We’re all about modifying our cars, right? Car accessories are a dime a dozen, except for the “proper” ones. Proper being the ones that have function, form, and above all, actually do something for one’s vehicle. To each his or her own, though, and we can’t stop anyone from buying some mods for their own use. But we have to admit some of them really will gather a lot of opinions, and some are just outright dangerous.
We’ve looked at what accessories are currently available in the Philippines and we’ve come up with a list of five of the most ridiculous that we’ve found. Read on.
Table of Contents
If, say, your seatbelt catcher is damaged and keeps on activating the “Wear Your Seatbelt” buzzer, normally you’d still wear your seatbelt on the way to get it fixed, right? Or if for some odd reason, an empty seat’s catcher or sensor malfunctions and keeps buzzing, then one of these would come in handy.
The problem here is that some motorists use this to totally bypass the wearing of seatbelts. Given that we’d like to think that that particular usage is not the intention of the manufacturers of this here car accessory, it’s being abused. The most instances we’ve seen this being done is in, of all vehicles, a TNVS. A couple of times, the driver would even say that the seatbelt is a nuisance and would rather not wear one at all.
If you’re one who buys and uses these car accessories in such a way, we hope it doesn’t get to a point where the seatbelt won’t save your life.
Possibly one of the earliest and most accessible “look fast” car accessories in the market, fake vents can be seen on so many vehicles on the road. Purely aesthetic in nature, this is a go-to for those who want to give their vehicles a sporty touch, if you will. The problem is that again, it is purely aesthetic and does not do anything to make you go fast. But the bigger issue here is that most of these car accessories come with nothing but double-sided tape to stick them on.
That is a problem. For accessories that need to be stuck on panels, there are heavy-duty types that can (and should) be bought and used. Most of these vents in the market use low-quality tape, and that can mean that they can come off at any time, and god forbid, fly off into someone else’s car or windshield.
We don’t blame those who buy and put these car accessories on, but at least use proper tape. Nothing’s more ridiculous than a half-hanging vent while running a spirited 20 km/h on EDSA traffic, right?
Back then we saw button-activated, electronic speakers that give off the sound of a blow-off valve. Quite the novelty those things are. But for those who are on a budget but want to get that boosted sound, we saw this, the “Turbo Sound Car Exhaust Muffler Whistle Pipe”.
These car accessories are literally bolt-on pieces that you stick right onto your muffler tip to “make your vehicle sound(s) like a turbo vehicle with the turbo system valve”. Wow, that’s a mouthful to market these things, huh?
It’s also ridiculous. It’s another look-and-“sound”-fast goody but this is an accident waiting to happen. The constant vibration of a muffler can easily rattle a nut loose even with a washer, and when that happens, it’s bye bye whistle pipe. Then it falls out and gets rolled over by another vehicle, then you have a possible flat tire or damaged undercarriage parts or worst, a flying whistle pipe that will hit anything with no regard whatsoever.
Stay away from these things.
Car accessories that are of the flashy lights kind can frequently be seen on many vehicles. Take this one, for instance. Not only do they obstruct a driver’s rearview, but they also don’t help the driver behind, especially if its brightness is set to such high levels that you’ll feel like a 90’s kid in a deep trance rave in Makati or The Fort.
This is a no-brainer. Though the Anti-Distracted Driving Act mainly applies to a driver’s frontal view, it goes without saying that the rearview shouldn’t be obstructed either. Imagine getting stuck behind a car with one of these accessories in an unmoving traffic jam complete with the flames of hell (refer to left and 2nd from the top image in the photo) burning into your eyes. Traffic is bad enough, and that will just make it worse.
Speaking of burning into your eyes…
As we’ve mentioned, car accessories relating to lighting are some of the most commonly purchased and used. Take this instance here, where some vehicle owners would replace their stock taillight bulbs with overly bright, high-watt LED cluster bulbs. Visibility is good, make no mistake about that, but really, in the same breath as those animated backglass LED car accessories, this has to be one of the most annoying ones you’ll find slapped onto a car.
Blinking taillights have already been deemed illegal, and really, the use of these blinding bulbs should be, too. There are proper rear foglights for that, whether they are installed at the factory or bolted on later. And besides, rear fogs are not to be used, you guessed it, without fog or impeded visibility.
Gridlock traffic in Metro Manila has sadly become a “way of life”, but just imagine being behind these blinding brake lights. We’re pretty sure they’ll make you see red in more ways than one, and that’s just not a good thing.
–
Some car accessories are useful and practical, and some car accessories are really just a waste of money and at the same time can be annoying, illegal, and dangerous to put on your vehicle. We’re sure a lot of you will have mixed reactions to this list, but before you come at us with torches and pitchforks, we hope you took the time to read why we think of these car accessories as such.
Don’t worry, we’ll come up with a list of good buys, too, but that’ll have to wait. We want to make sure they aren’t anywhere near ridiculous like the car accessories we listed here.
