Personalize your car to make it truly yours. Customizing cars to fit a unique style and identity has always been popular, with personal touches ranging from bumper stickers to the sort of air freshener you choose to hang from your rearview mirror. But, in this day and age, it’s easier than ever to personalize your car thanks to the mountains of options available. As a matter of fact, there may even be too much choice, which can make it a little overwhelming for someone who is just beginning to personalize their ride.
If this describes you, you’re in luck – we’re about to go over some of the most fun and unique ways to personalize your car, point you to some products that can help, and make it easier for you to decide. Let’s dive into the details.
Suggested Reading: Choosing a Name for Your Vehicle
If you want to get creative and colorful, giving your car a custom paint job or covering it in a vinyl wrap is a fun way to add some unique flair. Both can radically change or enhance a car’s color, which can definitely personalize your car’s look. It’s worth noting that these options may be useful for more than just customization; it’s also a great way to protect your paint from sun damage and make your car look brand new.
Here are some of the specifics regarding the differences in how long these options last, how easy they are to apply, and what sort of look you can produce with them.
Ways to Personalize Your Car
Custom Painting
Most people choose to approach a shop to achieve a custom paint job, and a professional can certainly help you make sure your paint job is smooth, sleek, and will last the lifetime of your car. If you’re willing to try this task on your own, however, you can potentially change up your car’s look multiple times without the sticker shock.
To properly paint a car, you need to follow a few steps and gather some critical supplies:
- Fully washing down the car and removing or covering areas that you don’t want to paint.
- Sanding the car down to get rid of rust and old paint.
- Spraying the car down with quality car-specific paint. It’s best to practice your painting motion on a piece of steel or an old car panel first.
You can pick up a wide variety of custom car paints online, depending on which color and style you’re looking for. Additionally, your best bet is to purchase a car paint sprayer, such as the Wagner Spraytech 0529031 (AMAZON), designed to provide excellent and reliable paint covering for all your vehicles.
Vinyl Wrapping
Compared to custom painting, vinyl wrapping is a much simpler process. Instead of applying a new coating of paint, you’re essentially wrapping your car in a large, thin vinyl “decal,” which protects the paint underneath. Colored vinyl wraps can alter or enhance the look of your car, and since it’s going over the pre-existing paint, there are a lot of unique combinations you can try. Additionally, the work is less intensive, only requiring you to make sure the car is clean and then finalize the design you want your car to have.
Vinyl wraps can be found online and applied yourself at home. Keep in mind, however, that the best results come when you use the highest-quality wraps. Enlisting a professional’s help can ensure it comes out looking exactly as you’d envisioned. This doesn’t mean you have to break the bank, though – a product like VViViD+ Matte Metallic Purple Vinyl Wrap (AMAZON) can provide a stunning look at an affordable price.
Your car’s personality doesn’t just come from the paint. Your wheels and tires can be made just as eye-catching and unique. All you have to do is find a wheel, rim, or tire that suits your style and swap them out. There are a ton of options on the market, and many can be used without sacrificing your car’s efficiency, reliability, or drivability.
In fact, you can even customize your wheels without altering the actual tire much at all! Here are some top options.
Suggested Reading: How to Buy Tires Online
Tire Valve Caps
Valve caps exist to protect your tire valves from debris, corrosion, and leaks. Of course, that doesn’t mean they can’t also be stylish! You can find fun and creative tire valve caps online, ranging from black skulls (AMAZON) to fluorescent neon colors (AMAZON). No matter your vibe, if you want a subtle but unique way to enhance your tires, you can find the right tire valve cap for you.
Tire Painting
Did you know that tires can be given a paint job, just like your car? This is done with tire paint pens or weather-resistant acrylics, and the task is as simple as removing the tire, making sure it’s clean, and applying the paint. You can buy an entire set of tire paint marker pens (AMAZON) from the brand BEMLP for a wide variety of color combinations and reliable paint that won’t wear off.
Custom Tires and Wheels
Of course, you can go all the way and get yourself some unique, customized tires or wheels. There are a few ways you can go about this.
- Reach out to a reputable tire company in your area and ask them about customized tires or wheels. You’ll need to pick from an array of options, including an appropriate size for your vehicle, color, tread style, and which sort of wheel or rim you want to pair with it.
- Purchase unique, pre-made wheels either online or at an auto shop. This offers less creative control but saves a little money and time. For example, if you want something simple and classy, you can purchase this Vogue Tyre Custom Built Radial VIII (AMAZON) in gold and white, which is built to look flashy and enhance your car’s driveability.
Interior Upgrades
When it comes to your car, it’s not all about what’s on the outside. While most people will notice your flashy new paint job or customized tires, you can also take control of your car’s interior to find even more fun ways to customize your car. Consider trying:
- Fun air fresheners – These come not only in a variety of scents but also in a variety of shapes and styles. For example, why go for a regular pine tree when you can get one that smells like cotton candy? (AMAZON)
- Sleek, comfortable seat covers – These can also come in various patterns and styles, such as animal print or galaxy.
