How to Customize Your Car to Show Off Your Unique Personality

Cars have been customized by their owners since they first hit the streets. For each generation, customizing cars is a reflection of their lifestyle. You shouldn’t be afraid to trick out your car the way you want it.

Learning how to customize your car is easy. All you need is some inspiration, a little research, and basic car knowledge. We’re not just talking about adding fuzzy dice here, we want to functionality too.

In the spirit of customization, we’ve made a list of some cool things to do to your car. Use these ideas to help make your car your own, not just another vehicle on the road.

Custom Paint Jobs

If you want to make the biggest impression on passersby, a nice paint job will do it. You can really drop some jaws with matte black, iridescent flakes, temperature-changing paint, or just a color outside the usual car maker’s spectrum.

How many times do we drive by the same grays, blues, reds, and blacks on the road? If your color is hot pink, orange, purple, or burnt sienna, go for it! If you’re feeling really ambitious, take a look at some custom patterned paint jobs.

Your Own License Plate

Want to say something or dedicate your ride to someone? Private number plates will never go out of style.

Private plates don’t need to be expensive, but they can be if you want everything custom.

Once you start picking custom backgrounds and reducing the number of letters, you can easily spend hundreds. You don’t even need to wait in line at the DMV to choose private number plates. They let you do it online and you can instantly find out if your selection is available.

Interior Decorating

Does your car interior resemble that of a generic office space or a worn out old couch? Car interiors can be pretty uninspired for stock features and designs. Older cars start to feel stuffy and stale after the first four or five years.

The solution is to get new seat covers, floor mats, maybe a new gearshift, and a wheel cover. These will be the most visually-impactful changes to prioritize. Seat covers can be pretty cheap and they are much more economical than buying new seats.

The gearshift often gets faded and worn out, so a nice leather cover or an entirely new model can feel great. Steering wheel covers help preserve your wheel, so these should be mandatory.

Look at the Roof

The headliner or interior roof of your car can start to look drab too. It can fade, catch oil stains, get tears, and so on. Replacing or restoring it can breathe new life into your car.

The cheap fabric that is usually up there should be replaced with leather or custom fabric.

To cut back on costs, you could do it yourself. It only costs a couple hundred bucks to get it replaced, but the process is simple for most modern cars. If you have an older car, you have to deal with navigating windows and frames.

Pedals to the Metal

Do you like to drive fast in your car? Want your car to say that its fast to everyone who looks into the driver side? Well, how about installing some metal pedals that will scream “hot rod!”

These pedals will not only look cool, they will function much better as well.

You’ll notice that it’s easier to depress them and give you more foot space. People with bigger feet can benefit a lot from custom pedals. Most standard car pedals are tiny, in comparison.

Get Techy

Any car will benefit from a tech upgrade. We’re talking navigational system, cellphone mounts, mini-TVs for the backseats, and more. All of this stuff is considerably cheaper than what it used to be years ago.

You can install most of this easily by yourself too. If you want to really bring your car into the future, upgrade its sound system with an infotainment system. Prices range from $100 to $400, depending on brand and size of the screen.

Consider getting a new car security system that provides video surveillance and will alert you on your smartphone. They work just like the video doorbell security systems for homes.

Tires and Rims

Stock tires and rims are rarely impressive, so it won’t take much to upgrade them. While not the cheapest aspect of your car to customize, wheels offer a good return. For example, snow tires can really improve the quality of your ride for those up north.

Rims are obviously all about shining and showing off, but they can also improve handling. A good pair of rims and high-quality tires can make your car drive like a magic carpet ride. It’s a whole new world.

Get a Fridge

You read that correctly – not a cooler, but a working fridge. Why settle for constant pit stops to convenience stores? Open up shop in your own car with a mini-fridge. Keep cold drinks and snacks within easy access.

You can install a fridge into your center column to help keep passengers happy. This is an awesome perk for any Uber or Lyft driver. The tips will pour in as hot riders are greeted with cold water bottles and an aux cord.

Find out More on How to Customize Your Car

These tips on how to customize your car are just a few examples. There are plenty of other ways to add your spin. Trucks and SUVs have a ton of multi-purpose ways to customize, especially for offroaders.

Anytime your car shows signs of wear and needs things replaced, you should consider upgrading them.

Headlights failing? Get some new LED bulbs. Spark plugs need to be changed? Upgrade them and your cables.

Whenever you’re looking at a repair or replacement part for your car, always consult your manual. At Certified Master Tech, we have repair manuals for thousands of makes and models. Refer to us anytime you have a question about auto services and parts purchases.