The Dark Side of "Base to Top": What Karol Bagh Won't Tell You

Q Po India
6 days ago
3 min read

You just bought a shiny new base variant car.

No alloy wheels, no touchscreen, no LED lamps.

Basically, sad vibes.

Solution?

Karol Bagh!

Delhi’s ultimate car jugaad paradise where dreams are modified, bumpers are painted, and every base variant walks out looking like a top-spec showroom star (at least from 10 feet away).

But here’s the big question:

If you wanted all the top-variant features anyway… Why not just buy the top variant to begin with?

Let’s pop the hood on this “base-to-top” trend and see what’s really going on.

Why Are People Doing This?

There are two main driving forces behind this craze:

1. Customization FTW!

Why be stuck with what the showroom gives you, when you can build your own top variant, tailored to your vibe? You get to choose exactly which features you want, skip the ones you don’t, and make your ride truly “you.”

2. Showroom Prices Are… Wild

Let’s be real — showroom upgrades feel like they’re charging for unicorn tears.

You can often save ₹1–1.5 lakh (sometimes even more!) by buying a base variant and upgrading the essentials outside.

That’s a LOT of pani puri money.

So on paper, it sounds like a genius hack.

But here’s the twist... It’s not all sunshine and LED DRLs.

Not-So-Glam Side of the ‘Base-to-Top’ Makeover

Reality Check: “Top Variant Look” ≠ Top Variant Quality

Let’s switch on the hazard lights :

* Warranty? What Warranty?

Car manufacturers are like Indian parents — touch anything without asking, and they’ll disown you (and your warranty).

OEM parts, installed with proper couplers (no wire-cutting!), might still keep your warranty safe.

But aftermarket parts or a lazy installer who slices wires like he’s making a salad?

Yeah, your warranty’s toast.

Each brand has its own mood when it comes to modifications. Some are chill. Others will void your warranty for just thinking about a roof wrap

* Fit-and-Finish: Expectations vs Reality

You imagined Audi-level finesse. But what you got was… panel gaps, weird noises, and a touchscreen that’s been glued in like a school project.

Many accessory shops rely on undertrained staff, using jugaad methods and “force-fitting” parts.

Result?

Rattling dashboards, misaligned panels, loose fittings, and you wondering why your glovebox now creaks like a haunted house door.

And the Online reviews often scream:

“Bad fitting! Staff rude! Wiring fried! Never going again!”

* Fire Hazards Are Too Real

This is no joke.

Poor wiring is basically a ticking time bomb under your bonnet.

India has seen multiple cases of cars catching fire due to shady aftermarket wiring.

A SIAM report even claimed 50% of car fire incidents.

Thanks to unauthorized modifications. Some recent numbers suggest it could be as high as 95%.

All because someone used a wire thinner than your phone charger cable to power the ambient lighting.

* Some Features Just Can’t Be ‘Bought’

Let’s burst a few bubbles:

Airbags: You can’t just walk into Karol Bagh and ask for four more airbags. That’s not how safety works.
ADAS? Lane Assist? Cruise Control? Sorry bro, no amount of accessory shopping can make your base model start reading road signs.
Interior design differences: Your base variant’s dashboard may not even support the top variant's climate control unit or touchscreen layout.

So even with all that jazz you added, there will always be things missing — and they’re usually the ones that actually matter.