When we talk about making an old car look brand new, the first thing we often think about is sprucing up it’s exterior. We get excited about intense car washing, repainting, and replacing tires to make the car look fine-looking on the road. However, many tend to overlook one crucial aspect: the interior. No matter how great your car looks from the outside, the experience can be dulled if the interior of your car is outdated, grimy, and gross. Interior Upgrades for Old Car are highly important to keep it look like brand new.
List of Interior Upgrades for Old Car
From deep cleaning your car to buying high-quality car seat covers, here are cheap and easy interior car mods you may invest in.
1. Start by doing hardcore cleaning
Maybe your car isn’t ugly – it’s just filthy like hell. Have your car professionally detailed and thoroughly washed to get rid of all the grime, crumbs, dirt, dust, stains, and even odor. To save money, do some of the tasks yourself.
Shampoo your carpet and upholstery. Wash your car seat covers. Excavate the trash rotting in the trunk. Vacuum the interior, from car upholstery to under the seats. Wipe down the dashboard, windows, and cup holders. You may steam clean your car interior to remove the odor.
While deep-cleaning is one obvious way to make your car look and feel brand new, it also gives you the chance to inspect your car and uncover hidden problems.
2. Inspect and fix the cockpit
Before you make cool updates, like buying custom car seat covers or installing party-ready interior LED lights, pay attention to the most critical area – the cockpit.
Inspect the steering wheel and dashboard: see if the wheel is deteriorated and if the dashboard needs some covering. Then, check dashboard illumination. If you can’t read the speedometers at night, the illumination knob might have dimmed for years due to neglect.
Replace busted knobs and switches. You can also modernize your old-fashioned cockpit by replacing stock dials with dial kits. If you have the budget, consider repainting or dyeing a faded dashboard pad too.
3. Recondition your air conditioner
Your car’s air conditioner is no different from your home’s AC – it can suffer mold, mildew, and bacteria buildups which need to be cleaned out.
See to it that the air coming into the system doesn’t pass through any accumulated grime in the air passageways. Then, clean or replace any filters in the system. Finish it off with an air-conditioning deodorizer of your favorite scent. Your nose and the rest of your respiratory system will thank you.
4. Update your electronics
Want your mid-2000s car to keep up with the times? Update your electronics. Start with upgrading your stereo. There are various radio head units that integrate with mobile devices and satellite radio. Some even feature Bluetooth capabilities.
Think about adding other modern-day car devices including a phone holder, USB charger, and video screens to keep your passengers entertained during the long trip.
5. Light it up
Always going on night road trips? You’d love pairing your updated sound system with LED lights to keep the party going. Interior LED lighting is a quick and easy way to add some pizzazz to your interiors without spending a lot of money.
6. Replace your rubber seal strip
Do you feel and hear air gaps that howl in the wind when you drive? How about the cold escaping from your car when it’s hot outside, or hot escaping when it’s cold outside? Does rainwater get in your even if cars are tightly closed?
Your car’s rubber seal strip could be worn and torn, thus disabling your car doors from shutting.
Replacing ragged or brittle rubber trims is one of the simplest and most expensive mod you could ever do. If it’s the rainy season, think of replacing your rubber windshield wiper blades too.
7. Invest in durable and stylish car seat covers
One way to tell a car is old and poorly used? A set of torn, cracked, or faded car upholstery. You may fix and reupholster your seats, but that modification can be pricey and time-consuming.
One cheaper and easier alternative is buying a set of cool, high-quality car seat covers.
If you don’t like canvas seat covers, there are other materials to check out including leather, neoprene, vinyl, and sheepskin. You just need to choose the best car seat cover that would cater to your needs in terms of aesthetics, durability, water resistance, and maintenance. If your car is unique, you may also invest in custom made seat covers.
8. Dress up your interior
Now that you’ve deep-cleaned everything, fixed issues, and replaced worn and torn parts, it’s time to spruce it up.
Next to car seat covers, you can dress up the dashboard with customized dash trim kits and covers that come in different finishes including leather, wood grain, carbon fiber, camouflage, and aluminum. Trim kits can also be installed on your door. Don’t forget to check out different steering wheel covers to match your interior’s theme and color.