Mods that go too far to be Legal

The national market for car accessories and modification parts is at an all-time high as millions of car enthusiasts spend countless pesos on upgrades to their vehicles in order to improve how they look or how they perform.

As enthusiasts look to put their own personal touch on their vehicles, it is worth remembering that it isn’t just the cost of the modification that you have to take into consideration, but also the legality of the “mod”. Some of the popular modifications are now banned by the Land Transportation Office (LTO) as it poses a threat to the safety of the riding public.

But the guidelines of the LTO are too vague to even do an objective judgement on what is legal and what is not. The LTO’s failure to set specific rules on policing illegal car mods has left the public confused.

Let me give you my top five mods that are not legal.

5EMOYING EMISSION &ONTROLS ON &ARS

If the rules prevent car owners from removing the emission controls devices from their cars such as the exhaust re-circulating valve (EGR) and Catalytic Converters, then you can be sure that the cars running are less damaging to the Environment.

TOO LOUD EXHAUst SYstEM

All vehicles are sold with a muffler on their exhaust system to control noise levels. While it is generally illegal to remove them, you can always add new modifications if you want your car to sound like one of those performance cars.

The LTO has set guidelines to these exhaust pipes by specifying how loud your exhaust is allowed to be in decibels. The Muffler Act of 2016 states that the exhaust pipes should not be more than 70 decibels. But until now, I have not seen a single apprehension using a sound level meter.

In Japan, they have a body that sanctions exhaust modification parts, much like how DFA controls product safety. It’s called the Japan Automotive Sports Muffler Association. If your parts have the JASMA seal, that means it’s legal to use in Japan.

TOO MUCH SUSPENSION LIFT

Making changes to your car’s suspension is one of the more common modifications, whether it by increasing or decreasing the distance between your car’s bodywork and the road. Too much modification will alter the handling of the car.

Off-road Rig owners are particularly keen on lifting the suspension of their vehicles, but too much can make the vehicle difficult to handle making it a potential threat on the road.

The LTO should have clear guidelines on 4x4 modifications and have it certified through a checking system. For example, only allows vehicle owners to life their suspension by a maximum of four inches from the original dimensions. These mods should be checked and certified by an LTO through a facility or a 3rd party certification facility.

SUPER BRIGHT HEADLIGHTS

Some drivers think that extra bright lights help them to see better at night, but it certainly doesn’t help anyone coming in the other direction

While you may think that you are being a conscientious road user by installing brighter HID bulbs in your headlamps, you could be pulled over for breaking the law. HID stands for high intensity discharge and these give off a much brighter, bluish-white light.

Some HID lights, I’m sure, don’t comply with LTO rules on headlamp brightness. But sadly, the rules are not very specific. The laws stipulated in the DOTC-LTO-LTFRB Joint Administrative Order 2014-01 and the PD 96 do not specifically disallow HID replacements but only specifies that the light must be white or yellow and should be directed downwards.

It is worth noting that HID lights with bluish purple/white luminosity are the ones that are to glaring to the drivers coming from the opposite side and do not improve drivers visibility. LTO should ban HID lights beyond 3100 lumens, the OEM lumen rating.

FUNKY LIGHTS

One of the other popular modifications which you see in Formula One Racing is the blinking rear lights. While this may look cool to you, it doesn’t have any impact on the performance of the vehicle. So why on earth would does this pose a problem"

Because those extra funky lights can be a distraction to the other drivers. Mind you, Formula One Cars don’t have brake lights. Those blinking lamps are charge indicator lights. So what you’re doing is not cool.