mdkxtreme

So my TSX is my very first mod car and my last. Modding have been great so far, but there's just so much time, energy, and money involved in modding. Also, sometimes the mod doesn't even give you the expectation that you thought it would give. And worse, sometimes the mod makes your car worse off than before.

For instance my speakers. 400 dollars worth. They sound great, but now I have engine noise and my rear deck rattles like crazy from a more powerful 6x9. Now I gotta troubleshoot engine noise and pull apart my rear deck liner.

Mugen wheels. Looks good, feels good. But one of my tire starting to lose air quicker than the rest. Now gotta take it to the shop to inspect it.

Neuspeed super cup kit. Great suspension. But now scraping my front bumper a lot in city driving. Spent more time and money buying body molding to pad the front lip.

Those are a few problems. I know that modding comes with a price and its joy. But I just don't like having to worry about problems arising. My next car, I'm definitely keeping it stock and leaving it alone. I'm just burned out on time and energy trying to make my car perfect when it was already perfect off the line.

But man, my car looks GOOD with all the mods. But under it all, people just don't know the stress/frustration I go through trying to fix problems here and there.

How do you guys feel?

Ken1997TL

Live and learn.

If I were you I would have installed sound deadening first and foremost.

Fancy wheels IMO only attract thieves.

I'd never lower a car, just my thing.

I prefer to keep my car looking as stock as possible and keep the mods 'invisible'


Purely my opinion, everyone is different.

mdkxtreme

I definitely learned a lot from this. I'm still going to mod this TSX, but no more after this.

The thing about my wheels. I know that thieves can steal it if they want. But I got wheel locks and tilt sensors so that should be enough of a deterrence. But those deterrence alone cost MORE money and time.

I'm definitely keeping my next car stock as I learn that modding can be both joyful and painful.

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

It comes with the territory. When you start messing with something that wasnt supposed to be messed with (in the OEMs mind at least), you're bound to run into some issues.

And you say no more now. Wait until you get your next car. You will change your mind.

mrmako

It's all a personal taste. To make a car a bit "individual", people modify them. There are some things that will cost little, and do little. Some things cost a lot (time, money) but do a lot more. To each their own.

Here in Japan, it is technically "illegal" to modify a vehicle (prefecture law says so), however, everyone "mods their car" (even a clip on rear view mirror is a mod).

gatrhumpy

iTrader: (1)

I like modifying cars. My Accord was brand new when I bought it 5 years and 117K miles ago. I have had people mention that the car looks brand new.

You have to do what's right and within the confines of the law to make you happy with cars.

vas25tl

My first TL - due to lowered suspension and wheels, the ride was uncomfortable and suspension wore out quicker, but the car looked great.

I spent about $6000 on mods in the year and a half of ownership and maybe got $2000 back when I parted everything out - was it worth it? At 17, yes. At 25, no.

I had a Mazda 6 last winter and all I did was tint the windows. I had a buyer back out just because of the tints. I told him I'd get them taken off but he didn't want it.. I thought it was strange but I somewhat understand him. When I look at a vehicle to buy, something as small as tints could turn me away; I try to find something completely factory and something that looks like a 50-60 year old man drove it.


My current vehicle is stock.

Black Tire

I only changed my springs on the 99TL to the H&R sports springs to better handling. I did it out of necessity because the stock springs were useless for my driving style. Rest of the car is stock.

SuperTrooper169

iTrader: (2)

It's a love hate thing. I love modding my car, but I hate the mods that don't go exactly as planned and/or require more fabrication/custom mounting than expected, but I love sharing with others how I made it work. I love getting compliments on my car or when people think it's a brand new Accord. I've had three people ask me if it was an '09.

I think you say you won't be modding your next car, but you will end up modding it. I swore up and down with this car I wouldn't be modding it at all except for an intake. Well the intake went so well that it led to the exhaust, then the wheels, then the drop, etc etc etc.

fsttyms1

Every one has their own tastes and opinions. I personally dont like being like every one else and want something that i made to my tastes. I always have and probably always will. Im always wanting something a little different.

teranfon

I've never really enjoyed modding a car. When I have, it's always been with substantial performance upgrades. I'm more of a purist, tending to leave them in their factory specifications.

That being said, I'm obsessed with them having to work correctly. A stumble, a pull the to the left, a slight squeal from the brakes, and it's in my shop and being corrected. Sometimes I'll go out at five in the morning and start working on a car because something isn't quite right.


Terry

mdkxtreme

I said that I won't mod my next car, so I'm 99% sure I won't. I just learn that it's not worth the headache. Also, I'm keeping my TSX until the engine falls off on it's own. So there's no need to mod another car.

I'm with Terry, sometimes when something is wrong with my car, I stay up 2 in the morning with halogen lights in my garage just to fix the problem.

