[exhaustpipe]

I would vote for all three but in terms of my preference, I would first go for performance mods followed by functional and lastly Aesthetic mods.

On my Camry Hybrid, I wanted a more refined audio experience. It is now ICEd with - a double-din Pioneer stereo, component speakers, base tube, tweeters and miscellaneous. Sounds fantastic and surprisingly close to audiophile-grade sound quality, even thought it was an aftermarket job.

On my Audi TT MK3, which I bought fully loaded, there wasn't much scope for improving the functional and aesthetics of the car. However, after the extended warranty elapsed, and the mechanical parts had settled in at a mileage of 14,000 KMS, I went ahead with:

1. Stage 1 APR
2. Armytrix full valvetronic exhaust
3. Stage 2 APR with pop and crackle
4. Upgraded and tweaked the cars firmware to get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in the virtual cockpit
5. Covered, just the side view mirror caps, with silver Vinyl wrap. Same as the colour of the fuel cap. Makes it look more TT-S / TT-RS.
6. Added some more menu items, MAP upgrades and small mods using VCDS

All these were done gradually, over a course of 2 years. I wanted to flavour the car in its vanilla form before modifying it. In my personal opinion, you get more bang for buck and the car’s allure is renewed then and again.

On my BMW 530d F10, a somewhat similar story as that of the TT:

1. Quantum stage 1 remap.
2. Android Auto and Apple Car play box
3. Modifications to HUD, Cluster, NBT and other aspects of the car using ESYS.
4. Automatic open/close wireless charger cum holder. It’s a small item with huge returns.

Let me have your thoughts guys, and recommendations on what else can be done to soup-up these cars.

Thanks for reading.

[sunikkat]

I am in for all 3.

For my Octavia TDI have done ECU remap, Suspension upgrade, alloys upsize, android head unit, bi xenon upgrade and TPMS. So I guess I covered all 3.

But if I have to pick one it would definitely be performance. I consider alloys upgrade as performance than aesthetics

[shivamk11]

Voted for all three as I have personally done them all on my Tiago.

I would definitely detail everything in an ownership report if I am ever able to stop procrastinating.

[emmenhr]

Interesting thread and a little relevant to my car buying plans when I relocate to India soon.

I would also vote for all the three but as is the case in india, not everyone has the luxury of affording more than one car and that becomes an impediment in many a car nut dreams!!

Here in Qatar, I drive a totally modified Wrangler TJ (Performance / Aesthetic & Functional) ; a totally stock Grand Cherokee and a partially performance modified Nissan Xterra.

Now coming back to my relocation, plan to have only one car that would help my daily/family needs and also help out partially my craze for offroading / travelling.

So my question to you learned BHPians is, should I go in for:

1. Stock Mahindra Thar
2. Modified That (2005 to 2012 conversions)
3. Modified Gypsy to suit both daily use / travelling.

Oh, my need for info is more because I am going to have limited resources after hanging up my working boots!

Thanks in advance.

[car_guy1998]

I've voted for "Aesthetic" as I love my car to stand out of the crowd and gives a sporty look as well!

BTW, I got my Golden Brown Honda City's stock wheels painted to gloss black along with tints installed as well as I was getting bored of plain-jane looks!

The only thing I'm missing in my City is the engine remap and rear spoiler!

Our next car, which will be the replacement for our Innova, might be stock mostly as the car comes with loaded features and will be used by my dad as well!

Replacement for my Honda City might be a Thar, which I might keep in stock mostly, but I'll get the aesthetics and remap done, or cheaper VAGs like a Polo or Rapid, which I'll mod it according to my style by getting things like engine remap, some aesthetic mods and others, etc!

