Getting a new car is one of the best feelings ever. There’s nothing like that new car smell, that rush you get behind the wheel, and noticing the number of heads you turn when driving down the street.
But, you don’t always need a new car to achieve these things! Sometimes, all you have to do is a few cheap car modifications to have your ride looking and feeling as new.
This may be a trip to the car wash here or a bit of detailing there. Or, you could take it upon yourself to do some of the items mentioned below. The following is a list of 12 cheap and easy car mods worth looking into.
1. Write a Custom License Plate Saying
This is may be the easiest item on the list. It’s a fun way to turn heads and be a little more memorable as you’re driving around town. Not to mention, a custom license plate is a perfect way to show off a bit of your personality!
Some people create a license plate to say something funny, while others use it as a bit of an ego boost. If you’re smart about it, though, you can create a license plate that promotes your business in an interesting, organic manner.
The only catch to this easy car mods exterior tip is that you can’t get a plate someone already has. Get on this one sooner rather than later to make sure the saying you want is still available.
2. Get Headlight Covers
Another mod that makes people turn heads is headlight covers. You can get these to match the exterior color of your entire car, which creates a sleek, stylish look. Or, opt for headlight covers that create a sharp contrast.
For example, get black headlight covers for your white car, or blend black on black, or one with a matte finish! Other popular options include black covers for a red car or dark blue on a white car.
3. Upgrade Your Headlights
Instead of focusing on the headlight covers, take a look at the headlights themselves. Can you make them brighter? Is there room to add smaller detail headlights around the main one?
Such design options totally transform the look of your car. It goes from being the average model on the market to something much more appealing. Onlookers are sure to be impressed while you kick back and drive away in style.
For an added touch, invest in fog lights and install them yourself. This little DIY project will cost you much less if you do it in your driveway rather than having someone else install it.
4. Try Tire and Fender Lights
Like the look of new headlights? Don’t stop there! Consider getting tire lights and fender lights to make your vehicle look super cool.
These are usually small LED lights that are simple to install and maintain. You can choose to get them in the same color as your car or do something that creates a sharp contrast.
Whatever you decide, though, try to keep all the different kinds of lights a matching color. This creates consistency. It makes your car’s design look cool and collected rather than over-the-top.
5. Light up the Inside
While it’s important to create consistency, you don’t have to limit yourself to the kinds of lighting cheap car modifications you can do. Another fun option is to install custom lights on the inside.
These look great around the control panel, along the interior of the doors, or even on the side of the seats. There are special lights available to light up the entire interior too, called dome lights. Dome lights are better for people who often drive at night, and they’re great if you have little ones who are always dropping stuff in the backseat.
6. Cover Your Seats
In order for your interior to look stunning, the manufacturer’s seats won’t do. Sure, you may have a great-looking leather interior right now or love the way the fabric feels. But, this looks exactly the same as everyone else driving your type of vehicle around.
Transform the seat covers to make the car your own. Keep things simple by adding a bit of color on the lining of the seat or by changing certain panels to create accents. Or, go all-out and choose an eclectic, bold type of fabric and pattern to change the entire look of the car.
There’s practically no limit to what you can do with this modification. But, remember to stick to a budget and do your research about installation and maintenance requirements. This will ensure you get the best look for the best price, and that you’re able to maintain it as time goes on.
7. Add a Bit of Bling
Once the interior is all taken care of, take another look at the outside of the car. Ask yourself what’s missing. Surprisingly, one of the best cheap cosmetic car mods out there is to change the traditional maker’s logo for something you’ve designed yourself.
You can add a bit of bling to the logo or paint it a flashy color. Maybe make it match the color of the tire lights or the shade of your headlight covers for an added touch.
If you have a little more money to spend, add bling. This will really make the logo shine as you’re driving down the street. Another good idea is to swap the traditional logo for another custom design.
8. Consider Getting Stripes
Speaking of custom exterior designs, think about getting racing stripes for your car. Sure, these are a pretty popular trend already. But, the right design can make racing stripes look cooler than ever before!
Take your time to decide on the color and the width of your stripes. Also, keep in mind that these don’t have to line the car from the hood to the trunk. They can cover the car on the sides of the doors either at the mid-way point or along the bottom.
Play with each idea until you get something that looks just right. You never know how a few simple stripes can make your car’s image do a major upgrade.
9. Indulge Yourself with a Custom Wrap
What if you already have stripes and you want something different, or if stripes just aren’t for you? Get a custom car wrap instead. This will be a little more costly, but it’s definitely worth every penny.
A custom car wrap ensures you have the only vehicle of its kind on the road. It’s a fun way to get your creative juices flowing and think outside the box in terms of car design.
Use a wrap to promote your business or turn it into your personal platform of self-expression. Either way, the right design is sure to be a big hit.
10. Install a Set of Spoilers
If you’re a true car fanatic, you probably know the real purpose of having spoilers. You know, those things on the back of a car that many sports car drivers have for looks.
You see them on everything from a Honda Accord to a Porsche, but not everyone realizes spoilers are about more than style. Spoilers look cool and turn heads; more importantly, they upgrade the aerodynamics of your vehicle.
These are great if your work commute is on a highway or if you just like to go fast. They’re a simple addition to pretty much any car with a lot of beauty benefits and driving enhancements worth investing in.
11. Use Cold-Air Intake
Speaking of driving enhancements, don’t forget to take a look under the hood when you want to do some DIY cheap car modifications. One of the cheapest things you can do is swap your regular air box for a cold-air intake design. This is a fairly simple installation that offers significant improvements in the way your car burns fuel.
Simply put, cold air is more dense, which means more air travels through the engine’s cylinders into the fuel tank. This creates better levels of combustion at a lower exertion of energy; aka more gas efficiency and overall horsepower.
To get the most out of this car mod, make sure the rest of your engine is running well. If you’re not seeing the returns you hoped for, this could be a sign something’s wrong with the mechanics of the car.
12. Do Some Computer Tuning
If you already know a thing or two about the engine and the mechanics, and you have a vehicle from a recent year, try doing some computer tuning.
Recent cars on the market come with high-end computers to run everything from navigation to changing lanes and auto-braking. They come in handy to keep you safe and minimize distractions, but they can also improve your car’s overall performance. To do this, you have to edit the computer’s settings to get more horsepower out of your car.
It can be a little complicated if you don’t know what you’re doing, though. To minimize risks and maximize the benefits of this car mod, pay a professional like RPI Designs to handle it. While you’re at it, ask about other opportunities to make your car look better and go faster.
Make the Most of Your Cheap Car Modifications
It’s one thing to have a fancy new car and another to make your car perform as best as it possibly can. Plus, it doesn’t hurt for it to look really good, too.
Try your hand at these cheap car modifications and see how your drive feels. To take these upgrades even further, click here for further insights on maintenance, driving, and more.