I posted this a few years ago on a BMW board. Now that I'm in the process of dumping "old unreliable" and getting a TSX, I thought that I'd post it here too. Over there it generated about 10 pages of discussion:

Post 1:

Given all the "if I do this, will my warranty blow up in my face" and "why'd I get pulled over for my 20000k headlights and my .5% tintz" posts, I thought that I would give my take on modding.

Don't be a lemming. Just because others are doing a particular mod doesn't mean you should.

Decide what advantages a certain mod have for you. Be honest - is it sound, appearance or performance. Remember that very few mods will actually improve performance or real world handling.

Do your research. What disadvantages does this mod have? Will it affect your warranty? What can some of the unintended consequences be? Has BMW (or another manufacturer) specifically warned against this type of mod? What are the legal implications? Do the cops in your area enforce that particular law? Is it unsafe to you or others?

Is the full cost of the mod (parts, labor, increased operating costs) worth the benefit?

And finally

Are you mentally and monetarily prepared to pay for both the mod and the consequences of the mod? This includes paying for damage that the dealer refuses to fix under warranty because they believe it was caused by the mod.

Post 2 - after a few pages:

Absolutely correct. Everyone needs to decide if the costs plus the tradeoffs are worth it for you.

Take the BBK as an example. By the time it is installed it will have set you back anywhere between $3500 and $4k. It will give you zero (let me repeat that - zero) benefits in day to day driving and, depending on the pads, may sound like a squealing pig. The only benefit (aside from cool painted calipers and possibly slotted rotors) is on the track.

If you never - or only very seldom - track your car then you really need to think about that mod and do a cost/benefit analysis.

You might decide that the cool factor is worth it - perfectly fine - but don't try to convince yourself that you'll get any day to day braking benefits.

The same holds true for most other mods.

The point of this thread is to get you to think about your mods, the benefits, the disadvantages and finally - to be honest with yourself about why you want to do the mod.

Most reasons are fine - improved performance - improved appearance (obviously subjective but you shouldn't care what anyone else thinks) - or just bragging rights.

Some mods can't be justified - those that are dangerous (but might look cool - ask yourself if there is a non - dangerous mod that accomplishes the same thing) and those that negatively affect others.

Let's look at a few examples

Dark tint on windshields (and even side windows) may reduce your visibility to the point of being dangerous at night. There have been some guys here that say "the tint is fine, I just roll my window down at night and look out that" - where was that guy when they handed out brains?

If your objective is heat/UV rejection, then you can get the identical (if not better) rejection using a 60% ceramic tint. If you objective is "looking cool" then you might want to reconsider that limo tint for something you can see out of at night. Find a buddy that has that tint and drive his car at night. Ask yourself objectively "is it safe?"

Higher Kelvin bulbs. We know (objectively) that the HID bulb that gives you the best balance between visibility and low glare is about 4300k. I didn't make that up, there have been a zillion studies on this - both here and Europe - we can accept that as a fact for current bulb technology. Going significantly higher will reduce usable visibility and increase glare for oncoming cars so, while bluer bulbs may look cool, they may be dangerous. Is there an alternative?

Whiter angel eye (or angle eye if you're into geometry) bulbs might even out the appearance of the front of your car and may make the headlights look "better" but may have warranty and reliability pitfalls - something that needs to be researched before you do that as an alternative to high Kelvin headlamps.

Now that I've beat a dead horse, let me give you a cliff notes version:

Modding a car to personalize it can be a good thing
Consider all the consequences and implication of your mod
Be prepared to pay for anything your mod breaks
Do your research
Be honest with yourself about the reasons for doing a mod

A few final bits of advice - don't go into debt for a mod that brings no actual driving performance improvements such as wheels, radios, paint and trim etc. Wait until you have the cash in hand to do those.

Virtually no mod will ever be recouped at resale unless you return the car to stock and sell the mods. The only mods that might make your a bit more desireable are very conservative appearance mods - legal tint in places like Florida for example. You won't get more money for your car but it might sell quicker.

Don't cheap out on important things like tires, brakes and maintenance. Although everyone under 25 is invincible, those things could save your life.

Respect the laws that affect others (catless exhausts, high Kelvin bulbs etc.)

 

THANK YOU!

I love you. so much.
if you dont mind, I'm going to post this in the 3G TL section. because, well, they need a lot more help than the 2G TSX section

 

A few folks interpreted it as a rant against modding - but nothing could be farther from the truth. It is merely an attempt to dissuade against mindless modding.

 

Go for it. Please link to the thread so that we can join in the fun. It'll undoubtedly go downhill quickly.