There are plenty of pro's too on modding. I get complimented all the time. When I'm at a stop light, I catch people checking out my wheels and pointing at it with their friends, hahaha.

My next car will most likely be a family car and like I said, it will stay FACTORY.

Costco

I like to do subtle mods. I mod to my taste, because it doesn't really matter what other people think, as long as I like it, cause its my car after all. I'm more about performance mods too - function over form - but I don't like doing mods that sacrifice daily driveability. But its nice to get compliments

I'm actually a bit lazy, so I have a few mods sitting in my room but haven't installed them yet. But once I get started fixing or installing something, I won't quit until its done.

jspagna1

I can never leave well enough alone either. I always do mods to my cars. I think it personalizes a car.
I think you need to make sure the mods are subtle. If you go to crazy though I think you limit yourself when it comes time to sell.
It's like a house. Some people will not buy a house with a pool and some people want a house with a pool.

dallison

for the most part i keep mine factory. You lose too much if you resell most people don't want to see mods, it gives the impression the car was beat.

I won't touch a car that was modded, there would really have to be an exception.

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

Pros=better aesthetics, performance, personalization.

Cons=$$, headaches, and did I mention $$?

So, you have to see whether the pro's outweigh the cons.

Costco

I agree about the house thing... there are millions and millions of houses out there, but no two houses are the same inside and out. Gotta make it my car, not just a car. I think its part of what makes owning a car fun. Can't do that if you're leasing it

subinf

I cared a lot more when I was younger. Now I'd only consider exhaust (if I build it myself), intake, and window tint.

TheMirror

To the OP - kind of interesting, I did similar mods but scaled them back a bit. For stereo, I went with the Avincar kit with stock head-unit. Performed well. For suspension, I went with the A-spec kit and Comptech RSB; which gave me a little lowering, much better handling, but no real ground clearance issues. I got Gram Lights wheels, which are good but way cheaper than the Mugens.

In short, as time has gone on I have made my mods more conservative....and I find that I end up happier with less headaches.

spdy0001

I agree with the OP

My next vehicle will most likely only have the windows tinted.

My CLS has H&R Sport springs which make the car look nice and handle nice but the ride is much more harsh and the CV joints have been replaced twice and now the ball joint is going on the passenger side which won't be covered under warrenty due to the springs.

My explorer has large offroad tires which look good and I can go just about anywhere but it rides like hell and they are expensive.

RaviNJCLs

iTrader: (4)

I modded 3 out of the 5 cars I have owned.

The 88 Camry was only stereo. I went from having a crappy stock set up to having a very nice sounding albeit expensive set up. When I sold the car all of it was removed and the car returned to stock. It did not hurt the value of the car upon re-sale.

That stereo went into my 95 Maxima SE. It cost me a bit on new ply wood and carpet for the floors, but everything else fit. So that was a wash. After the car was paid for and the suspension needed replacing, I lowered the car and added some 17 inch wheels. I also installed an intake and exhaust system. All in all, there was no performance upgrade, but I personally enjoyed driving the car more. I can't say that it hurt the value of the car when I sold it.

The one that was most modified was the 01 CLs. At the peak it had upgraded intake, headers, exhaust, suspension, brakes, wheels, cooling system and stereo. I loved driving that car. I sometimes wished I still had it (then I remember the transmission.) It cost a lot to get the parts and to install them. When I sold the car, I had all the performance parts removed and sold them separately. I came very close to making my money back, but it was a PITA.

Now I have a 2004 I35 and a 2003 Pathfinder. They do not even have tinted windows. The only mods in each is a child seat.

Sometimes you have to do things when you are younger to appreciate having done them when you turn 35. I don't regret modding any of the cars I have owned. And if I get another sports car, I may mod again.

ineedmyfixofacura

iTrader: (2)

Personally depends on the car for me. If I had a TSX i would probably leave it stock, but my RSX I want to mod the crap out of it and probably try to never sell it. I know it will be hard but as it's out of production I look at it as a somewhat rare car. I wouldn't mind something like a 4G TL 6spd tech pckg, I would do nothing at all to it, maybe tints.

shrykhar

I did mod mine quite a bit. The biggest pitfall so far has been listening to the advice of others who have different ideas of what mods a daily driver can take. For instance, stiffer engine mounts means the whole car vibrates and drones, upgraded clutch means tons of chatter, lightweight flywheel means it stalls and judders everywhere, and so on. Then you run into the issues of exceeding the limits of stock hardware - snapped bolts, torn serpentine belts, stripped pulleys.

lcrazyaznl

iTrader: (1)

I modded my tsx bit by bit so money slowly drained out of my wallet here and there.

The car does turns heads in good ways and bad ways.
Cops, thieves, and trouble.

