6 Inexpensive Ways to Make Your Old Car Look New

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With cars not exactly cheap in Malaysia, very few of us can actually afford to change our cars every few years.

So, since we can’t upgrade to a new car, what is the next best thing? Well, how about just making your old car look new?

To most people, this would probably mean expensive upgrades involving money better spent on the down payment for a new car. But what if I told you that there are six inexpensive ways to achieve your goal of driving around in a car that looks new?

Impossible? No, it’s easy, just read on.

1) Repair the Small Bodywork Damages

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Ignoring those dents and scratches on your car’s bumper inflicted in tight carparks is not doing it or you any favours. It doesn’t hurt taking your car to the workshop and getting a quote for the repairs, especially since deep scratches and dents can cause rust and a less robust body to withstand damages.

For small scratches, you could pick up one of those paint repair pens, which are inexpensive and do the repair yourself.

2) Get Seat Covers

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Premium leather seats often suffer more severe wear and tear issues from excessive use compared to cheaper, more durable polyester seats. Since new car seats do not come cheap, why not consider getting car seat covers instead?

Seat covers are perfect to cover up any damage to your seat and to prevent any future damage. Installation often only involves pulling it over your car seats, making it easy to put on and take off to wash.

3) Change Your Floor Mats

(Photo Credit: Car iD)

The floor mats are probably the items most likely to get dirty in your car, given their nature of absorbing everything we step on so that your footwear doesn't dirty the actual car. Thus, it’s a good idea to change them whenever they get so dirty that they are beyond saving.

The most common and durable floor mat would be a rubber one, which should be able to withstand tough abuses and mould caused by excess, unabsorbed moisture. Changing the entire set of floor mats with good quality ones should just cost you a few hundred ringgits.

4) New Windscreen Wiper Blades

(Photo Credit: Car From Japan)

Living in Malaysia, you know as well as us that a heavy downpour can come out of nowhere regularly, and that takes a great toll on our hardworking windscreen wipers. Thus, it is important that they are kept in good condition.

What you could do is clean your wiper blades with a cloth every week and to replace them a few times a year. If you drive an older car, you might find that your windscreen wipers are particularly weak or slow. If that’s the chase, you could change the motor along with your wipers if you are willing to pay the high costs.

5) Wash Your Windows

(Photo Credit: Jeff Milner)

Cleaning both the insides and outsides of your car’s windows is a relatively easy way to improve both the appearance and your visibility out of your car.

The general rule to cleaning windows is to use a microfibre towel and a cleaning agent. Some car owners prefer to use newspaper and mildly soapy water to clean windows, but use whatever you think works best!

6) Clean Your Car

(Photo Credit: Pexels)

This is possibly the simplest and cheapest way to make your car look sparkly and new. Usually taking only effort and man-hours should you choose to do it yourself, a simple wash of your exterior will make your car look new compared to a car stained with watermarks from rain.

On the inside, a simple dust and wipe would get rid of most of the dust and dirt trapped in your car. If your car’s interior is cluttered with random items and paper, that doesn’t exactly give off the impression of a new car, does it?

When you have the time, do a proper organising of the items in your car, throw out what you don’t need and organise the things you need properly to store them well.

Do you have any other tips on inexpensive ways to make your old car look new? Let us know in the comments below!

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