumpers do more harm than adding any aesthetic value to the car. If they are designed in-line with the body kits then its OK but fixing them separately makes the turning of the car difficult in many areas and in bumper to bumper traffic.

3) Over-sized Wheels: Not only do they look Crappy but also hamper the overall ride quality of the car. Moreover during rains, such bulging Tires are menace for those who are riding on 2 wheeler as they throw mud and dirt on them.

4) Loud Aftermarket Exhausts: Big contributor for noise pollution.

5) Steering Knobs: They obstruct the conventional way of holding the steering as well obstruct the hand while turning the car.



Regards

Akash

 

[ss80]

A very nice useful and Informative thread.
In fact most of the accessories sold on SNAPDEAL/FPkart/ amazon are in fact useless/ really not needed type.

To the list you can add -
weak DRL - weak and cheap
Jugaad footwell lights
Ulta Aluminium spoilers

 

[Nanofreak]

@Mr. Boss, thanks for the useful post, I also fell into the aftermarket accessories trap, especially for my Nano XTA, the same are holding up in 5 months of kheench taan road abuse.

Keep it up.

Regards
Vinod

 

[bhvm]

Wow, Really a great thread. I have a small list from my side-

1. Tinted/ Blackned Tail lights- May not provide enough visiblity for bad weather or panic braking situations.

2. Fany, Distracting horns.

3. 100/90 Healights bulbs- Blinding effect even in low beams.

4. Any Loose items in Cabin/Dicky (eg. tools, spanners, Air freshener cans etc).- could become a projectile during a crash.

5. Additional tacky chrome- Just ugh!

6. Tints for Front windshield- I've seen idiots putting tints on Front glass. Tints on headlights and now they complain even 130/100w Bulbs are offering poor visibility. Arh!

7. Blue or Flashing type Lamps- They offer No good visibility, Distracting and confusing to others.

8. Wheel spacers- Tyres protrude out being a hazard to others. Also wears your suspension down faster.

 

[Prabhagar]

This thread is an eye opener on the safety/risk factors of accessories that we take it for granted. to Mr. Boss.
I just spotted this black tinted headlight:

 

[agd19682]

1. Seat Belt Reminder over-ride

Surprised to see that such an accessory even exists and to top it all, there are people who buy them. is all that I can say...

 

[wildsdi]

That is a seat belt extender. For XL sized people.