8 Popular Car Accessories That May Be Destroying Your Vehicle

Summary:

• Some popular aftermarket upgrades can harm your car’s suspension, paint, engines, and safety systems without you realizing it.

• Generic seat covers can block airbag deployment, causing safety hazards in vehicles with seat-mounted airbag protection systems.

• Lift kits, cold air intakes, and low-cost mufflers can decrease fuel efficiency, engine life, and overall safety of your car.

That aftermarket item that you just fitted might be harming your car more than good. There are upgrades on the market that are some of the most popular, yet they quietly spoil your suspension, paint, engines, and even your safety systems without you even realizing it.

Airbag Blocking Seat Covers

Over the side airbags, there are generic seat covers that prevent the deployment of the airbags during a collision. Never install any covers that are not airbag-compatible in any vehicle where the car has seat-mounted airbag protection systems installed.

Big Rims And Low-Profile Tires

Indeed, the low-profile tires on oversized rims put pressure on the suspension elements, such as the bushings and ball joints. They also give them a rougher ride and are more destructive when they hit potholes at regular speed.

Lift Kits On Daily Cars

Lift kits elevate your center of gravity, making you prone to rolling over. They also put strains on driveshafts and suspension, causing the engine to work harder, decreasing fuel efficiency, and overall engine life.

Low-cost Cold Air Intakes

Cold air intakes are not installed properly, which exposes engines to moisture and unfiltered air. Unless upgraded to match the cooling, the additional load expedites wear and usually nullifies your car manufacturer’s warranty altogether.

Budget Aftermarket Mufflers

Low-grade fiberglass composites are used to manufacture cheap aftermarket mufflers, and melt down and disintegrate. The debris blocks your exhaust aperture, actively decreasing engine operation and greatly decreasing your engine’s work life.

Bull Bars And Push Bumpers

Bull bars cushion against collision before they hit grille sensors to prevent the deployment of airbags. They are mounted on top of normal bumpers as well and do much more harm to other vehicles during an accident.

Aftermarket Headlight Upgrades

The use of brighter aftermarket headlights in older cars leads to blown fuses and battery loss. When the beam is not controlled appropriately, the brightness is too high to blind the oncoming traffic, and it can be against the state laws of headlight brightness.

Slip-On Steering Wheel Covers

Steering wheel covers that do not fit properly cut down on the grip and may spin out of control in the middle of a turn. Automotive professionals caution that they pose a severe and under-rated driving safety risk.