Car mods / trends that need to die

[Ericv8thunderbird]

I created this thread about car mods or trends that you hate, it’s not specific to MN12 or FN10 but some feeling might get hurt.

The older I get the more I like simple clean builds. Personally, I think social media has really ruined the car scene, from modding eco grocery getters to being slow if you don’t have 700 hp.

Before I get too deep into it, here’s some of the mods I hate.

1. Burble / crackle pop tunes, pretty popular with the bmw and VW crowd. I find it super annoying and it doesn’t sound good at all.

2. Excessive camber/ stanced out, it looks extremely dumb and sacrifices ride quality.

3. The Wolverine claw mark decals around the headlights. Just stop.

I’m curious to see what you all dislike!

 

[KevinVarnes]

I too do not understand the loud popping backfire thing either although I usually see it on Asian cars. I would be embarrassed to drive a car like that.

I think I mentioned this in another thread, but sequential turn signals of any kind. This mostly applies to new cars that I see it on.

 

[Green T]

 

[Grog6]

I liked sequential turn signals on the old 68 Tbird we had. I considered adding them to my Cougar.
But then I saw the new ones. Nope, not doin that.

 

[Irv]

1. Burble / crackle pop tunes, pretty popular with the bmw and VW crowd. I find it super annoying and it doesn’t sound good at all.

2. Excessive camber/ stanced out, it looks extremely dumb and sacrifices ride quality.

3. The Wolverine claw mark decals around the headlights. Just stop.

Agree on the burble tunes, and what's especially dumb about those is that they're making the car run worse.

I've seen a couple of stupid stances in the last few months. Give that one an award for dumb trends lasting for 25+ years.

View attachment 17907

I generally don't see those ridiculous wings anymore in 2026. They're so few and far between where I am that they wouldn't have come to mind.

I liked sequential turn signals on the old 68 Tbird we had. I considered adding them to my Cougar.
But then I saw the new ones. Nope, not doin that.

I have the Redneck Rides kit which debuted long before Audi and S197-II Mustangs had them from the factory. I also take no responsibility for what Toyota and GM have done in the last five or so years.

The difference is that nobody gives a crap about them on new cars. I've seen through my mirrors people behind me at a traffic light taking videos of mine. It's possible that they could be taking a video of it to clown on it later, but I think that's less likely because the rule of cool generally wins out on any car over 25 years old, especially in this condition.

As for what I've seen, from the factory, fake exhaust tips to nowhere, rear diffusers on cars that have no use for them supplanting actual bumper design.

Among aftermarket mods, I'll be honest, it's hard to think of much contemporary because fewer people today mod their cars than before. However, I saw Carolina Squats for the first time last year when I was in Florida, and that was every bit as stupid as it seemed in videos. Also, loosely related, I support putting anyone who participates in a street takeover in jail, no questions asked. Beyond that, I don't pay much attention to the car scene anymore.

 

[XR7-4.6]

This subject is right after my heart

RTR lights on late model mustangs. I hate these stupid triangles

I generally don't see those ridiculous wings anymore in 2026. They're so few and far between where I am that they wouldn't have come to mind.

I see them on C8 Vettes all the time… Civic, G35, Vette I don’t discriminate on my opinion of them.

 

[Grog6]

There was a guy with a 905-ish mustang with a huge wing, I used to see on the drive home.
I passed him one day ~ 110, headed home.
He apparently decided to keep up, so I did my usual, and sped up until his limiter kicked in, then nailed it.
I saw him trying to keep up, but no way.
I got home, and sitting on the porch, with a beer, I saw him drive by, with the wing hanging off the back. It ripped the bolts out, lol.

 

[Kenz]

As for what I've seen, from the factory, fake exhaust tips to nowhere

Agreed.... that looks so cheap!

Here is a VW

 

[Green T]

Agree on the burble tunes, and what's especially dumb about those is that they're making the car run worse.

I've seen a couple of stupid stances in the last few months. Give that one an award for dumb trends lasting for 25+ years.


I generally don't see those ridiculous wings anymore in 2026. They're so few and far between where I am that they wouldn't have come to mind.


I have the Redneck Rides kit which debuted long before Audi and S197-II Mustangs had them from the factory. I also take no responsibility for what Toyota and GM have done in the last five or so years.

The difference is that nobody gives a crap about them on new cars. I've seen through my mirrors people behind me at a traffic light taking videos of mine.

As for what I've seen, from the factory, fake exhaust tips to nowhere, rear diffusers supplanting actual bumper design on cars that have no use for them.

