Tuning& styling

adminonJune 1, 2022February 11, 2022Leave a Comment

Your car should be even faster, look cooler and simply fit better to you? then you are exactly right in our onlineshop! Here you will not only find all parts for your cartuning, we also explain what you have to pay attention to when tuning legally and how to get the best out of your car.

What does tuning mean?

the term tuning comes from the english and means in german "fine tuning". This is the term used to describe all modifications that improve the performance, sound and other functions of a car. If only the appearance of a car is changed, it is called styling.

What types of tuning are there?

Engine tuning

The engine tuning increases the power of the engine by increasing the medium pressure, the stroke volume and the revolutions per minute. One of the latest trends is chiptuning, which electronically improves the engine performance. Further engine accessories are among other things sport air filters. They protect the engine from contamination and in certain cases can even reduce fuel consumption. Sport silencers are also part of engine tuning, but their main function is to produce a more powerful engine sound.

Body tuning

The modification of the body – for example with a spoiler or a sill – often serves the improvement of the driving behavior. For example, the car can be tuned to be more aerodynamic. The exchange of body parts is also used for optical beautification.

suspension tuning

Suspension parts are replaced, especially lowering springs and shock absorbers. This will z.B. An increased curve performance achieved. Lowering and raising the car are also popular tunings.

Interior tuning

You can optimize the interior of your car with upholstery made of high-quality material or the installation of multimedia devices. Various additional instruments such as an oil pressure gauge are mounted in the dashboard.

Lighting

The adaptation of the lights is very popular. The brightness, the shape of the headlights and the light color of the interior and exterior lights are changed. For the installation of additional lighting, there are, for example, license plate lights.

Tuning and styling – what is allowed?

Basically everything is allowed, as long as the general approval of the car does not expire.

The approval can expire in the following cases:

The approved vehicle type is changed.
A traffic hazard is to be expected.
The exhaust or noise performance deteriorates.

Which types of approval are important for car tuning??

parts certificate

Some tuning parts have to be inspected after purchase at a approved test center, z.B. DEKRA, GTu or TuV must be handed in. The experts inspect the component and determine the installation specifications. After the installation, the assembly has to be checked again.

General operating permit (ABE)

Most components are supplied with a general operating permit at the time of purchase. This ABE lists exactly for which car and under which conditions the component is permitted. This means that a parts certificate is often no longer necessary. Here in the ATP online store becomes the available ABE for the product is always supplied to you.

But be careful: the components cannot be combined in any way, despite the enclosed ABE. For example, when installing a steering wheel and new tires, an expert must first check whether these parts are compatible with each other and safe. In the ABE, a partial certificate can also be explicitly required.

Type approval

The national type approval, like the ABE, is valid only in germany. You confirms the production standards of the component. The international type approvals, the ECE approval and the EC approval, are valid for the entire EU. tuning parts with type approval are marked with a test mark. The national approval mark is composed of a wavy line, a letter and a number. With the EC-approval you will find an "E" in a rectangle and with the ECE-approval an "E" in a circle. For the european signs, the number 1 must also be included, it stands for the approval in germany. Caution: if you modify the parts, their approval expires!

individual acceptance by an officially recognized expert (aas)

If you change your car to such an extent that it is no official vehicle type more conforms, an individual acceptance must take place. It is best to have this done before tuning.

Where to register the tuning?

If the installation of the tuning parts has been approved by an expert, the modification is in a test certificate registered. This you must always carry with the registration papers of the vehicle with you. The report of the inspection body must be presented to the registration office. This then carries the approved changes enter your vehicle documents. in this case you don’t have to carry the test certificate separately anymore.

How tuning affects car insurance?

