Not many people can afford to buy a new car after a few years. However, there are old cars that look old but have a second chance at life. Most of us don’t need to feel discouraged and sad when after several years of driving a few fixes can make your old car feel new all over again. Here are some simple tips to refresh your old car without wasting a lot of money. These tips assume that you have a mechanically healthy car that is regularly serviced.

Finding Your Car

First of all, you need to “meet” with your car and its structure. If you find enough information and instructions to use your car, you can reduce the amount of effort and money you need to spend on restoration. 

If you already have an old and favorite car, you can also give your car a new life by following the next 20 steps.

20 Quick Tips To Improve Your Car 

1. Get Your Car Professionally Washed And Deep Cleaned, Inside And Out

It may seem trivial, but we have to say it. Nothing makes your car more horrible if it’s dirty inside and out. Dirt, dust, crumbs, and stains on the upholstery can all reduce the value of your car.   

To make your car look stunning make sure it looks flawlessly clean. The most horrible looking cars can look great after a good cleaning, and the most beautiful cars can look horrible if they are covered with a layer of dirt.  

2. Replace Your Floor Mats

The floor mats are usually the first thing to spoil in a car. You should change the floor mats if your car still has the original floor mats, and if they are too old. 

Use weather-appropriate rubber floor mats instead. It will help maintain the appearance of your car and prevent mildew caused by wet shoes.

3. Get Some Seat Covers

Every day when you use the car, you want to feel comfortable and safe. A lot of details in the interior of the car create this feeling. One of the simple elements of your vehicle is its seats.

Yes, the car looks better if you see a new car interior and good seats inside. You know that the type of interior depends on the quality of the protection of your car’s facilities.

Therefore, to protect your seats from dirt, scratches, and cracks, by buying some seat covers in primary, unobtrusive colors you can create a good image of your car.

4. Repair Dents 

Nothing destroys more than a dent. It’s a virus in the automotive world.  

Not only does it draw negative attention to your car, but it also makes people avoid driving or parking their car near other cars for fear that they will spread the dents on their vehicle.  

Therefore, the way to avoid a bad reputation and negative emotions, you have to fix it. You can do this on your own or find an excellent panel beater. It does not matter.

5. Fix your scratches and paint issues

Within a few years, any car on the road gets a few dents and scratches.

Regardless of whether the wings are slightly bent or just naturally worn out, paint damage can only lead to more severe problems such as rust and weakened panels. 

It is best to fix any scratches with the right paint and sealant and not only to protect your used car from damage, but also improve its condition.

6. Wax your car

The wax not only gives your car a pleasant shine and helps remove small scratches and vortex marks but also protects the car paint from elementary damage such as fading, rust, and scratches. 

It is so cheap and easy that anyone can do it. Wax kits are available methods for your car to get a second chance at a better life.  

7. Replace Banged-Up Body Parts

If you cannot easily repair a deep scratch or remove a dent, you can search for a replacement body part either online or through local scrap shops. 

8. Clean The “Heart” Of Your Car

The engine is one of the essential parts of the car, so you need to monitor its condition constantly. 

Most people will keep the exterior and interior of their car in good condition, but many times they forget to keep clean what is under the hood.  

You have to be careful, and if you clean it wrong, you will destroy it. You can find different methods for this, but each car has a special way to clean the engine. 

For example, a clean engine without leaves, dirt, oil, and corrosion will take care of your car’s age and make it run in the right order.   

9. Choose Good Oil And ChangeIt On Time

The best oil and regular oil changes are a chance for your car to have a long life. 

It is wise to keep good engine oil as your car ages. Changing oil, as well as changing filters and plugs, will ensure optimal engine performance even after years of use. 

10. Replace Your Spark Plugs And Air Filter

Spark plugs are essential components for the ignition of the fuel in the combustion chamber. Each vehicle requires a specific type of spark plug, made of particular materials, and with a different spark plug gap installed by the mechanic. 

Good spark plugs will make the car more fuel-efficient, while a wrong or faulty spark plug can cause the engine not to start at all. 

To ensure maximum performance and longer service intervals, many drivers prefer to install extended-life spark plugs with longer lifetimes. 

Replacing the engine air filter is a service item that is often forgotten. However, a dirty air filter can affect your car’s performance.

Remember that spark plugs and air filters require regular maintenance and repair to keep your engine running. 

11. Wheel Restoration

You don’t think that the wheels of a car can affect the appearance and quality of driving so much, but it does. 

Years of driving can damage an expensive set of wheels. They can rust and deteriorate from outside elements.

That doesn’t mean you need a new set of wheels. You can rebuild your current set of wheels by sanding them and fine-tuning them. 

 It would help if you controlled the condition of your wheels because these are the legs of your car.

12. Tires

The tires are similar to the shoes for your vehicle. Regularly use good quality polishes for your tires to make them look great. Even if you have standard steel rims, good looking tires will make the wheel look good. 

If you have some money, you can invest in a set of cast rims, used or new, to add to the look of your car. Or, if you do not want to spend so much, you can spray paint the rims.

13. Get Your Car A New Paint Job.  

Over time, the exterior of your car deteriorates. However, you can paint and restore it to a bright, young look.  

The new paint job for your car is not limited to restoring the original factory paint of your car. You can experiment. 

14. Check The Suspension

Over the years, cars with spring suspensions tend to sag as the springs lose their tensile strength. In addition to regular tire changes, it is also necessary to check the suspension. 

In case of wear, the springs and shock absorbers must be replaced regularly, and the springs or spacers must be changed. It is of great importance for the overall drive and handling of the car. 

In some cars like the Dodge RAM, you can add a suspension strut (a rod that connects the suspension towers in the hood), which will prevent the body from bending (due to metal fatigue) and improve the handling of the car.

15. Check the brakes and clutch

Your brakes contribute to the car’s safety. Many people do not check the brakes or grip until there is a problem with their car. 

The brakes and grip of your car should be checked regularly to ensure road safety and avoid accidents.

16. New Headlights & Tail Lights

Headlight lenses tend to degrade with age. If you can afford it, change the headlamps every five to six years to maintain their appearance and performance. Otherwise, you can polish the lenses to partially restore them. 

17. Update Wipers

Your safety on the road is determined by your ability to see things. Therefore, it would help if you kept your car glass clean. 

To do this, you need to clean the blades once a week with a microfiber cloth, change the blades every couple of months, and use windscreen treatment to keep the windscreen wipers in good working order.

Some older cars have particularly weak windscreen wipers, so if you want to see the road, spend a little money and get a brand new set of windscreen wipers, and maybe even a new motor.

18. New AUX-System 

Factory default sound systems in older cars tend to be quite lame.

Sometimes something as simple as replacing factory speakers may be enough to improve the sound of your car radically. 

If you want to replace this 8-track player with a system in which you can connect your iPod, it will cost you much more. However, if music is what makes your trip more tolerable, maybe it is worth spending a little more to get the songs you want.

19. Update The Dashboard

Instrumental plastic becomes dull with age. To update it, there are many tools and polishes for the dashboard that will help restore it. 

If the steering wheel looks worn and old, think about getting a leather wrap steering cover that will make it look better. 

The dashboard is what you are going to look at the most, so if it looks good, you will feel good.

20. Perform Regular Maintenance

It may not directly contribute to the appearance of your car, but keeping your car in good working order is even more important than ensuring that it looks good.

To Sum Up 

A combination of these tips can improve how you drive and how you feel. Your old car can have a second chance at a new life, if you take a few steps to improve it.

Finally, it is always better to seek help from professionals. Have a professional mechanic inspect your car, you will be sure that your car is in good working condition.