Among aftermarket mods, I'll be honest, it's hard to think of anything contemporary because fewer people today mod their cars than before. I saw Carolina squats for the first time last year when I was in Florida, and that was every bit as stupid as it seemed in videos. Also, loosely related, I support putting anyone who participates in a street takeover in jail, no questions asked. Beyond that, I don't pay much attention to the car scene anymore.

Oh no, I have seen a large wing comeback lately; both aftermarket and factory. That's why I mentioned it is because it is a fad that should have died long ago. I saw one in traffic just 2 weeks ago that was so absurdly large I was going to take a picture, but I had left my phone at home.

 

[KevinVarnes]

I liked sequential turn signals on the old 68 Tbird we had. I considered adding them to my Cougar.
But then I saw the new ones. Nope, not doin that.

Yes, the old Thunderbird and Cougars were cool. Then when they did it on the late model Mustang it was like "oh yeah, cool nod to the late 60's Fords". Then it seems like everybody had to have sequential turn signals on everything.

 

[Irv]

Yes, the old Thunderbird and Cougars were cool. Then when they did it on the late model Mustang it was like "oh yeah, cool nod to the late 60's Fords". Then it seems like everybody had to have sequential turn signals on everything.

That's basically anything that Toyota does. They're almost always the last to do something and by the time they do it, the novelty is gone. It was kind of the same scenario with side mirror turn signals as well as Apple CarPlay. Same goes for finally getting rid of the cassette tape in the stock stereo, if you want to call that a feature.

 

[Irv]

If you really want to get into trends that need to die, they're the ones you don't see.

• Cars collecting data on their drivers and phoning it home, selling the info to data brokers, who then resell it to insurance companies
• Any subscription services

 

[1997ThunderbirdLXV6]

Great thread idea! And I won't take it personally if anyone says wood trim.

sequential turn signals of any kind. This mostly applies to new cars that I see it on.

Just reading this, I realize I agree. I can't say it bothers me in traffic, but it's definitely distracting.

I don't like odd stances; it hurts to even think about tire wear. Carolina Squat is obnoxious.

I can't say I see a lot of crazy wings, but when I do they're on otherwise completely stock old Civics.


For my personal dislikes of automotive trends, black interiors; they bore me to death. They just say, it's a lease, and black is the easiest to keep clean allegedly. The same applies to "fake non-black" interiors, where you get grey seats, but everything else is still...black.

For mods, I really hate tint. I learned driving in Germany where you go to night school for it for several months. One thing we learn is to make eye contact with other drivers, hand signals, etc. Tint (in the front windows) obstructs communication between drivers.

 

[Irv]

For my personal dislikes of automotive trends, black interiors; they bore me to death. They just say, it's a lease, and black is the easiest to keep clean allegedly. The same applies to "fake non-black" interiors, where you get grey seats, but everything else is still...black.

For mods, I really hate tint. I learned driving in Germany where you go to night school for it for several months. One thing we learn is to make eye contact with other drivers, hand signals, etc. Tint (in the front windows) obstructs communication between drivers.

I agree on the black or charcoal interiors. I've said this before that a lot of younger non-original owners of the 2nd gen Lexus GS have a weird obsession with the black interior and want to swap to it in place of the other stock colors, gray and beige. I don't dislike the OEM black interior, but I think it's lame to go through all that effort of taking all the seats, interior trim, carpet, headliner, and dashboard pieces from a junkyard car to swap it into your GS just so you can have the end result of...a stock interior. Congrats. You can't even show that off to anybody. It was a functionally useless mod that added zero aesthetic interest.

Your tint perspective is genuinely fascinating, and it makes perfect sense based on what you learned in Germany. As you've likely inferred, learning driving is nowhere near that rigorous in the US. The only times drivers here make eye contact with other drivers is for an angry staredown, a countdown (with horn) to a rolling start street race, or to gesture wildly to get a driver's attention because they're oblivious to something very wrong, like driving on a bare rim or with a detached fuel pump and hose from a gas station.

My perspective on tint and why I'm such a major proponent of it is utilitarian. I'm opposed to accumulating unnecessary UV damage to my interior, and the bonus of not getting into a 140°F cabin in the summer is also a major benefit. If I kept my car parked outside for all 27 years of ownership without tint, my interior would be disintegrated and ultra fucked instead of a handful of barely noticeable issues that only I can point out.