 

and you couldnt be closer to the truth.
do you know how many times a day the 3G section gets bombarded with..."what shall I do?"

Modify for your intentions. dont just jump on the bandwagon....but i digress as I'm just repeating what you have stated above.

 

Thank you for this great post

Absolutely great bits of final advice. I didn't want to quote the whole post so I figured that I would just comment on some of the parts that I liked the most.

I promised that I would never by something for my car if I didn't have the cash in the bank to do so. I learned that nothing is worth getting so far in debt that you can barely survive. Now let me say that I am absolutely guilty of buying things for my car that I don't need and I do buy items that I think are "cool," but If I don't fully understand what it does or how it works, I will not buy it. I weigh out the cost:performance:curb appeal:safety of whatever mod I plan on doing.

I also promised myself that I would nickel and dime on the important things... and I really liked how you put that bit of advice. Now that doesn't mean that I don't look for the deal on tires or brake pads... but any decision that I make regarding safety and so forth, I make sure that I do the research to find out what is best.

Happy modding

 

Like all of us here, I've spent plenty of money on what turned out to be useless mods - from the gas fired engine block heater that kept blowing water hoses in my 86 Jax XJ-12 HE VdP that I maybe used a handful of times but set me back $1500 (not counting the $5k to rebuild the heads after a water hose blew at 250kmh) to the "high efficiency ignition" in my Yukon that I ended up trading because of undiagnosed problem that ultimately turned out to be that damn ignition or the BBK that I put on my S6 that sounded like that pig on the GEICO ad and made clicking noises.

 

^ @ the BBK sounding like the pig on the GEICO ads.

 

So how old are you? You should also post pictures of your car, so others can "judge."

I agree with most of what you said. However, I think the "cool" thing about modding and car forums, is that people have different taste. If everyones car looked the same, or how you think it should look, then what fun would that be?

Most people in the car game have different taste in mods at different stages of their lives.

What are are these mods you speak of that are voiding warranty's and breaking cars?

 

damn watch where you step guys. dude just dropped some knowledge...

 

Beautiful shit



*waits for the 7621124124 threads with the title "what should I do?" that will happen after this thread*

 

Great write-up!!

Oddly enough, the timing is perfect to this week's Top Gear episode where it was asked why Americans always like to modify the cars they buy vs. Europeans who just buy the car for what it is and live with it.

 

Absolutely correct. Nodding is individual but you've got to do your homework first. Anything that is intended to change the performance characteristics of a system may cause warranty woes in that a dealer has the obligation to refuse warranty repairs on a failure if they believe that the mod caused or contributed to the failure.

Please don't start with the Magnusson -Moss Act as it does not apply to performance parts and you'll just get me started on my soapbox.

 

^^^I agree with that wholeheartedly. What I see on here a lot is that people will bandwagon and also lead people that ask the question "what should I do" to mod their car to resemble the person posting. If you REALLY look at the site, a lot of the cars look very similar...I'm sure I've been guilty of it even in the last 3 years.

About mods...I agree...I simmer on it and really think about whether or not I want it, whether or not it's worth it, whether or not I'd be able to resell it after (and have it residually not end up costing me anything) and whether or not it goes along with the theme of the car. I've had numerous mods that I reverse because I don't think it goes, or the risk of messing something else up makes me worried about it. I've even had mods that I look back at old posts and said NO EFFIN WAY would I ever get that...and have gotten it down the line.

Our cars make decent power, sure you can spend XXXXX amount of dollars and make the fastest TL on the forum...but at the end of the day, car X will come by and be faster, lower, nicer, more expensive etc. The trick is to have a balance between wanting more, but doing it within reason. Same reason I won't likely be trading in the car any time soon. It's not the best car at anything by any stretch...but it's definitely a jack of all trades which is what I want.


Great thread, thanks for sharing and starting it here. Good food for thought.

 

We always see the posts that say "just bought the car, what should I mod?" which is the wrong question.

To properly mod a car and make it "yours" you really need to drive it awhile and see what it is missing. Only then can you know what needs nodding.

Any modern car is pretty good for the average driver out of the box and only you can determine what your car needs to fit you.

 

So how old are you old guy? Any pics of your current ride/mods you see fit?

I know all about the Magnusson -Moss Act etc, yet I have never run into any issues. Most car companies offer all kinds of things for their cars now. Nisan, Lexus, Ford, Scion, Honda etc. Exhaust, intakes, sway bars, BBK's, super chargers etc.

The cool thing about a car forum, is that you can log in, look around and check out all kinds of mods. Showing different peoples taste. You see some things you like and some things you don't.

