Six ridiculous car mod regulations that make no sense

Your car's stock condition isn't doing it for you. You want more, you want to stand out. You want to stand up and proudly claim your 'Built, not Bought' title.

Hold on a second, there are a couple of things you need to know before you head out and get that shiny new exhaust. The most important of which is that even though certain modifications are considered legal or approved, you'll still have to read the fine print.

There are some car mod regulations that can be head scratchers and make us question a certain organisation's knowledge of cars. That said, let's dive right in to these six car mod regulations that make absolutely no sense (in our opinion).




Renowned aftermarket brands such as HKS and Mugen open enthusiasts up to a myriad of options that provide performance, as well as aesthetic upgrades. Even though parts like their exhaust systems are JASMA-certified, not all of them are considered to be safe for use on our roads if they don't have the 'proper' certification by the 'right' people.



This means that if the local principal of your favourite aftermarket performance brand wants to save a couple of bucks and doesn't apply for that certificate, you're fresh out of luck. It is worth noting that the JASMA certification is a pretty big deal in Japan, which is basically the Mecca of car modification. But what do the Japs know, right? They've only made some of the best cars in the world. No biggie.

That's not all, though. Manufacturers' performance divisions such as Audi Sport, BMW M, Mercedes-AMG and Subaru Tecnica international (STi) offer customers the choice between stock and optional performance upgrades such as exhaust systems, coilovers and brake kits. However, if carmakers leave these options out of the homologation process, they are instantly considered 'unsafe' and, consequently, illegal, even though they came from the same factory.



On a side note, don't even think about replacing your Suzuki Swift Sport's stock head lights with the ones from the Swift Sport Mega Sport. Because you can't.

Head over to the MyCarForum Marketplace to check out some brake kits, coilovers and exhaust systems.




Daytime running lights come standard in every other car these days and there's no denying that they look pretty cool. They also serve the purpose of increasing your vehicle's chances of being seen on the road in the day, and in dimly lit carparks, if you ever forget to switch on your head lights.

Older models, however, don't typically come with daytime running lights. And the law of the land says they aren't allowed to be fitted with aftermarket ones due to safety reasons, or something to that effect. So if you have a hunk of junk that is almost as old as your grandma and are looking to install a set of these bad boys, even if you plan on installing them in the right place and have no intention of blinding other road users, don't. Because you can't.




Obviously, you can't upsize your 1.6-litre engine to a 2.0-litre due to taxes, COE prices and whatnot. But did you know that you also can't downsize? Not only that, the amount of red tape you have to go through to get an engine replacement is simply mind-boggling.



Even if you purchase the exact same engine as the one your car came with, you'll have to get it inspected and get a brand new VIN number. This, if you haven't already figured out, takes up a huge chunk of time and, of course, money.

It's much cheaper to get a new engine from a car part stockist and skip the entire process altogether but don't bother trying. Because you can't.




Licence plates don't usually pop up in conversations regarding car modifications. However, if yours looks like a Euro car plate, which has random icons surrounding the numbers, it's not approved. If the font is different or isn't the standard size, it's not approved.



If your plate isn't actually a plate and is a sticker, it's not approved. If the colour is anything other than black in the front and black in the back, or white in the front and yellow in the back, it's not approved. So there's no point trying to pimp up your licence plates. Because you can't.




With year-round exposure to the sun, we've come up with plenty of ways to avoid spontaneous combustion. And when it comes to blocking out those death rays, few methods are more effective than solar films. They keep our cars cool and help us avoid contracting skin cancer. They also give our cars a slight edge in terms of sex appeal.

Unfortunately, Big Brother has felt it necessary to rain on our parade yet again. It says that all solar films have to be at least 70 percent transparent. The problem with that is, it doesn't block out much sunlight at all. Think of it as someone wearing a cap backwards to prevent the sunlight from getting into their eyes. Enough said.

Before you get all riled up, we understand that there may come a time when the authorities will need to identify a driver in their car. But these cases are few and far between. Plus, with such an obsessive need to standardise licence plates, the car isn't going to get very far.

Some may also argue that darker solar films greatly reduce driving visibility at night, and we agree, to a certain extent. The thing is, our streets are so brightly lit that it wouldn't be a huge problem for most people; unless you have night blindness. In which case, you probably shouldn't even be driving in the first place. No matter, if you think you can get away with blacked out windows, think again. Because you can't.

Save your skin, take a look at some solar films at the MyCarForum Marketplace.




Don't get us wrong, we have nothing against aftermarket steering wheels. What we do have an issue with, is contradiction. Many regulations surrounding the modification scene focus on safety, which comes as no surprise considering our kiasu, kiasi nature.



We get it, safety is a priority on the roads. But what we don't get, is why it is illegal to install an exhaust system that comes from the same factory as the car it was made for, but it's alright to replace a steering wheel that has an SRS airbag with one that doesn't. Does this mean you should swap out your extra safe steering wheel for a 'not-as-safe' aftermarket one? Because apparently, you can.

These ridiculous regulations must be grinding your gears. Head over to the MyCarForum Marketplace to check out some modifications that won't get you pulled over.

If you want to be extra safe and avoid any run-ins with the law, the sgCarMart Motor Directory has a list of power enhancement workshops that will advise you on how to zhng your ride without getting into trouble.