Euro-Essentials

Subject: Euro-Essentials Sun Aug 16, 2009 11:12 pm

A style that is slick, simple and clean. Here are some exterior modifications and accessories to make your car deny its Japanese roots.

European license plates

Commonly known as Euro plates, this is the first step to let others know of your intentions to make your car Euro-looking.

They come in a variety of formats, and it’s all up to you what type (or style) suits your taste. The different types also mean different prices. The normal series come in at Php1800.00 for a pair, to as high as Php4500.00 for the export and provisional plates. The prices apply, of course to the authentic plates. There are other alternatives to the authentic ones if you’re on a tight budget (or if you don’t like to pay that much because those plates are just going to be covered anyway).

There are also other accessories that you could slap on to your plates like the county seals and plate holders or frames.

Headlamp washers/wipers

It has been the law in European (and some Japanese) states to have these little water-squirting mechanisms for car headlights. The purpose? Of course to get dirt, road salt, and mud out of the lights. According to their studies, the dirt increases a very dangerous glare that could dazzle oncoming drivers when driving at night.

There are very little laws regarding automotive lighting here in the Philippines, so there’s no need for these washers. Installing headlamp washers are mostly for aesthetic purposes only, which is really our goal here, but if you’re after the real working headlight washers, it’s your choice.

Rear fog lamps/courtesy lights

To conform with road laws again, European cars are required to have auxiliary lamps like these. Most of their cars have them integrated in their taillights, and some do not. They really need these lights because their weather goes real bad at times, like snowstorms and thick fog. These lights glow bright red (more like a brake light) and help reduce the chance of having a rear collision due to bad weather conditions. They are not recommended for use in clear conditions because their intense illumination could dazzle drivers behind you.

Front fog lamps/driving lights/daytime running lights

Whether we’re into making our cars look Euro or not, these lights help us to see better at night or help others see us better at day. They provide sufficient light to spots that our main headlamps fail to illuminate.

In some European countries like Ireland, there are laws mandating the use of driving lights. Driving lights should only be used with the low beams off if used during night time. During daytime, you can use your driving lights whenever you like and they act as daytime running lights. But here in the Philippines, we know that there are no restrictions (or if there are, they are not strictly implemented) on automotive lighting, so we can put on all sorts of lights on our cars.

Roof-mounted communications antenna

Just plain “antennas” (or antennae??), their function is to provide clear signal reception for car radios or phones. Common antenna designs are short ones that jut out the roof at the very top of the rear windscreen. These are usually found in high-end luxury cars, and very few ordinary cars have them. As for our case here, we have various non-functional designs that we can buy at automotive accessory shops, and we can find them mounted on almost any vehicle make on our streets.

Rear sunscreen

These are factory-installed equipment on most European cars. Their sole purpose is to reduce heat coming from outside, to lessen the suffering of our passengers seated at the rear because we intentionally remove the window tint to let passers-by see how clean our interiors are (!). These may come in manual or motorized types, original or replacement, but they offer the same heat-reducing properties. They provide real functionality and add an aesthetic touch to our stock cars.

Muffler tips

These add up to our list of accessories to make our cars look legit Euro. Commonly, European cars have slash-type exhaust tips to make them flushed with the contour of your bumper. They provide a clean and elegant look to the rear end of your car. We have a variety of options on installing them, either directly bolting them on to the existing tailpipe, taking the old pipe and replacing it with these, or just installing a new muffler.

Signal horns

After making your car look like it’s from Germany, it also should sound like one. Installing new horns not only make you noticed when you honk, but it’s also a nice safety addition since most of these horns produce a really loud sound compared to the stock ones. You could also gain some respect from these horns, other drivers will think they’ve got a big car behind them demanding some space.

Decals

To complete that Euro-look without having to spend a fortune, these are little stickers that you can put on anywhere on your car. Most of these are the logos of car clubs from Germany (particularly ADAC), car dealers, insurance companies or the county coat-of-arms. Regardless of what they are, they look cool just the same.

BODY MODIFICATIONS

Sunroof

For the Euro-freak who has enough budget on dressing up his car, this is a necessity for turning your car into a real Euro-looking one. Installing this one is not to be taken lightly, because you don’t want ending up a soaked raisin inside your car. Try to find a good shop that installs sunroofs properly, preferably those with a warranty on parts and labour.

For budget-conscious individuals, this is a pretty serious modification since acquiring the parts and having them installed for you don’t come cheap. But after having them on your car and you enjoying the warm rays of the morning sun, the attention you get from the public is priceless.

Subject: Re: Euro-Essentials Mon Aug 17, 2009 12:10 am

If you have any comments, suggestions or questions, just post away! Very Happy

Posts : 10 Join date : 2009-09-13

How bout roof racks? Are they essential too?

Subject: Re: Euro-Essentials Thu Sep 17, 2009 2:36 am

it's really up to you to add other euro accessories, if you think it fits the look and the theme of your car. As for the roof rack, I have these Thule load bars to compliment the Euro theme in my Mitsu Adventure, since it's a mid-sized SUV wannabe.

Posts : 4 Join date : 2009-10-09

What type/brand of horns do you guys use?

Subject: Re: Euro-Essentials Sat Oct 10, 2009 10:02 am

Bosch Supertone on my mazda

Posts : 15 Join date : 2009-08-17

bosch europa for me

Posts : 2 Join date : 2011-09-28 Age : 30 Location : Cavite

pwede kaya if wala ako kahit dummy headlight washers and rear fog? 2010 crv po ride ko, as of now, i have changed the original bumpers to modulo bumpers, had a running board and spoiler and euplate and frame. same as a crv from europe, got the inspiration form a crv in honda access.