You should in any case your tuning project check with your insurance. If the insurance company has not been informed of the changes to the car, they can refuse payment or take recourse against you in the event of a claim. then claim back a part of the damage sum from you. The insurance premium can increase by the tuning, but usually are then also include the new tuning parts.

now you are well informed to give your car an upgrade according to your taste. Take a look at our huge selection of styling and tuning parts now! inspiration and instructions for the right tuning lifestyle can be found in our blog. There we tell you how you can protect your rims with little effort

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For services that are independent of the place of residence at all locations can be claimed (e.g. Burgeramter) can also make appointments on the right side via "search appointment berlin-wide" be booked.

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Appointment booking via the selection of a location

A-Z of locations

if an appointment booking is offered at the selected locations, you will find it under the list of services offered there.

Citizen Services
you can to visit any of the more than 40 citizen’s offices, regardless of the district of residence. only a few services are exempt from the all-area search (see notes on booking appointments)
Vehicle registration authority

Change or cancel appointment

Each appointment booking will be confirmed by email, provided that you have entered your contact details. In addition, you will receive another appointment reminder two days before the deadline.

Should you not be able to keep your already booked appointment, you can change it or you have to cancel it.

This allows other customers to book the vacated appointment.

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Description

The electronic appointment system offers you the possibility to make an appointment with an authority online.

Berlin is growing at a rapid pace and so are the demands on its administration. The berlin citizens’ registration offices have been prepared for this challenge in terms of personnel. This is intended to achieve the goal of providing every customer with an appointment at the citizen’s office within 14 days, if necessary.

If you have a civic office concern that is not particularly urgent, please book a medium or long term appointment and then attend at the appropriate time. Should you have an emergency, z.B. Due to expired documents or for other understandable important reasons, you need to have your matter dealt with promptly, please go to one of berlin’s citizen’s offices without an appointment and describe your emergency there at the information counter. An individual solution to your problem is then sought on the spot. You can contact all citizen’s offices in berlin with your request – even outside your district of residence.

in addition, it is worthwhile to look repeatedly in the diary for free dates. if the daily organization in the citizen’s offices allows it, new additional appointments are posted daily, which you can book for your request – even at short notice. To see all appointment possibilities citywide, please click on the service you are interested in and then select the function "search appointment berlinwide". You can also use the citizen hotline 115 to make appointments.

For concerns with a statutory deadline (e.g.B. In the case of registration/renewal of a residence), the confirmation of the booked appointment already counts as proof of compliance with the deadline. you are not committing a misdemeanor, even if your request is not processed at the burgeramt until the deadline is exceeded.

Attention! Notice of deadlines for judicial services: when booking appointments for inheritance, counseling assistance and all other court services, the appointment booking has no deadline effect.
If you are in danger of missing a deadline, you can contact the court directly without an appointment.

The booking of the appointments is free of charge. please note that appointments purchased through an intermediary are not valid in the offices.

Tuning on the car - what is allowed?. Acceptance by the expert: Modifications make a car unique. But not everything that is offered is allowed. (Source: obs/TuV Rheinland AG/Wolfgang Flamisch)

Whatever you like is allowed? This does not apply to tuning. modification parts need official test marks, many modifications have to be approved by an expert. And what about the warranty? T-online answers all questions.

overview

More power, better sound or a cooler look: if a standard model is too boring for you, you can create an almost new car with an infinite number of add-ons and conversions. In principle, this is not forbidden – as long as all applicable guidelines are followed, so that no one is endangered by the modifications.

When tuning is allowed

The modifications must be generally permissible and legal to use within the scope of the road traffic licensing regulations (stvzo). Important for all new parts is an official test mark, such as a general operating permit (ABE), general type approval (ABG), EC type approval or an ECE approval.

Converted VW Beetle: At trade shows like the Essen Motor Show, hobbyists show off their cars. (Source: dpa/Revierfoto)

Converted VW beetle: at trade fairs such as the essen motor show, tinkerers put their cars in the limelight. (source: revierfoto/dpa)

The alternative: a parts certificate from the inspector, such as TuV or dekra. This expert opinion may also be necessary even if the vehicle has an official test mark. As a rule, these marks only apply to the respective part as such. However, if several parts influence each other or have other effects on the car, a separate appraisal by an officially recognized expert may be required.

