Let us delve into some of the common affordable DIY car modifications.
Car modification has been a tradition that has been seen over the years by the fraternity of car enthusiasts. However, while professional upgrades can be very expensive, simple home modifications that don't cost an arm and a leg you easily can do yourself. But above all, aside from each and every aesthetic and performance boost it will bring, the knowledge of having done it yourself will be satisfactory enough.
Why Do-It-Yourself Car Mods?
Before getting into the nitty-gritty details of exactly what modifications exist, it would be best to understand why anyone would go to all the trouble of car modifications themselves in the first place. A few of the key reasons are discussed below:
1. Saving Money: Professional installations and upgrades have expensive costs. Take that load off your wallet and do it yourself at a much lesser cost.
2. Personalization:Car mods will enable one to personalize his car his way-from performance tuning to giving your car looks that suit the best.
3. Learning Process: When one works on his car and its parts, he understands those better. In an amusing way, that too is one kind of learning.
4. Resale Value:Changes, particularly those touching on the performance improvement of your car, stand to raise its resale value.
1. Air Filter Upgrade
Replacing the air filter is one of the easier and inexpensive performance modifications that you can do to your vehicle. A high-flow new air filter can help out the engine a long way from an efficiency standpoint; hence, fuel economy and performance.
Why Upgrade? High-performance air filters increase airflow to the engine, giving your car a slight bump in horsepower boost besides improving throttle response.
How to Do It:Buy a washable, reusable air filter from companies such as K&N or AEM. In most cases, it's an easy install where you pop open the airbox, and swap in the new filter.
Price:$40-$70
Time:15-30 minutes
2. LED or HID Headlight Installation
These replace the stock, dim halogen headlights with brighter LED or HID bulbs and usher in some real visibility improvements while adding a bit of modern profile to your car in the process.
Why Upgrade? The bright and efficient lighting of LED and HID bulbs compared to the traditional one means a great deal in trying to drive safely at night or in poor conditions.
How to Do It:Check what type of bulbs are in your car and then order an LED or HID replacement kit. Literally, you'll just have to replace the old halogen bulbs. Most vehicles, access isn't bad at all from the backside of the headlight housing.
Cost: $50-$150
Time:20-45 minutes
3.Plasti-Dip Wheels or Emblems
That being said, peel-off coating sprays like Plasti-Dip work wonders. Fairly versatile in nature, each and every color tone of car parts regarding wheels, badges, or emblems can be changed with utmost ease. These fall under mid-budget categories, and later in life, this could be peeled off if one feels that he wants his original look back.
Why Upgrade? Plasti-Dipping is a great means of changing up the looks on your car without permanently painting it. Great for wheels, emblems, and even sections of the whole car.
How to Do It: Thoroughly clean the area to which you will spray. Mask off surrounding areas in several layers of Plasti-Dip. Each layer must be completely dry when the next goes on. It can then be peeled off with ease when desired, once it is fully dry.
Cost:$10-$50 depending on square footage
Time: 1-3 hours depending on intricacy
4.Window Tinting
Other fabulous benefits are privacy, a reduction in glare, and much cool car when the vehicle is in direct sunlight. You can get a relatively inexpensive window tinting kit to install yourself or pay a professional-the former perhaps will let you save quite a penny.
Why Upgrade? The window tint beautifies the car, adds comfort keeping interior temperatures down, and can protect the interior from UV damage.
How to Do It:Buy a pre-cut window tint kit from any auto parts store. Deep clean the window, spray soapy water, lay on the tint film with no air bubbles.
Cost:$30-100 DIY kit
Time: 2-4 hours
5. Axle-Back or Cat-Back Exhaust System Upgrade
That would increase the flow rate of your vehicle and reduce back pressure. It sounded so different; it sounded deeper and meaner.
Why Upgrade? New exhausts give better horsepowers and torque; they can even give a more sporty and aggressive sound to your vehicle.
How to Do It: Generally speaking, axle-back exhaust systems are easier to install and much more novice-friendly. You'll simply have to break out some basic tools to remove your old exhaust and swap in the new system. Check your local noise ordinances before modifying.
