If youve never worked on a car before, learning the basics can be intimidating. You might worry youll make a break an important part and cause permanent damage to your car, but as long as you ease your way into car repair, the odds of your doing anything drastic are minimal. Here are a few easy upgrades you can perform on your car, and theyll give you just the automotive experience and confidence you need to learn more.
Audio System
One easy upgrade is your audio wiring, but first you have to figure out whether or not you need an upgrade. The easiest way to figure that out is to turn your radio up to the highest volume and then turn on the headlights. If the headlights dim, your wiring isnt strong enough. You can fix that problem by purchasing wires of a higher gauge (which you can find at places like Execution Audio), and then performing whats known as the big 3 car audio wiring upgrade. Those three wires are under the hood, connecting chassis, engine, and the alternator. Once complete, the wiring will be able to handle blasting the music even with the headlights on.
Headlights
Upgrading your headlights is another simple upgrade. All it takes is popping the headlight compartment out and replacing the bulb with another of the same size. You can put in a slightly stronger bulb (make sure its street legal, because some headlight bulbs are too strong for street cars), or you can put in a different type of bulb, like a xenon gas bulbwhich puts out a bluish light that doesnt blind other drivers at night.
Brake Pads
The brake pads are an important safety feature on your car, and you want to make sure theyre doing their job. You could go to a mechanic to have them check your brakes and make the pads arent worn down, but its simple enough that you can save yourself the money by checking it yourself and fixing it when it needs it. When your brake pads are worn down (sometimes this is indicated by squeaking or even grinding when your brake), get some new ones to replace the old ones. If you want, you can upgrade to ceramic pads or a high temperature variety as these last longer than normal brake pads.
Tires
If youve ever changed a tire, you know how to perform a full tire upgrade on your car. The important part is to buy the same kinds of tires, but its up to you about what tires you want to put on your car. And you have a lot of options. Tires come in all kinds of sizes and types, and because of that, you can choose tires that fit your needs exactly. If you live somewhere that gets a lot of snow, like Syracuse, New York, youll want snow tires, but if you live somewhere that gets a lot of rain, like Seattle, youll want tires built for rain. And there are tires for both of those. You can also choose the durability of a tire, since some tires last far longer than others. When it comes to upgrading your tires, its all up to you on what you want and need.
Dont let your fear of damaging your vehicle keep you from learning about how to fix your car. By starting out easy with these fixes and upgrades, you can get the experience you need to learn more, and before long, youll know the ins and outs of your car, and youll know your fear was unwarranted.
