7 Ways to Make Your Car Unique and Stand Out from the Crowd

Let’s face it, few of us will ever be able to own the Ferrari of our dreams or the Lamborghini Countach that may have adorned your teenage bedroom’s walls. Most people, unfortunately, have to settle for something much more sedate and ordinary. That doesn’t mean your car has to remain dull and boring though.

Whatever you drive, and whatever you use your car for, you can make subtle changes that can make your car feel more like your dream car than a family runabout, and you don’t have to break the bank to do it either. Just by adding a little luxury here and there or a personal touch, you can make your car unique and feel more exclusive.

Here is a quick guide to seven things you can do to give your car a more luxurious feel, and a unique look so you can make your car feel like a Ferrari.

Replace Your Car’s Floor Mats

It might seem like a simple change but replacing your car’s floor mats can make a big difference to the appearance of your car’s interior. If you go for deep-pile carpeted mats, specifically designed for your vehicle, you can get a more luxury feel from your car. Change the colour too if you like and go from dull black rubber to a colour that better compliments your car.

Re-Upholster Your Seats or Use Seat Covers

To take your car interior up a notch, you should definitely consider having your seats reupholstered or using high-quality seat covers to give your car a fresher look. This gives you the opportunity to upgrade to a leather interior if you want to, which could make give your car a much more executive and exclusive look and feel.

Update Your Interior Lighting

You can do a lot for your car by updating its interior lighting. Modern LED strip lighting can give your car a much more modern look, and you can incorporate different lighting colours and scheme to co-ordinate with your car’s interior or the actions you take. When you open your car doors, you can be greeted with a warm glow, and the lighting scheme can dim as the evening sets in.

Get a New and Stylish Licence Plate

Perhaps the most exclusive but simple change your car make to your car is get a new and stylish number plate. By using a plate builder, you can turn any registration number, not just a personalized registration, into something unique and exclusive. You can build your own number plate at Number1Plates. Choose from a number of styles and fonts and have your new high-quality number plates delivered to your door with a three-year guarantee.

Change Your Exterior with a Wrap

Wrapping your car may seem a more expensive and time-consuming choice, but it can give you a lot of bang for your buck and completely change the exterior of your vehicle. It also protects the original paintwork, helping your car to retain its value. It can be easily removed later if you choose. You can give your car a new colour quickly, and you can even incorporate patterns or racing details if you wish. It is even possible to find wraps with metallic and reflective finishes. A professionally applied wrap should last about ten years, and only takes a day or so to apply.

Bring Some Extra Style Inside with a New Gear Knob and Steering Wheel

A low budget change anyone can quickly and easily make to their car is to replace their gear or shifter knob with a more up to date or higher-quality finish replacement. There is a huge market out there for simple car modifications like these, and you will be able to find a wide range of options for your vehicle. Steering wheels are another great example of this. You can replace your steering wheel with one that has a leather finish if you want some added luxury, or go with something with a smaller diameter and Alcantara covering for a racing feel.

Update Your In-Car Entertainment

One of the most noticeable changes you can make to your vehicle is updating your In-Car Entertainment (ICE). There has been a huge number of advances in this area over the last few years, and even if your car is less than five years old it could still benefit from an upgrade. You can get touchscreen systems that include features like Bluetooth connectivity and Spotify Connect, as well as digital radio.

Never underestimate what a few subtle changes and some tender loving care can do for your car and how you feel about it. Whether you decide to go all-in and wrap your car in racing livery or make a few simple improvements to your car’s interior, you can use tips like these to give any car a more luxurious, unique, and exclusive look; just like the car of your dreams.

8 DIY projects to make any car feel more luxurious

Not all of us can afford luxury cars. Heck, some of us can’t even afford nice versions of plebeian cars from 50 years ago. But even a tight budget doesn’t mean we can’t have nice things, though, and luxury is in the eye of the beholder. Instead of replacing your current ride with a luxury vehicle, you’re probably best served by making whatever you already own into the best version of itself.

Some enthusiasts may not think of DIY projects beyond those necessary to keep a vehicle running and drivable. Branching out into cosmetic and functional improvements is both fun and less stressful than the highly mechanical nature of projects under the hood.

Tackle a few of these eight ideas to add a little more comfort to your ride—and have the fun of accomplishing a new project, too.

Sound deadening

Often, a luxury car is one of the vehicles most disconnected from the road. Take, for instance, its lack of road noise. The difference between the sound of a door closing—a tin-can sound, in a tired economy car, or the bank-vault whump of a luxury car’s—is just the start.

