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Tweak your four-wheel passion

Increasing number of people go for a complete makeover of their cars by changing the interiors with fancy items, writes S. AISHWARYA

Photo: M. Moorthy

PLUSH Attractive interiors

A swanky car, carrying art works all over in flashing red, races past its counterpart and comes to a halt with a 90-degree swirl. A peep through the window takes you on a journey of woods. Or so it seems.

The upholsteries, dashboard, steering wheel, gearbox, floor mat and the roof, all reflect the sheen of wooden brown. A closer look will reveal the hand strokes involving laborious work of painting on the plastic fibre that is fixed over the interiors in different shades of brown.

“This wooden finish interior is much in vogue,” D. J. Venkatesh Durai of ‘D. J. Top Drive’ explains. Till a few years ago, car fitments were limited to only stereos and air-conditioning. But with fancy add-ons for cars hitting the market frequently, clients are reaching out to car technicians to adorn their cars with fitting accessories.

The count of such clients is on the rise. Only three years ago, five cars on an average would come for change in the interior décor but today 40 a day go for the makeover.

A major interior decorators of cars, D. J. Top Drive has forayed into the market of customisation of cars. Ranging from LCD monitors to portable refrigerators, it has over 1,000 types of accessories on display.

Five years ago, any kind of fitment was only done at Chennai, Bangalore and Coimbatore, Mr. Venkatesh reminisces. He scoured over accessories makers in metros to get the internal accessories fitted to his newly bought cars, which kick-started his idea of starting his own unit here.

Through word-of-mouth, the three-year-old unit created a huge market for various requirements including upholstery, audio fitments and art works. With the increasing demand, Venkatesh accompanied a group of mechanics to Chennai, Bangalore and Coimbatore to learn the nuances of fitting interiors. He culled the best methods of accessories fitments and analysed the failure models.

“It was quite useful. Some upholsteries or sun control films might look fancy but wouldn’t last for long. Learning about the failure models in interiors helped me advice my customers against those,” he says.

The market flourishes, albeit few snags. “Many are little hesitant to go for second investment after buying the vehicles. Some do not want to spoil the originality of their newly bought cars.” Owners of lower-end cars do not go for any major fitments. On the other hand, higher-end cars come with well-finished interiors including double shade dashboards and compact cabins, which doesn’t necessarily need any add-ons.

Among the main-line accessories, seat fabrication is attracting lot of customers, he says. While the washable artificial leather has a greater demand, high priced Japan velvet and executive leathers give a facelift to any of the old cars.

In music systems, one has the luxury of hearing music as wanted. Systems with sub-woofers, tweeters that come with surround systems absorb the piercing drumbeats to emanate a soothing tune. And what’s more, one can even hear the clatter of glass, screeching sound of brakes or the thuds of a pair of waders with clear distinction.

LCD monitors too are a big hit with the customers. On an average, 20 cars in the city every month get fitted with hi-quality sound systems that come with sub-woofers, surround systems, tweeters and LCD monitors with DTH technology. The cost ranging from Rs.10,000 to Rs.1,00,000 — seems to be no deterrent.

Digital reverse gear indicators, a new arrival in the market, too are worth a try. Bumpers have two cameras fixed at either side, which sends digital signals to the alarm placed near the rear window and beeps when an obstacle is within two feet range.

Air-conditioning is scientifically safer when it comes to sticking sun control films, Venkatesh explains. “When a film is stuck, the windows tend to attract micro particles in no time when the car is on the road or inside the garage. These living organisms can grow inside humid atmosphere at a slow pace. This creates air bubbles on the films within a few years.”

The rates for fixing are in accordance with the percentage of sun dejection and colour shades are no indication of costs. “The technology is same as that of a sun glass. A transparent film can have maximum dejection, while a dark film might as well be a lean protector from UV rays.”

Experimenting with the body panels such as fixing power windows and other interiors in lower-end models works out to be lesser than the in-built accessories of higher-end models.

If you are ready to spend a pile to tweak your streetcar, you can be assured of the best of both worlds —the look and the performance.

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