 

[XR7-4.6]

I think something lost on modern sequentials and for that matter LED retrofits into classic cars is the way incandescent bulbs inherently fade on/fade off, I can still be mesmerized by a 60s Tbird/Cougar/Shelby/GT/CS with them functioning the way god intended. Instant on/off LEDs don’t have the same effect. I didn’t mind it when Mustangs brought it back but now that it’s used by the likes of VW/Audi of all companies it’s become tiresome. Just use amber blinkers mandatory in the home country that actually work to alert people!!!

Which leads me to an OEM gripe, the LEDification of everything. Look LEDs are excellent for lighting, I’m not that much of a Luddite, but, when an LED taillight fails in a modern car with bespoke systems it is a matter of replacing the whole light assembly for the matter of hundreds of dollars vs the tens of dollars to replace the pair of 3157 long life incandescents that in some isolated cases (chrysler products) seem to last longer. (Those racetrack taillights don’t look so cool when half the track disappears)

 

[MadMikeyL]

The burble/popping exhaust is definitely number 1 on my list. I get liking loud exhaust, and while I prefer the sound of a V8, I can even buy the argument that some people may like the sound of a 4-cylinder. But why on earth anyone wants their car to sound like a misfiring AK-47 is beyond my comprehension. I have been known to hoon around in my vehicles from time to time, and sometimes that has attracted the unwanted attention of law enforcement, but thankfully at no point during any of those interactions have police thought I might be shooting a fucking machine gun at them! I would like to keep it that way, so if for no reason other than self-preservation, the burble exhausts need to go.

The whole “stanced” look is another one that needs to go. This one is legitimately unsafe, and I don’t know why cops aren’t impounding every one of these cars! 30 degrees of camber combined with a 205mm tire stretched onto an 11” wide wheel is a recipe for a car that can’t turn, can’t stop, and when something inevitably breaks, will immediately hook a hard turn either into a ditch (hopefully) or into oncoming traffic.

This one is more just an aesthetic thing, but I do not understand all these newer expensive cars with battleship grey paint. Why is that even an option? It’s like “Congratulations on purchasing your new $200k Porsche! Would you like that finished in 3 stage candy blue metallic, or clear coated primer?” I never thought a color could be more boring than 70s ultra-beige, but here we are.

And last but not least, the SUVification of EVERYTHING! I’m sorry, but SUVs suck at pretty much everything. I’m sure there is someone somewhere who needs to regularly carry 7 people, and their gear up and down a mountain via a snow covered dirt road, while towing a 5000lb trailer, and for that guy, enjoy your 4wd Chevy Suburban, but for literally everyone else, there is either a car, or a pickup truck, or a van that will better suit your needs. But somehow these vehicles that are inadequate for 99% of drivers’ needs have become the most common vehicles on the road. Plus their complete lack of rearward visibility has led to a generation of drivers who can’t back up 10 feet without a camera.

 

[1997ThunderbirdLXV6]

I never thought a color could be more boring than 70s ultra-beige, but here we are.

^^^this!

 

[Grog6]

My sis bought a grey Mazda, to replace her Focus.
Nice car, but fugly color.
Tint is nice, unless you can't see out at night.
The Crackle Exhaust ought to be a shootable offense.
LEDs suck, IMHO.They are single frequency, so they bore into your brain like neon; and the flashing is all wrong. Every 7-segment display you've ever seen is flashing at ~120Hz.Dimmable LEDs do that with pwm, flashing fast.

 

[XR7-4.6]

Honestly I find the AK47 exhausts coming from BMWs are even more obnoxious and way way more prevalent than coal rolling pickups ever were, and I fear that will be fodder for another crackdown on the tuning industry eventually. About a week ago I was behind a green M3 gurgling and popping impressing kids on an E bike (at 40mph… another gripe I have that’s an unrelated topic).

The SUVification of the automobile has literally left me dead inside. People are such sheep that they think they’re any more practical than a sedan or any cooler than a truly more practical minivan that’s nearly extinct as well. I’ve fit more crap in my Focus and Cougar at once than any of these pavement princesses will haul in their lease cycle.

 

[1997ThunderbirdLXV6]

I may have shared this before, but more so than the SUV trend, I'm opposed to a general culture of what I call "worst case scenario" shopping.

In Germany, people purchase cars based on best case scenario. I mean, they buy whatever serves their minimum needs. Five seats will do that for most families. On the rare occasion that you do a trip with more people, you get a family member or friend to drive in a second car.

Here, most people shop based on what all they might need on the odd occasion, just to be prepared. So three rows of seats, check; all wheel drive, check; extra ground clearance, check...


I don't love SUVs, but some recent models with lower, longer, wagon-like profiles do look good, such as Chevy Trax, Toyota Crown Signia.