The main thing that get's on my nerves are all of the DIY things people do now days. People get carried away with them. Then again, most are younger guys that don't have a lot of money to buy the "good stuff."

 

Well-posted, OP, well-posted.

 

I just got my windows tint, dawg!

 

Not necessary, I've never posted pics of my car and I always hand hand out unwanted advice and judgement

 

stylinhonda is just jelly that he couldnt come up with this excellent post.

 

Well said. Having been guilty of "new modding syndrome" earlier last year I bought or added a few things that I ended up removing. After those missteps I decided to make a short list of things i'd like to do and slowly crossed them off as they became less important. I'm now down to one thing left (lower the car) but being in Mass its not safe with all the potholes so i'll keep it as-is.

Again, excellent post. we'll all direct others to it a lot i'm sure.

Thanks,
Matt

 

I'd just like to see what mods he has on his own car. No harm in that. Again this is a car forum, I like a good discussion.

 

Agreed...

 

Give it some time guys. I'm picking up the new chariot tomorrow and most mods will be invisible until you see the cars side by side.

Clear bra and a proper detail, including a good scotchguarding of the carpets before they get all gnarly will be the only initial mods. Thereafter, after I've driven the car for a while will I decide what bothers me. I'll probably be getting a pro-clip cell phone holder for my phone too.

Immediately following that, I'll be adding .5% tint, 22" spinners and chrome around all the doors to match the door handles.

My initial reaction is that car will perform as expected. I'm not sure that I'm a fan of the wheels but I've always kept a OE look to my cars, so I'll be looking for those 17" wheels that look like the 18" wheels from the V6. Depending on the ride/handling of the 17's, I might just look for a set of V6 wheels.

I'll also have to decide on the chrome door handles and I might see about getting them painted - but all that will wait until I've driven the car awhile - but the clear bra is job 1.

 

^ the v6 actually comes with 18s, get in touch with saucy he has a set of 18s for sale from his v6, he can probably hook you up

if you wanna stay OE you can also order euro sport suspension from overseas for a 1" drop and retain your factory warranty

 

I'd go with all season mats 2nd to compliment the clear bra.

Also, I'd suggest going with 24's to fill the well better.

 

You sound like the kind of "modder" I am with my car haha. So far, I haven't done anything because nothing has bugged me yet... but I do recommend looking into at least 18 for wheels if you are going to change them.

 

Thanks! great idea! Are they available in chrome like this.

 

This is me in my old car. My new ride is going to look just like this

 

Not a bad start. I've got the clear bra on my Lexus, it's done ok so far. Do you detail yourself?

 

I call this being hood rich....

 

Yep. Usually with a loofah in the shower.

Yes, I'm a fan of Menzerna products and about 3 times a year I break out the Porter Cable and spend a weekend oing the car. I'll do the first detail this weekend if the weather cooperates to clay bar all of the rail dust out of the car and to polish the bits under the clear bra. Then off to get the clear bra and then back to me to polish, seal and wax the whole car. I'll probably use Aquapel on the windows too since we don't have rain sensors.

 

Sounds nice. I just used the Menzerna PO 106 and PO 83 on my wifes TSX followed by 1
Z Einszett Glaze Wax! Post pics of your car once you get done! What color did you get?

 

Hmmm...I'm starting to realize:

1) you have a sense of humor, which is always appreciated.
2) you were reposting that from an old dude that posted in the the bimmer forum? You're not the ACTUAL old guy.

J.

 

Hmm interesting post. Those seem less like mods and more like add-ons...I'm guessing your modding style is probably affected by your previous experience on the BMW forum. I'll bet there were probably less "ricey" mods going on there. Generally I find most mods under $200 are pretty ricey. I was on the sixspeed forum last month and saw a funny post about a guy in the middle east taking delivery of a brand new Ferrari f458 and the first thing he did was ask about painting the roof! Luckily the guys on the forum convinced him to vinyl it instead.

Modding is so mainstream now compared to when I started. You know its mainstream when Toyota offers bodykits for Corollas. Most people want to personalize their car in some way and it's cool to see what their mods say about their style.

 

I also feel the way a man keep his car says alot about himself! lol

 

 

damn, i thought you were that old guy.

 

That depends on the definition of a mod. IMO, a mod is anything that didn't come from the factory. Pinstripes or flame decals would be a cosmetic mod, while using a torch to cut down your springs would be a performance mod

There isn't much of a difference between a clear bra and carbon fiber wrapping your grill - both are vinyl on the front of your car.

I've heard it argued that a clear coat correction to remove orange peel is a mod - I'd say it is more of a mod than a tacky stick on eBay wing that doesn't fit right.

 

Unfortunately, I am that old guy