It’s hardly a crime to play around with features that might fit with our cars, as long as we perceive such as upgrades. Stock/standard features of cars are never enough, that is why you will always find one upgrade or the other, but as we all might agree, not all of these upgrades create the desired effect(s) as expected by the owners-that is exactly what we are going to discuss here with Nigerian cars and car owners’ behaviour as a case study.

Fancy exhaust clips: have you ever seen double exhaust 1.6L Toyota corolla? It might sound very bogus but it’s very possible with these silver coated cylindrical composite components which can be simply attached to the original stock exhaust tips of typical cars. These attachments hardly blend with most cars and clearly can be identified as a foreign body; in worse cases, these exhaust tips clipped vibrate uncontrollably and can even produce disturbing sounds when these clips lose their stiffness. As for the double exhaust trick on the Toyota, the second fancy exhaust tip was attached unto the bumper base, which was in alignment with the main exhaust tip.
[b]False Increased ride height: [/b]It might seem like a smart move to simply add ‘rubber stabilizers’ to increase the overall height of strut assemblies, which goes further to increase the ride height without any complimentary chassis enhancements. The immediate effect-or merit as most might perceive it to be-would be easily driving through bumpy areas especially at low speeds, but the clear demerit would be robbing the dynamic stability of such cars especially at high speeds which make manoeuvring uneasy and unsafe. Not forgetting the extra work-load for the associated suspension components.

Fancy tail-lights: [/b]the swagger filled folks might not like these, but replacing stock backlights with fancy silver/red based backlights formed like jeweleries doesn’t create that ‘wow’ effect; and here is why-these backlights steal a whole lot of emphasis from the appearance of the entire car. In an attempt to beautiful your car, always try balancing things up by taking cognizance of effects from other areas of the car, from little door knobs to elaborate wheels of the car.

[b]Low quality seat covers: ever bought seat covers that barely lasted for 3months? Seat covers ideally should provide a protective layer from sweat and moist which are the major enemies of both leather and fabric upholstery. Some seat covers might not necessarily be of low quality, but when mismatched-too tight or too loose with the actual seats-it becomes an issue. Personally, the better option is taking care of your car seats for them to last long.

Fake silver coated wheels: I don’t like commonly available silver shade alloy wheels, I prefer dark ones meant for low profile tyres-but that’s just me. Different individuals have different preferences, some even like chrome spinners and fancy wheels basically, where the problem lies is procuring the fake ones which peel off overtime like bad paint-jobs.

OBDII scanners: some cars come with this feature and can even self diagnose; but it seems there is this safe feel owning stand-alone OBDII scanners, especially knowing very well the type of mechanics we have around. But the truth of the matter-as stated in this article-is that these diagnostic tools are mostly for the pros and as observed overtime, non-technically savvy car owners procuring their own OBDII scanners causes avoidable conflicts and complications. Why not rather invest in good, trustworthy and experienced (verified)?

High aspect ratio/wider rim diameter: Its plain scary when you find tyres literally brushing against the walls of tyre housings at the slightest encounter with bumps; the funny thing is that these owners are the ones that complain most about difficult steering and increased fuel consumption. It’s plain wisdom to stick within the range of acceptable rim diameters and tyre width as suggested by your car’s manufacturer. Don’t try forcing a 16’’ wheel unto the hub of a Toyota Yaris as ride quality worsens and your car will be unstable and unsafe.

Mismatched SUV grille/bumper shields: forcing aftermarket Nissan Pathfinder grille shields unto the sub-frame chassis of a Toyota Rav-4 or that of a Honda CRV is what is referred to as a mismatch! Asides making the entire looks of the vehicle less attractive, these improperly mounted shields can equally pose to be a safety concern. Because you never know when such attachments might fall off.

Switching to high-end cars with low budget mind: Some folks switch from driving a Toyota Camry to owning an Audi A6, but am hardly impressed because before you know it they would switch back to owning yet another popular Japanese brand; but not without labelling German cars as unreliable fuel guzzlers. Maintenance budgets for different car vary, that is why before you decide making that big switch, be equally ready to alter your budget to suite your new purchase.
source:http://www.autobaseafrica.com/auto-upgrades-that-dont-really-upgrade/

Some folks hv an odd sense of humour...I once came across a green E38 BMW 740i with 'AMG' badges and as if that wasn't enough-V12 badges were placed on the grille,B-pillars and the boot lid...

Lol! @ Platinumricky.



@ immune#1,

I agree with you on your write up except one: No OBD II scanner for every car owner. I strongly disagree with you on that. There is nothing wrong with DIY ( Do it Yourself) . Dont discourage it. There is nothing wrong with a car owner finding out by himself/herself what is wrong with his vehicle. Even if he/she cant do the replacement of the faulty part(s), at least he can take it to a mechanic to check the very failed part the scanner indicated or replace it for him, to prevent the trial and error our mechanics engage in. Only the OBD II scanner will make it easy for a non-technical minded person to be able to do so and understand his or her car better. OBD II scanner was not invented for the mechanics or rewires only, its also a DIY tool.