- Customized car mats to protect your car and add style – Check out the stylish Oedro car mats, such as this one designed for the new Hyundai Tucson (AMAZON) model.
- Unique steering wheel covers – These can range from fluffy and floral to a simple pop of color to your interior. You can even find steering wheel covers to display your chosen fandom.
- Stuffed animals, bobbleheads, or other toys – You can mount the creature of your choice to your dash, so long as they aren’t large enough to distract you or impede your vision of the road.
High Tech Gadgets
If you’re the sort of person who always needs the latest smartphone, loves taking advantage of the newest products, and knows your way around a computer, you might like to spice up your car with some high-tech gadgetry. These gadgets aren’t just designed to look cool, either. They’re made to keep you safe, comfortable, and connected.
Consider these gadgets to further personalize your car:
- Dash Cams – These are designed to be an extra set of eyes on the road. They’ll record what happens as you drive, provide collision warnings, and even sometimes take high-quality drone-esque footage! We recommend the Vantrue N4 (AMAZON)
- Remote Vehicle Starters – These gadgets can now do more than just unlock and start your car. They’ll also allow you to track and monitor your car. For instance, this Viper StartSmart (AMAZON) is made by a trustworthy brand and offers features like GPS tracking.
- Scan Tools – This diverse array of tools provides you with details about how your car is functioning under the hood. They’ll warn you if there’s something wrong and alert you when you’re not achieving peak performance. One good example is the OBD-Link Scan Tool (AMAZON), which is compatible with all Android products.
Personalized License Plates
If you’ve ever wanted to be “that car enthusiast” with license plates to spell out your name, your dog’s name, your business, or anything else you desire, we have good news. Personalized license plates are relatively easy to obtain. Once you have them, your car will be the talk of everyone on the road with you, and you won’t forget which car is yours any time soon.
How you go about getting personalized license plates may differ depending on where you live, as some states require you to get the plates printed out by the DMV, while others may only need you to get them approved once they’re made. License plates often must follow specific rules as well, including using a specific number of characters and refraining from using profanity or slurs. Once they’re approved and ready to go, however, you’re all set to add that extra touch of “you” to your car.
You can also consider the option of personalized license plate frames if you’re looking to avoid the need to get entirely new plates approved. Or, add personalized plate frames to your personalized plates for a fully customized look. You can buy a laser-engraved stainless steel plate cover (AMAZON) from Product Express for an affordable price.
Custom Headlights
Have you ever wanted to get away from the standard headlights that every car seems to have? Have you ever wished that your headlights could be a fun color that makes your car look stunning and unique in the dark without sacrificing visibility and safety? You’re in luck because you can customize your headlights just the same as you can customize the rest of your car.
You can choose headlights in your favorite color that will pop and stand out on the road. Or, choose a model that gives you the ability to change the headlight color with an app to suit your needs. Custom headlights are a fun way to make your car unique. Check out this pack of multi-colored halo headlights (AMAZON) from Sunpie and make your car shine in more ways than one.
Suggested Reading: Essential Car Accessories
Red Mountain for Helpful Auto Advice
There are a ton of decisions to make to personalize your car. With so many options to choose from, so many styles and color schemes to consider, and so many ways to keep your ride safe and stylish, it’s not surprising that some people may feel a little overwhelmed. Know your priorities. Go with what you like; the goal is to make your car an extension of you and your personality, so don’t be afraid to show it off. And, keep a budget in mind. Stick to what you can afford, make small changes as you can, and you’ll have a great-looking car that doesn’t cost a fortune.
You can keep it simple with fun and functional car accessories or go all the way and get a new paint job, but whatever you decide to do, know that your car will truly be one of a kind. Need more tips for making your car truly yours? Be sure to keep up with the Red Mountain Blog.
Alice Trellakis is a 26-year-old University of Illinois alumni residing in Chicagoland. She has carved a successful career as a digital advertising saleswoman at Google, where she thrives on utilizing her strategic mindset and passion for technology to drive impactful results for clients. With her deep knowledge of the digital landscape and keen understanding of market trends, Alice has consistently exceeded expectations and achieved exceptional sales growth.
Outside of her professional pursuits, Alice is also an influential figure in the fitness community. Her Instagram page, with a dedicated focus on fitness content, has amassed an impressive following of 354K followers. Through her posts and stories, Alice shares her fitness journey, offering tips, workout routines, and motivational content to inspire and empower her audience. Her genuine passion for health and wellness shines through her engaging and relatable posts, making her a trusted voice in the online fitness sphere.
In addition to her accomplishments, Alice also boasts six years of writing experience as an author, collaborating with a diverse range of digital brands. Through her compelling and engaging writing style, she has effectively conveyed brand stories, developed captivating content, and strengthened brand presence across various digital platforms. Alice’s passion for writing, combined with her expertise in digital advertising and fitness, has allowed her to establish a unique and multifaceted professional portfolio. Whether she is working as a digital advertising saleswoman at Google or creating captivating content as an author, Alice continues to showcase her versatility, talent, and commitment to delivering exceptional results in every endeavor she undertakes.