Enjoy your car i mean i do get annoyed at parking this car so I won't get any more dings and scrapes but what else can you do people look at it.

mdkxtreme

Dude you are so right about people's opinions on mods. I believe most of the reviews on mods and products are biased reviews because since they just dropped hundreds of dollars on a mod, they're not going to go online and trash talk their own stuff.

People said upgrading front and rear deck speakers are the way to go. But honestly, our stock speakers were good enough. I thought I was going to be blown away by crisp clear sound, but not much have been improved. Maybe it's partly my fault for jumping the gun on the speakers, but I keep hearing that factory speakers are sh*t and crap and so I wanted to see what the buzz was all about with after market speakers.

I think most of us who drop big money on mods gets a placebo affect and go online RIGHT AFTER the install and praise how different and better it feels when in actuality, most of the mods don't make much of a difference....

pits200

Well I feel there are 2 types of mods.

One is to correct a glaring weakness in the car that the manufacturer didn't spend enough R&D on. For example, I have an 01 CL-S, that car stock sits so high compared to a BMW or many other cars. Therefore, I went out an got HR OE springs and new struts which lowered the car 1 inch. Now is that really a mod or was I just getting the car to a more reasonable height?

The second kind of mod is when you get new rims because you feel they look better but they don't really have any added performance value to your vehicle.

Overall, I will "mod" a car on all the things that I feel are strong weaknesses from the factory and will weigh the other "mods" based on price to return ratio.

zguy95135

I don't plan on doing a whole lot to my TSX. Just Ground Controls/Koni's, chassis bracing, intake, hi flow cat, Hondata and wheels and tires (maybeee a bbk). I plan on driving the car until it dies so it would be worth it to me to upgrade a few things here and there to keep my interest in the car up.

teh CL

iTrader: (1)

^

sounds like enough stuff..

& i will mod every car i own in one way or another..

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

Sometimes. There are wheels out there that serve a purpose (i.e. lightweight Gram Lights or SSRs) and most of the time stickier tires come with that as well. Most lower a car for handling, and the tires just amplify the performance gains by being able to actually transfer the loads to the ground much better.

pits200

I mean, I understand that but then you can technically justify almost every mod because it does this or that.

I'm talking about significant changes or big upgrades that don't really change the entire concept of the car.

Like headers on the CL, I almost don't consider that a mod because of how much power it adds, better gas mileage and just a great upgrade across the board with no downside.

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

True.

neuronbob

Great thread. I modded all three Acuras I owned. I lowered all three cars (the latter two with Acura-designed springs), tinted my RL, did an intake on the RL, and while I enjoyed the fruits of my labor, it did take some work and troubleshooting.

I therefore bought a car I thought I wouldn't need to mod. Well....you know the saying, "the more you have the more you want"? Sigh. I've already done an axleback exhaust and will probably reprogram the tranny of my V for better response.

I'm finding it hard to give up the modding habit.

Ken1997TL

Mod list.. (Short version)

'96 Civic (sold) = Cold air intake, MP3 player

'88 Accord (sold) = CAI, sound deadening, new speakers, CD/Mp3 headunit, 15" wheels and sport tires

'97 TL = Type II engine swap + OBDI swap, CAI, resonator delete, sound deadening, various stereo headunits with iPod and Sirius, better speakers. Rear seat heaters. '04 RL shift plate, '04 RL shiftknob. Real woodtrim on the center console. I tried adding VSA but that didn't turn out too well, required a lot of wiring and more RL parts than I felt was worth it. Wheels are stock.

'91 Prelude (sold) = H22 swap, sound deadening, new speakers and headunit with Sirius and iPod. Stock wheels and tires.

'02 RL = LED gauge mod, CAI (sounds like a luxurious NSX now), '04 RL shiftplate, '04 RL shifter. Onstar converted to Bluetooth (work in progress) and possible '04 RL navi/HVAC/stereo conversion. I'd like to add the '04 RL twiddlers on the front doors and possibly some tweeters from the 1st gen TL on the dash. Tempted to swap a steering rack from a European Legend as well.

pits200

Ken, it seems the newer car that you get, the more mods go into it.. Lol, I can't wait to see your mod list 10 years from now on that car.

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

Heres a brief summary of my history:

88 Civic hb (sold) - stereo, motor swap, then bought another motor that never made it into the engine bay.

94 Prelude VTEC (sold) - springs, stereo, header during my 2 month ownership

90 Civic hb (current) - fully gutted, mildly built k20z3, too much to list

03 CL-S6 (current) - suspension, stereo, wheels, 3.6l build, exhaust, lighting

Theres alot of crap Ive done to all my cars (aside from the Prelude), so I just listed mainly the categories. And thats not including my bike. I know its never a smart investment, but its a fun one, albeit expensive.

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

I've never modded my other cars (other than tints) until this car. Now look at me. Shoot, yesterday I ordered the Carbon Fiber OEM steering wheel for my Type S. I'm a sicko........

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

Its addicting.