Even with my technical-how on cars, i still take my cars to a mechanic to fix sometimes, depending on what that is, but must not be electrical. I would take my car to a mechanic to change brake pad for me, if i feel i dont have that strength to do it at that time, but under my supervision or being watchful so that he doesnt touch where i wouldnt want him to. There are some mechanical parts that i donot have the tools to replace them yet. In that case, i will take it to him to replace for me or i simply buy the tool and do it myself, if i can afford it at the moment. But i do the troubleshooting myself. And anything that concerns electricals, i troubleshoot and fix it myself, no matter how long it takes.

So, i take exception to that your opinion "No OBD scanner for non-technically savvy car owners" , unless thats not what you meant. With the scanner, they will become one and properly man their vehicles.

And please, i believe this Car Talk section was created for the this: DIY. For people to learn, have better understanding of their vehicles and possibly learn how to fix some issues with their vehicles. It was created for vehicle owners, aspiring future vehicle owners and including the auto mechanics/rewires.

Ikenna.

Ikenna351: Lol! @ Platinumricky.



@ immune#1,

I agree with you on your write up except one: No OBD II scanner for every car owner. I strongly disagree with you on that. There is nothing wrong with DIY ( Do it Yourself) . Dont discourage it. There is nothing wrong with a car owner finding out by himself/herself what is wrong with his vehicle. Even if he/she cant do the replacement of the faulty part(s), at least he can take it to a mechanic to check the very failed part the scanner indicated or replace it for him, to prevent the trial and error our mechanics engage in. Only the OBD II scanner will make it easy for a non-technical minded person to be able to do so and understand his or her car better. OBD II scanner was not invented for the mechanics or rewires only, its also a DIY tool.



Even with my technical-how on cars, i still take my cars to a mechanic to fix sometimes, depending on what that is, but must not be electrical. I would take my car to a mechanic to change brake pad for me, if i feel i dont have that strength to do it at that time, but under my supervision or being watchful so that he doesnt touch where i wouldnt want him to. There are some mechanical parts that i donot have the tools to replace them yet. In that case, i will take it to him to replace for me or i simply buy the tool and do it myself, if i can afford it at the moment. But i do the troubleshooting myself. And anything that concerns electricals, i troubleshoot and fix it myself, no matter how long it takes.

So, i take exception to that your opinion "No OBD scanner for non-technically savvy car owners" , unless thats not what you meant. With the scanner, they will become one and properly man their vehicles.

And please, i believe this Car Talk section was created for the this: DIY. For people to learn, have better understanding of their vehicles and possibly learn how to fix some issues with their vehicles. It was created for vehicle owners, aspiring future vehicle owners and including the auto mechanics/rewires.

Ikenna.

Well said. Was just about to pick issues with that part too.

Ikenna, i concur. Nice one

Ikenna351:
Lol! @ Platinumricky.



@ immune#1,

I agree with you on your write up except one: No OBD II scanner for every car owner. I strongly disagree with you on that. There is nothing wrong with DIY ( Do it Yourself) . Dont discourage it. There is nothing wrong with a car owner finding out by himself/herself what is wrong with his vehicle. Even if he/she cant do the replacement of the faulty part(s), at least he can take it to a mechanic to check the very failed part the scanner indicated or replace it for him, to prevent the trial and error our mechanics engage in. Only the OBD II scanner will make it easy for a non-technical minded person to be able to do so and understand his or her car better. OBD II scanner was not invented for the mechanics or rewires only, its also a DIY tool.

Even with my technical-how on cars, i still take my cars to a mechanic to fix sometimes, depending on what that is, but must not be electrical. I would take my car to a mechanic to change brake pad for me, if i feel i dont have that strength to do it at that time, but under my supervision or being watchful so that he doesnt touch where i wouldnt want him to. There are some mechanical parts that i donot have the tools to replace them yet. In that case, i will take it to him to replace for me or i simply buy the tool and do it myself, if i can afford it at the moment. But i do the troubleshooting myself. And anything that concerns electricals, i troubleshoot and fix it myself, no matter how long it takes.

So, i take exception to that your opinion "No OBD scanner for non-technically savvy car owners" , unless thats not what you meant. With the scanner, they will become one and properly man their vehicles.

And please, i believe this Car Talk section was created for the this: DIY. For people to learn, have better understanding of their vehicles and possibly learn how to fix some issues with their vehicles. It was created for vehicle owners, aspiring future vehicle owners and including the auto mechanics/rewires.

Ikenna.