What has to be registered

automotive expert steffen mibbach from tuV rheinland says: "in principle, everything that affects noise and exhaust properties and could endanger safety must be registered." furthermore, it is difficult to generalize which changes have to be checked by a specialist and entered into the vehicle documents.

In general, these include the popular widebody kits (they widen the car), for example. New wheel and tire combinations that deviate from the combinations specified by the car manufacturer must also always be approved by an inspector.

Eye-catching wheels: they are often where car conversions begin, as they are a fairly simple but effective modification. (source: dpa/Felix Kaestle)

conspicuous wheels: they are often the first step in modifying a car, as they are a fairly simple but effective modification. (source: felix kaestle/dpa)

Theoretically, roll cages or roll bars, as used in motor sports, do not require registration. In practice, things often look different. Registration is necessary if the cage or bracket changes the visibility or the characteristics of the car (for example, if seats are removed or a strut makes it difficult to get in).

Gearshifts can usually be changed without registration – if they have an official test mark.

For total conversions, an expert’s opinion is always required. If parts and design meet the standards, you don’t have to worry about that. "reputable suppliers deliver the products with the necessary certificates and approvals, so that acceptance of modifications is not usually a special challenge.", says harald schmidtke of the association of automotive tuners (VDAT).

Steering wheels for retrofitting: If a parts certificate is available, installation is no problem. (Source: dpa/Revierfoto)

Steering wheels for retrofitting: if a parts certificate is available, installation is no problem. (source: revierfoto/dpa)

Caution with counterfeits

Car tuning is a billion-dollar business. Because of the high demand, cheap, illegal replica parts are also flooding the market – especially on the Internet. TuV expert mibbach: "be careful with supposed bargains, even alleged test reports could be fake." cheap materials, poor workmanship or design flaws may only become apparent when it is already too late.

Inform insurance

After tuning and registration in the vehicle documents, inform the insurance company so that there are no discussions in the event of a claim.

Hifi system on wheels: With extensive conversions, there is no getting around an inspection by a specialist. (Source: dpa/Revierfoto)

Hifi system on wheels: in the case of extensive conversions, there is no getting around an inspection by a specialist. (source: revierfoto/dpa)

This threatens, if the registration is missing

"Modifications to vehicles are often subject to legal regulations. If they are not observed, the operating permit (BE) may expire", says schmidtke. Then the car is forbidden on public roads: in the event of a check, a warning fine or fines and points will be incurred and the insurance cover may lapse.

What applies to warranty and guarantee

The vehicle warranty can be invalidated by tuning measures, for example if the engine and drive unit are subsequently tuned. But: "that all warranty claims are void when retrofitted accessories are installed, is not true", says schmidtke. "Even though the warranty is a voluntary benefit provided by the manufacturer or dealer, whereas the guarantee has a legal basis." and what applies in the event of a defect? To void the warranty, tuning must be the cause of a defect.

BMW M2 Competition: many manufacturers have long offered conversion parts and complete models that are optimized to the tastes of a larger group of buyers. (Source: Manufacturer)

BMW M2 competition: many manufacturers have long offered conversion parts and complete models optimized for the tastes of a larger group of buyers. (source: manufacturer)

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Car manufacturers also offer tuning

Whether it’s a tuning part or a complete vehicle: many carmakers also have a large program on offer. With this you relieve the customer of a worry right from the start, because all modifications are legal, the warranty remains valid and nothing needs to be added. "In addition, the tuning is specially adapted to the vehicle and stable. Thus a worsening of the driving behavior is not to be expected", says thomas caasmann from the german technical inspection agency (GTu). However, models and components of the manufacturers are intended for a larger mass. creating a unique car, which is the idea behind tuning, is hardly possible here.