 

[Irv]

I think something lost on modern sequentials and for that matter LED retrofits into classic cars is the way incandescent bulbs inherently fade on/fade off, I can still be mesmerized by a 60s Tbird/Cougar/Shelby/GT/CS with them functioning the way god intended. Instant on/off LEDs don’t have the same effect. I didn’t mind it when Mustangs brought it back but now that it’s used by the likes of VW/Audi of all companies it’s become tiresome. Just use amber blinkers mandatory in the home country that actually work to alert people!!!

Which leads me to an OEM gripe, the LEDification of everything. Look LEDs are excellent for lighting, I’m not that much of a Luddite, but, when an LED taillight fails in a modern car with bespoke systems it is a matter of replacing the whole light assembly for the matter of hundreds of dollars vs the tens of dollars to replace the pair of 3157 long life incandescents that in some isolated cases (chrysler products) seem to last longer. (Those racetrack taillights don’t look so cool when half the track disappears)

Audi was the second in the modern era to do it behind the S197-II, so that puts it at 2010 for Ford and about 2013 for Audi from what I can find. It's GM and Toyota deploying it everywhere in the last three years that has shown how out of hand it's gotten. It goes with the copycat nature of modern cars where few companies actually create something unique anymore.

Credit to Mazda for doing a blinker that sort of simulates an incandescent bulb, although I guess it's commonly known as a heartbeat animation rather than an incandescent fade. Perhaps more importantly though, why the hell are car companies spending any of this effort on disposable vehicles in the first place?

The Redneck Rides kit does one other thing that I like, which is turn the trunk panels into functional brake lights. I'll be honest though, all that is a thinly veiled way to say it's only cool when I do it. My responsibility is to not fuck up the rest of the implementation for myself or anyone else on the road, which is why I was careful about picking the right bulbs to use in the corners, using good quality load resistors on them, and carefully setting the timing on my adjustable flasher module so the animation speed looked good. I spent more time getting everything dialed in on my taillights than some GM exec did with spamming the chasing turn signals onto every GMC and Chevy.

In my book, effort and customization always gets credit even if the specific mod isn't my taste, as long as it didn't come at the cost of feasible practicality. I can't determine where every customization mod falls on that scale, but Lambo doors for example are very obviously on the wrong side of the line.

The broader LEDification of everything is why I generally don't buy light fixtures in the house that use LED strips instead of standard E26 sockets. LEDs are going to be much more prone to defects than tungsten filaments and replacing a flickering strip is much harder than a bulb, especially if it's integrated into a non-serviceable housing. Also, light fixtures that use LED strips or bulb sockets smaller than E26 are usually much dimmer.

 

[Irv]

I may have shared this before, but more so than the SUV trend, I'm opposed to a general culture of what I call "worst case scenario" shopping.

In Germany, people purchase cars based on best case scenario. I mean, they buy whatever serves their minimum needs. Five seats will do that for most families. On the rare occasion that you do a trip with more people, you get a family member or friend to drive in a second car.

Here, most people shop based on what all they might need on the odd occasion, just to be prepared. So three rows of seats, check; all wheel drive, check; extra ground clearance, check...


I don't love SUVs, but some recent models with lower, longer, wagon-like profiles do look good, such as Chevy Trax, Toyota Crown Signia.

Part of what plays into that is a broader societal trend: lack of affordability. The cost of goods hasn't tracked accordingly with inflation. Due to a confluence of reasons from poor individual financial literacy to general product enshittification, people are more likely to plan for that worst-case scenario when they can't afford to fully own even one car.

Instead of having multiple cars to serve different purposes or simply renting a truck or SUV when needed, there's one person out there who can afford something and a bunch of people cosplaying to keep up with that person. That's also why I'm far less likely these days to think positively of the financial status of people who have newer, expensive makes and models. I'm almost certain that they don't own them, which is also a poor financial decision, but at least that would mean they actually had that money to spend in the first place.

 

[Vicinity]

Seconding the window tint. If I lower tinted windows down, I'm more likely to be 'let into' a lane. I could think a full tint looks cool, but I won't register the car as having transparent goals

These cars are comfortable to sit in, but even then I don't like it when people sit in their car, it's just weird to me. It's even stranger if I can't see them

I took the tinted mark to isolated spots looking for aurora lights, and drove by others doing (presumably) the same. They didnt see me, so they just stared at the car in confusion. I don't really want to roll up on people and see their paranoia spooling about.

Can barely see anything outside at night and/or rain from within.

The tints look gorgeous when nobodys inside them.