With just a few sheets of stick-on sound-deadening like Dynamat or Kilmat can eliminate a surprising amount of noise for minimal effort. Remove door panels, stick sound deadener to the sheetmetal surfaces, reassemble, and off you go, quieter than ever.

You don’t need to cover every square inch of metal to notice the effects: you’ll actually experience diminishing returns past 60 percent coverage. Plan to add sound-deadening at least 25 percent of your interior sheetmetal to hear a difference. That 60 percent coverage will often remove 95 percent of the noise you want it to, so save a few dollars and some effort by not going too crazy.

New weatherstripping

Leaks are not luxe, whether they’re admitting wind noise or water. New weatherstripping can be fitted easily on the vast majority of cars and can make a dramatic difference in how the car feels. Doors shut tighter, windows seal better, and trunks are weathertight again.

New weatherstripping often also makes doors, windows, hoods, and trunks close better and more solidly. It can also get rid of rattles around windows and doorframes. For the effort it takes to put new foam rubber in place along the seams, the return is huge.

Refinished (or new) steering wheel

There are really only three touch-points in a car for the driver: seat, pedals, and steering wheel. Replacing upholstery can be complicated and expensive, and refreshing pedals is even more work, but changing a steering wheel is not bad.

Removing a vintage wheel is likely to require special tools but those can often be easily borrowed (with a deposit) from chain auto-parts stores. Even just sanding down, filling cracks, and painting a wheel can go a long way. Be sure, if you do this, to use the appropriate paint and clearcoat. You want durability and proper feel, neither of which is likely to come out of a traditional rattle can.

Fixing torn seats

Only five sentences ago I said re-upholstery can be difficult, but for the right DIY person, it is absolutely doable. New foam under original covers, or new covers alone, transform a seat and make driving enjoyable again. Having seat foam cling to your pants after you arrive at cars and coffee is not luxurious, after all.

Removing seats and dropping them off at an upholstery shop is DIY enough to qualify for this list, but if you are feeling adventurous, we encourage you to research doing seats yourself. Get those hog-ring pliers out and make that interior one that not only looks good but becomes something you can point at with pride.

Look into OEM+ mods

This term came into my life from the man who is better at it than anyone else: Sajeev Mehta. Simply put, OEM+ upgrades use parts that were built for your model but not installed on your particular car at the factory. For modern cars, think nicer stereos, or steering wheels with radio controls. For more vintage cars, a logical OEM+ changes could be switching your vintage bumpside Ford truck’s rear suspension to lighter duty leaf springs, because it isn’t used for work anymore and the factory-installed 3/4-ton leafs just make for a harsh ride.

Or maybe change from a two-barrel carb and manifold to a factory-spec four-barrel for period-correct fit and finish—and easy assembly, since you can follow the factory service manual. Beat that, aftermarket.

Weighted shifter/short shifter

So maybe I lied earlier when I said that a driver only has three touch-points. Some enthusiasts prefer four, since they want a transmission that requires manual persuasion to shift gears. If that’s your thing, than an upgrade to the shifter can totally change the driving experience.

I went OEM+ by using a three-speed shifter on a four-speed transmission in my Corvair, which equated to a short-throw unit and factory fit, but not everyone is so lucky. Your DIY upgrade could be as easy as a weighted shift knob in modern cars, or adding a new Hurst T-handle to your muscle car. Whatever it is, this could be the easiest bit of wrenching that will change how your car feels from the driver’s seat.

Fixing little rattles and squeaks

That loose piece of trim should be annoying: there is no reason for it to be loose. Items like this can be low-hanging fruit, and transform a beater into a vehicle to be proud of. Having a rattle- or squeak-free driving experience immediately changes your perception of any car, so taking the time to track down and properly affix or lubricate small parts and pieces is well worth your time.

A quick tip: The most common cause I’ve seen for squeaky suspension is when people tighten all the suspension bolts while the suspension is hanging. Many suspension bolts and fasteners should be tightened with the weight of the car on the suspension. Get everything snug, set the car down, and only then break out the torque wrench.

Stereo upgrade

Last but not least is an upgrade that is easier than ever to hide. Vintage cars have vintage audio, but modern speakers can be fit behind original speaker grilles, and Bluetooth receivers and amplifiers can be hidden in glove boxes or under seats. Totally stock appearance with modern or upgraded sound is attainable and not nearly as expensive as it once was.

Combine that with a few other items on this list and your car is going to feel nearly new, or at least a little more luxurious than what you are used to.

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