Whether cars are your obsession or just a necessity, odds are you don’t have the ride of your dreams. If you had all the money in the world, you’d probably have something new every week! Unfortunately, you’re not quite there yet! Even if you have the rustiest, loudest banger in the world, there are several things you can do to spruce up your car. Here are a few suggestions.
First of all, repainting. I’m not suggesting you splash out on having a world-famous artist do some custom graphics. However, if you take your car in for a fresh coat of paint, it will come out looking incredibly refreshed! The colour of the bodywork will be brighter, for starters. It will also cover up a lot of little chips and scratches left in the metal from all those tight scratches. This little touch-up isn’t exactly affordable, true. However, I really don’t recommend going for a budget job. Generally speaking, the more expensive paint jobs will last a lot longer, and won’t require you to pay out for another one soon after. A premium paintjob will last six or seven years, whereas the cheaper ones will begin to falter after three.
So what if you don’t want to do something so big, but your car needs an aesthetic refresh. It may surprise you, but getting some new wheels fitted can really make an old car look new again. The price you pay for these will depend on a lot of factors. However, the styles, finishes and brands out there are countless. You’ll certainly be able to find a set that works with your knackered car! If you’ve only got one wheel which is bothering you, then I recommend holding off until you’re happy to pay for the whole set. When you buy a complete set, you’ll end up saving a lot of money on the individual wheel.
Perhaps your car needs a mechanical refresh rather than a superficial one? Luckily, if you’ve had your car a long time, you’ll probably be able to pick up some used car parts for an exceptionally low price. Furthermore, there’s a lot of replacements and mechanical work which you can do yourself, saving yourself the garage fee. If your car’s making an ugly squealing noise when you start it, then you may need to replace the drive belts. If it’s being stubborn about starting at all, then you might want to look into replacing your battery. If there’s a movie-quality squeal whenever you apply the brakes, then your brake pads need checking. There are all kinds of touch-ups like that which can be done from the comfort of your drive. The only warning I’ll give is make sure to read up on the job thoroughly. You don’t want to break your warranty and your car.
If you go through with one or all of these suggestions, you’ll see an immediate, positive change in your car. I’ll leave you with this last tip; shop around. No matter how much work needs doing, there’s probably an affordable option.