[Shan_Kmu]

Great thread to open up on our Wishlist. Let me tell about the mods for my Vehicle - Bolero 2016 M2dicr model

Already done:

1) Osram 100/90w headlight bulbs
2) Pioneer box speakers at rear under jump seats
3) Roots Dual Horn
4) Leather Steering cover (Stitched)
5) Side graphics (from AutographiX)

To Do:

1) Upgrade Audio (Add tweeters and change front speakers to non OEM)
2) Add Projectors with DRL from reputed shop in Chennai
3) Wolf Stage 1+ Tuning (Contacted Wolf. They need to check the firmware version, if it's doable, then I'm going for it)
4) Our's is a Brown Bolero with Sandal colour underlining. I sometimes don't like the Sandal color but in some angles it does looks good

Now I'm in a dilema having two choices: Please help me decide:

a) Paint the front and rear bumpers, fenders to OEM brown. Front Grill, side strip running along body and spare tyre cover to OEM grey. Wheel covers painted to OEM silver
b) Or just leave as it is (Since this particular colour combination is rare)



5) Car has run 38,000 kms in Bridgestone dueler 215/75 R15 now. Hope it'll run another 20k+ kms. Once these tyre's life span is over shall I replace with 235/70 R16 (Get scorpio's steel rim) or 235/75 R15 (Current steel rim is enough I think) ? Will these two upsized tyres/rims rub with fenders and suspension parts ? Kindly Let me know

P.S : Not interested in Alloy wheels.

[Amsdoc]

My preference:

Functional > Performance > Aesthetic

It helps to have your car exactly how you want or as close you get it especially if you intend to keep it for some time. So ideally you should do it as soon as you get it but that sometimes causes problems with warranty.

One irritation I have with mods is that they are worth jackshit when you want to sell your car which really annoys me. Plus it is a pain to remove them before you sell. Sometimes they may also reduce your resale value.

[batladanny]

Great categorization of the mods here. I love functional mods that don't impair the performance or warranty of the car

For my Freestyle, I've already got

• TPMS installed from a tyre shop
• Dashcam DIY installed

I also plan to do some other things like

• retrofit cruise control from the UK spec
• headlight upgrade
• bicycle carrier + roof rack

There are some other features that I'd love to retrofit as well but don't seem to find them:

• 60:40 split seats
• request sensor
• autochromic orvm

There are some appearance mods that I'd like to do as well but these are mainly to the interior:

• Replace brown dash with black one from Aspire/Figo
• Replace brown accents with blue ones from Figo

[Chhanda Das]

I am not into performance mods since I have always been a sedate driver and firmly believe that all consumer cars have more than enough power for regular use. I am not into aesthetic mods either since they draw unnecessary attention and I do not like that. Also, I am into car-camping. As a result, all of the modifications in my current car (2017 Creta AT 1.6 P) are very functional and here is the list ...
1. 180 watt 12v DC to 220v AC pure sine wave power inverter
2. Bluetooth obd2 diagnostic and scanner device
3. 120 watt 3 socket cigarette lighter socket splitter
4. Floor ambient lights
5. Solar Tyre Pressure Monitoring System
6. Dashcam
7. 45 watt car freezer/refrigerator (-18 to +12 degrees centigrade) which can run on both 12-24 volts DC and 220 volts AC power
8. HEPA based Air Purifier with activated carbon filter
9. 100 watt electric cooker
10. Tea/coffee maker ...
11. 12v sockets and a voltmeter ...
12. Electric massager with heating consuming 27 watts at 12 volts DC ...
13. 12v ventilated seats
14. Puddle Lamps for each door running on 3 AAA 1.2v NiMH rechargeable batteries ...
15. A box of tissues mounted on the front passenger's side sun visor
16. A clothesline installed on the rear roof-mounted grab handles
17. Knee cushion pads
18. 3 litre drinking water bladder
19. Usb powered 3.6 watt 3-speed car fans.
20. Replaced the 3 cabin lamps with LED ones
21. Added a 50 watt monocrystalline solar panel with a PWM charge controller to recharge the car's battery while the engine is off.
22. Added a portable 78 watt DIY RO+UV+UF based water purification system with TDS controller
23. Added a small net between the front seats for storage
24. Window visors
25. Emergency bucket toilet with disposable organic composting bags

Some upcoming modifications are as follows ...
1. Two hanging aluminium sheets for extending the length of the bed
2. Privacy curtains
3. Ventilation fans
4. Drop-down hanging camping shower with tent

WISH ME LUCK