Car modification rules are so easy to understand. It can save lots of money and time.
In our country, many people love to modify their cars and they do modifications.
Car modification fun is spoiled when traffic police cut ‘challan’ for illegal car modifications. I have faced the same problems many times then I studied and telling you about the 10 Car modification rules which are fully legal .
10 legal Rules of Car Modification in India
Table of contents
If Car Modification details are matched with RC then you don’t have to think about any thing.
Let us take a example: Suppose you have a car and runs on a petrol. You think that petrol is too costly and planned to place a CNG kit in your car, So that it can run Eco Friendly and pocket friendly.
If you see your RC, It is clearly mentioned that you have a petrol variant car. If you put CNG then the details will mismatch.
Now you can say this car modification is not legal until you change it into RC.
1.Colour
As I have discussed If your car details are matching with RC then it is legal.
If you want to change color of your car ,yes you can change it by taking the permission from RTO.
But Now in modern era there are lots of alternative rather than paint a Car. You can use vinyl wraps. Car sticker also can be used and they are absolutely legal.
Benefit of vinyl wraps is that you can remove easily if you don’t like it. The average life of the vinyl is 2-2.5 years. Partially wraps can also be done with different patterns & textures.
2.Tyres
If you are planning to replace your car tires, you should check the size of the tires that it is not coming out from the car body. You can not fit larger tires in your vehicle because of two reasons. First, the larger will affect the vehicle’s performance, and Second, and most importantly, it will not legal.
Do you really want larger tires? You can do one thing: if you have a lower variant of the car. You can use bigger tires from the upper variant. It will be legal and it will not affect the performance of the vehicle.
If we talk about the width of the Maruti Suzuki breeza tires for the base model it is 205 mm, and for the upper model, it is 215 mm. Doing these types of Car modifications will not create any issue.
3.After Market Accessories
You should not install child lock, power window, IRVM screens from the aftermarket. Let me tell you about one incident, One of my uncles bought a car with two front power windows inbuild in it. After a month he thought he should add two more power windows for a backside. He went and made a fitment of two more power windows from the aftermarket for the rear seats. Car window was working perfectly. He and his family enjoying this new fitment.
One day he decided to go to the picnic with his wife. In the mid of the route, they met an accident. The car is full of smoke from inside. He tried to open the door but it was locked, then he tried to open the window. The windows were also locked. He tried everything to open the lock of the door but unfortunately, nothing is worked. One nice person was passing from there. He broke the glass of the window and took out my uncle and his wife from the car. They had suffocated a lot but thanks to god that no one is harmed much. Then the car was examined and got the result why this happened. The reason was “Work done in the aftermarket”.
My reason for telling this incident is Aftermarket work is so risky in terms of safety . That’s why our government also not giving lots of freedom to car modifiers. One another reason for not installing IRVM, Child lock, or any electrical system is the warranty. Any cutting in wires or improper connecting can cause you a loss of your warranty. I think this is the most important rule of car modification.
4.Car Modification rules for Alloy wheels
One of the most famous car modifications in India is changing your regular car wheels with alloy wheels. Do you know alloy wheels improve your car’s performance? But if we talk about the rules about alloy wheels that are simple and similar to tires rules which I have discussed earlier.
You can use alloy wheels of the upper variant provided by the car company. There are lots of different types of alloy wheels present in the aftermarket as well. Oversized alloy wheels are not legal in India and not preferable as well.
5.Car Modification rules for Engine
Yes, Modification of car engines is legal but to some limit. Before that, you have to take permission from the RTO office. You cannot change a lower power engine to a higher power engine. Car manufacturing companies already have some decided data for the capacity of the engine. Going beyond the specified capacity will cause illegal car modification.
6.Pressure horn
If you are planning to change your car horn make sure it will not break the car modification rule for car horns. The rule is you can not install a car horn louder than 80 decibels(unit of sound). Also, PCB(pollution control board) has banned air horns,multi-toned and musical horns.
7.No changing the structure of the vehicle
In one line, changing your car shape and size is not legal in any way. Except you have certification from the Automotive Research Authority of India(ARAI). And also it is not preferable to do changes in your car body because of safety reasons.
I am not saying that it is impossible to make it legal. But it is not easy for general people to pass through the whole car designing and approving procedure.
8.The car roof stays
If you have a good bank balance so that you can buy a convertible car like Mini cooper convertible or Mercedes Benz c class then it is good. But what if you have little money and a lot of desire for a convertible car.
Unfortunately, you can not do any modifications to make your car convertible. Changing the shape and size will reduce the strength of the car and this is illegal as well.
But yes. Mahinda Thar can give you some wonderful experience whit its soft-top.
9.Car modification rules for Suspension
You can upgrade your suspension and it is okay. It will improve your riding experience. But you have to keep in your mind the ground clearance of the car. Increasing a few inches in your ride height can also give you problems. And absolute it will not come in legal car modifications.
10.Modification rules for car Exhaust
If you are using an aftermarket exhaust and if it did not have a seal from the RTO then it is not legal. Before buying the exhaust please check the seal of approval from RTO. Do you know removing the exhaust muffler is also illegal? Yes, it is and on the other hand, it will reduce the fuel efficiency and performance of the vehicle.
Check video also