Price: $150-$600
Time: 1-3 hours
6. Cold Air Intake Addition
This setup allows the intake of cooler air to be used by the engine, hence having a better combustion process and thereby improving its performance. People love such kinds of modification because increased power and quicker acceleration surely is very noticeable.
Why Upgrade? A cold air intake would improve airflow and lower the temperature of air coming into the engine, hence improving horsepower and quickening throttle response.
How to Do It:It finds its installation by replacing the stock air intake with that of an after-market cold air intake kit. Installation techniques involved are pretty simple in nature. These procedures consist only of removing the stock intake and its replacement with the new one coupled with some extra piping or other pieces.
Cost:$100-$400
Time: 1-2 hours
7.Upgrading Brake Pads
First of all, that money would go into upgrading the brake pads themselves. Admittedly, one heck of modification could be better qualities of safety and performance-high-performance brake pads boast improvements in stopping distances and response to braking.
Why Upgrade? High-performance brake pads boast superior stopping power when compared to factory stock, are less prone to fade when the going gets hot with braking, and are more durable.
How to Do It: Jack up, remove your car wheels and replace old brake pads with new performance ones. While changing the pad make sure that the condition of the caliper and rotor is proper.
Cost: $ 50 - $ 150
Time: 1 -2 hours
8.Interior Lighting Mods
That said, it is among those rather affordable and easy modifications that instantly turn the cabin into either a luxury or sporty ambiance. It is such stuff that avails that wonderful opportunity to add one's little bit of personality inside the car.
Why Upgrade?Adding custom lighting classes up the interior of your car, and it can be switched over to whatever mood.
How to do it: Buy some strips of LED lights and wire those with a 12V power source. Either that power can come straight from the fuse box, or you can do it more easily with a cigarette lighter port. You will have the ability to turn them on via remote or using an application depending on your system that may be provided.
Cost: $10-$50
Time: 1-2 hrs
9. Rear Spoiler Installation
Placing the rear spoiler on makes your car look meaner and might provide an edge in case of aerodynamics, depending on the type of spoiler and the type of vehicle on which it is going to be used.
Why Upgrade? The rear spoiler enhances a sporty look for your vehicle and at times improves downforce and handling.
How to Do It: Most rear spoilers are painted, with adhesive strips applied. Fitting is thus a simple bolting job: clean the trunk, position the spoiler and glue it on or slap it on with pre-applied adhesive or screws.
Price Range: $50-$200
Time: 1-2 hours
10. Replacement of Seat Cover
The most economic-friendly and easiest renovation that one could make to the interior is changing or adding seat covers. Besides saving the original seats, they let you change the look inside the cabin.
Why Upgrade? Seat covers save your original seats from wear and tear, while one can change the aesthetic inside without breaking the bank.
How to Do It: Purchase seat covers colored and upholstered exactly like the seats in your car. Have these fitted on the fitted seats with the help of installation guides within.
Cost: $30-$150
Time: 30 minutes -1 hour
11. Vinyl Wrap or Decals
Everything from racing stripes to full-body vinyl, these vinyl wraps and decals have to be some of the coolest ways to give your car a facelift without going to the trouble of permanently painting it. Being quite a flexible modification in nature, it's pretty much reversible.
Why Upgrade? Vinyl wraps protect your car from paint and give it a fresh new look; fantastic for those who just want to see exactly what it would be like to change things up but not permanently.
How to Do It: Clean off the surface on your car, measure and cut vinyl to size, apply carefully. Take out air bubbles with a squeegee and even out the wrap.
Prices: $30-$150
Time: 30 minutes 1hour
Conclusion
In short, simpler methods of car modification as a Do-It-Yourself project and in reasonably inexpensive ways are probably the ways in which you will have your car tailored to suit your needs and make it more capable for performance, off-road, and aesthetics. From simple replacements, like just your headlights, to custom seat covers, from cold air intake to the installation of performance exhaust, easily can be performed with just a couple of basic tools at the level of elementary knowledge of DIY work. Further, the following modifications will let one express his style and even make the ride more comfortable and safe. These do-it-yourself modifications below are lightweight and feasible, easy to get both the serious amateur and the complete newbie up and running. Remember that besides safety, one must consider the local regulations when considering major changes that can be carried out on one's car.
