10 Dangerous car accessories that are best avoided

Cheap aftermarket parts are quite popular in India and most new cars launched in India get their set of customised accessories only a few days after their launch. This allows customers to get their vehicles customised according to their needs and add rampant aftermarket accessories without giving much of a thought. While a few aftermarket accessories can be very handy and make life easier, there are a few accessories that can prove to be dangerous too. Here is a list of ten such accessories that you should avoid completely.

Cheap general-fit floor mats

Floor mats are one of the first accessories added by the owners of new cars. However, many choose the cheap floor mats, which is made up of hard plastic. Many of these floor mats also are not cut properly to fit the vehicle’s floor. Such floor mats can be extremely dangerous and can accidentally get stuck in the brake pedal or accelerator pedal, which cause mishaps on the roads. There have been quite a few incidents in the past involving the floor mats and one should be extremely careful while choosing the aftermarket floor mats.

Steering grips

Steering grips do provide a plush feeling and allow the owner to customise the steering wheel with their choice of colour. However, there are many cheap steering grips that are designed poorly and do not hold the steering wheel properly. Such grips are loosely fixed to the steering wheel can slip while taking turns causing the vehicle to lose control. One should avoid steering grips at all as they can be quite dangerous.

Bullbars

A lot of aftermarket bullbars are designed simply to protect the bumper, and are not engineered to work with the car’s critical safety features such as crumple zones and airbag sensors. This means that bullbars can actually be a safety hazard that needs to be avoided except on those vehicles that need them for off road use.

Headlamp blackout

Yes, we agree that blacked out headlamps make the car look sportier but they can be very dangerous as they reduce the intensity of the headlamps completely. Blackening out the headlamps and tail lamps can make the vehicle less visible at night to the other vehicles while the reduced intensity of the headlamps makes sure that the driver does not gets the proper view of the road ahead at night.

Parcel tray showpieces

Many people treat the rear parcel tray as a cupboard and start putting objects soft toys, pillows and what not. Well, these can block the rear view mirror and restrict the view of the driver, which can be dangerous. Also, on hard braking, these lose show pieces can get dislodged from their place and hit the occupants sitting in the rear. It can also startle the driver and cause distraction.

Roof-mounted video players

Roof-mounted video players are extremely dangerous in the cars as they completely block the rear view of the driver. Such screens are often installed on the ceiling of the car at the front or at the rear. This distracts the driver from the road and also blocks the view making them extremely dangerous. The best way to install the screens is to install at the headrests of the front seats.

Colour changing headlamps and tail lamps

Most of us must have seen such colour-changing headlamps and tail lamps in the toy cars but installing them in a full-size car is extremely dangerous. Such lamps reduce the intensity and are not enough to illuminate the road ahead. Such flashing lights are extremely distracting to the other people on the road. Flashing or colour changing lamps in the tail lamps can be distracting and cause accidents too.

Aftermarket electrical accessories

There are many aftermarket car accessories that need a change in the wiring of the vehicle. For example, adding a high-end audio system or changing the regular headlamps to xenon headlamps need a lot of alterations in the wiring. If the wiring is not done right, it can lead to heating and eventually fire can break out. Always get genuine car accessories or get it done by professionals who know how to handle complicated car wiring.

Steering spinners

Steering spinners are also known as suicide knobs, and they are extremely dangerous to use. They are placed on the steering wheel and can be used to quickly turn the steering wheel with ease. The steering knobs are not recommended by any car manufacturer and are only available in the aftermarket. The quality of such knobs is questionable. They can break in the middle of a turn and can cause a lot of problems. Also, if the car suddenly hits a bump, the steering can move quickly, and this accessory can hurt the hands badly. Also, the knob can get stuck in the sleeve of the shirt can cause big problems.

Seatbelt add-ons

Seatbelts can save lives if used properly. However, they can also turn lethal. Aftermarket seat-belt hooks are available in the market that can replace the original ones if needed. Such hooks can get stuck in an emergency situation and can cause a lot of trouble. An incident that happened recently involves once such an accessory. A family was travelling in a car when it suddenly caught fire. The driver, a Bengaluru-based jeweller, helped his wife and kids to get out of the vehicle but could not open his seatbelt. The police have been investigating the alleged aftermarket seatbelt hook after the incident. It is always a better idea to get original seat belt hooks.