Car Modifications in India | Legal Vs. Illegal
Highlights
People get more inclined towards car modification because it alternates the performance of the car and enhances the look. But before you finalise your decision to modify your car, you should know all the factors related to it. The reason is not all types of modification are legal in India. The Supreme Court came up with its guidelines in 2019.
The modified cars are very different from the usual ones because their entire premise changes. In other words, playing with "structural features" becomes very difficult. If you make changes in a car's engine or chassis, it is considered as illegal. Therefore, going on with your imagination and making it real on your car can land you in some serious legal problems.
To have a great ownership experience, people generally love to differentiate their cars from the crowd. This requires modifications and you may end up spending more money on the car. However, small modifications like after-market alloy wheels or leather seat covers do not break the rules. But there are some illegal modifications you need to be careful about. Take a look at this article to know more regarding the modification process.
Illegal modifications: Tinted glass
Having tinted glass on your vehicle is one of the most common traffic laws that people often defy. Traffic police easily catch this offence and charge people with fines. According to the law, your car should have at least 75% of visibility for the rear window, and for the side windows, it is 50%.
Fancy horns can be a menace
The sound of the horns in a car should always have a prescribed limit. Sometimes people end up installing loud horns and get away with it. Horns like sirens and pressure horns are a real pain in the ear. Moreover, installing these types of horns is a major legal offence. So yeah! Fancy horns do sound great, but it is a real pocket trimmer.
Loud exhausts are horrible
Car exhausts have two types of functions, one is to regulate the emissions, and the other is to control the sound. Some young people prefer the after-market exhausts as they sounds louder. And now, this might satisfy your ego, but the police do not prefer it.
Legal modifications- engine and tyre modification
One can choose to change the tyre or the car's engine if it does not work properly and need some changes. In the case of tyres, the manufacturers might offer different specs of tyres for different variants. These fall under the legal modification list that you can consider.
Colour modification and fuel change
If you do not like the colour of your car, then you can change it, and this is legal. However, there is only one condition; the colour must be RTO approved. On the other hand, CNG kit fitment is available for cars that run on diesel.
Light modifications
Lights play the most important role when driving in the dark; LED lights and auxiliary lights are totally safe to modify or change. This modification is not considered as illegal by the state governments and the central government.
In Conclusion
It is always advisable to use a car in a standard form. Of course, modification sounds and looks great, but it can also lead you into some trouble. You can get away with the small changes made in a car, whereas to stay safe from the legal problems, make sure not to indulge in any kind of major modification in the car. Think everything through before taking a final decision.