As with home renovations and fashion, there are always ways to make your existing car look and drive better, whether it’s a simple paint job or a more substantial mechanical modification.
But before you make any decisions though, find out what’s legal and what’s not! This means checking it out with the RTA and your insurance company (some modifications may affect your cover).
Some minor changes or modifications to your chariot are permitted – such as fitting a stereo, sunroof or fog/driving lights – but it’s always best to check with the RTA.
There are guidelines about what you can and can’t do and, in the end, it’s the owner’s responsibility to make sure the car’s legal and roadworthy.
Modifications might include adding spoilers (you know, those wing-type things on the backs of cars), mag wheels or fancy hubcaps. Engine parts sticking out of your bonnet or noisy exhausts aren’t allowed.
Engine
Most engine modifications are allowed as long as they meet the following conditions:
- All emission (smoke and noise) control equipment must still be in place, connected, unmodified and in working order.
- Modifications can’t make your vehicle pump out smoke or make it noisy.
- Any engine work must be within the manufacturer’s limits.
- If the modifications mean there is an increase in your car’s power, then other things such as brake performance and suspension may also need to be upgraded and an engineer’s certificate might be needed.
Wheels and tyres
Wheels can be increased by a maximum of 26 millimetres more than the standard or optional wheels that came with the car when it was first built.
Tyres or wheels mustn’t protrude outside of the vehicle’s bodywork or come into contact with any steering or suspension component or any part of the body.
Wheels with slotted bolt holes and wheel spacers can’t be used but ones with different offset can be as long as they’re within the vehicle manufacturer’s specs.
Bodywork and interior
You should avoid any fittings or modifications that might reduce the car’s strength or safety levels or that may be hazardous to your passengers or other road users such as pedestrians (because of exposed sharp edges or projections).
Pointed or sharp protrusions on front spoilers, splitters or skirts, gauges mounted on bonnets or plenum chambers, sharp edges or end plates on side skirts or rear wings are all potentially dangerous fittings that may cause injury or increase injuries to pedestrians or other road users.
Steering
If you’re replacing the steering wheel, check with the supplier or the RTA that the car will still comply with rego requirements.
Altering the diameter of the steering wheel will also affect your control of the car – reducing the diameter, for example, will mean it may be harder to steer (due to increased steering effort) and you may get more ‘kick-back’ from road bumps.
Structural cosmetic changes
You can add front/rear spoilers and bolt-on fibreglass of metal guards provided they don’t have any sharp or dangerous protrusions likely to increase the risk of bodily injury to anyone.
Bonnet scoops are also okay as long as they don’t hide your view of the road and they’re not likely to hurt anyone.
If you’re thinking of installing a sunroof, make sure the structural braces in the roof aren’t weakened, and make sure there aren’t any projections that might come into contact with your passengers.
Seatbelts
Seatbelts mustn’t be replaced with different styles of seatbelts (for example lap-only belts can’t be used in place of retractable sash-type belts).
Dash panel
Instruments such as tachometers, radios or switches can’t be fitted to the padded portion of the dash or where they can hurt anyone. Cutting away the dash padding isn’t acceptable either! Check with the RTA for guidelines specific to your car.
Tinting
Window tinting or film is ok provided it doesn’t limit your view of the road, pedestrians, cyclists or other vehicles (particularly at night or when it’s raining).
Tinting that’s too dark, streaked or scratched-up or that’s reflective or mirror-like isn’t allowed. Neither are spray-on type window film, tints or finishes. A tinted band at the top of your front windscreen is okay, but it can’t be extended any lower than the upper 10 per cent of your windscreen.
Suspension
Sway bars, tramp rods, upgraded shocks or springs can be used as long as they’re suitable for your car and properly fitted. However, you can’t fit any suspension parts that will contact the road surface or lower your car so that any part of it other than the wheel or tyre can contact the road, particularly in the event of a flat tyre.
On the surface
Most of us aren’t going to want to make radical changes to our wheels. But if you do want to add some bling, there are lots of simple ways you can add some style to your car without getting an angle grinder or a lawyer:
Plate up - A customised number plate is an inexpensive way to add your personal touch. These days you can personalise the content (the mix of numbers and letters) and choose from heaps of different colours. You can check out the options online at myRTA.com and see if the content you want is available.
Brush up - Airbrushing is a lot more classy these days than in the past, when barbarian ladies in bikinis and grim reapers were all the go.
Making your car into a piece of art can also be relatively inexpensive compared to some other modifications. Make sure you find a reputable airbrush shop and put a bit of thought into the design – you’ll be living with it for a long time!
Wheel covers - These fit snugly over your wheels in an attempt to recreate the look of more expensive mags – but obviously they’re heaps cheaper. Most big auto shops sell them in a range of styles. Just make sure you choose the right covers for your wheels.
Sticker art - You can find a range of stick-on decals from specialist suppliers and auto shops (brand names, flames, pop art etc). These are generally made of vinyl and can be fixed to your car’s panels. They’re a cut above the cheap “don’t bother knocking” bumper sticker of yesteryear.
Mud flaps, mats and more - Auto shops and automotive manufacturers sometimes sell branded mud flaps, car mats and other accessories so that you can show your favoured brand lots of public lovin’.
Watch out for neon-style LED car light kits
These are sold to be connected to windscreen wipers, under the car or even inside your car. You might think they look cool (in a goofy, fluoro kind of way) but there are lots of restrictions on using non-essential lights in or on your car. It’s most likely that any LED kit you buy will be illegal.
For advice, call the RTA’s Technical Enquiries officers on 1300 137 302. Visit www.rta.nsw.gov.au/vsis to download a range of information sheets on vehicle modifications and certification or visit your nearest RTA motor registry.