The market for new car accessories is perhaps as vast as that of the cars themselves. We Indians are huge on customizations, and not many can resist the temptation of adding their own little touches to their car. The customization scene is also pushed slightly by a combination of factors that are unique to our country. This includes the trend towards picking up lower spec cars and then doing them up, as well as the fact that car manufacturers themselves refrain from offering certain features due to the risk of outpricing their products.
On the other hand, certain features which were once a novelty or an optional extra have become extremely commonplace. For example, only a few years ago, the car central locking system was considered to be a premium extra, with manufacturers mentioning it in their advertising promos as USP’s. These days however, this is not the case.
The three core variants of the car central locking system are as follows:
1. The manual one works by inserting the key into the key-hole of the driver’s side door and turning it, to lock/unlock as necessary. On the inside, a mere push (or pull) of the lock lever/button on the driver’s side door, achieves the same purpose.
2. Then there’s the remote based system, where the need to insert & twist the key is done away with. A mere push of the right button locks/unlocks doors as needed. Some even go and provide a separate button to operate the boot-lid (more often seen in hatchbacks). Others can be programmed to selectively lock/unlock just the driver’s door and/or the passenger doors as needed. New car accessories dealers have reported, that these remote-based systems are among the hottest selling kits in their stores.
3. Another type that’s rising up fast on the popularity scale is the remote keyless entry system. It operates on the basis of paired sensors, one of which is in the remote fob, while the other is typically embedded in the door-handle on the driver’s side. The car is locked as soon as the remote fob goes beyond a preset range and unlocks automatically, as the fob is brought in close proximity of the car.
As the methods change, the core thought behind the car central locking system stays the same: to lock (and unlock) doors in one move.
