5 Modifications That Increase Your Car’s Value

One of the great things about cars is that they’re essentially a blank canvas waiting to be personalized. While car modifications have been around for a while, it is essential to pick and choose which aspects of your car you want to splurge on so they drive up your car’s value rather than decrease it.

When you buy a new car, you might be tempted to spring for one of the upgrades from the laundry list that your dealer will try to sell you on. Or, you might want to make an aftermarket modification to upgrade your vehicle like investing in custom car floor mats. While some upgrades are worth the money, others are not. These upgrades either flat out don’t work, lower a car’s resale value, or can even possibly make the car more dangerous to drive.

Back in 2004, when MTV’s Pimp My Ride aired on our screens, car enthusiasts were introduced to the automobile customizing industry. Workshops emerged to meet the growing demand of drivers wanting to change their vehicles and drivers started requesting all sorts of vehicle modifications. Today, numerous car owners spend thousands of dollars modifying their vehicles to make them more appealing while hoping that the modification would add value to the car.

While some modifications increase the value of your car, others can lower it because they only help your vehicle look more appealing while not adding any value to the resale price. To help you make a better decision, we’ve compiled a list of modifications that can add to the value of your car and some others that you should steer clear of.

1. Heated Seats

The benefits of heated seats go beyond just the winter months. Not only do they keep you warm in the cold but they also act as a pretty excellent therapy device for sore muscles. This can be especially useful if you suffer from back problems or if you’re driving with older people.

Another benefit is that heated seats transfer heat directly to you rather than warming up the entire interior of the car. Because of this, heated seats can actually conserve energy (and gas) so you might not need to use the car’s heater at all times.

Sometimes a driver may be cold and a passenger may be warm or vice versa. If you often find yourself disagreeing with your passenger about the vehicle’s climate, a heated seat is an ideal option. Heated seats can be turned on individually, so drivers and passengers will be able to control their own temperatures. Having said that, save your money by avoiding heated rear seats if you don’t have passengers back there very often and also if a really cozy blanket can do the job just as well.

2. Blind Spot Monitor

Instead of being a single, stand-alone device, a blind-spot monitoring system usually consists of numerous detection devices located around the exterior of the vehicle. This small device has been engineered to sense the movement of traffic in areas that are hard to see with only the side and rearview mirrors. Once you have it, you’ll come to rely on it for safer lane changes, every single time.

You can also take this modification one step further and pair your blind-spot monitoring system with rear cross-traffic alert systems and automatic emergency braking. With these pairings, even if you as a driver don’t respond in time to avoid accidents, your vehicles will.

The added advantage of a blind-spot monitoring system is that it alerts the driver to possible dangers in one of several ways — a visible light or alarm may flash on the mirror or dash, the driver’s seat may vibrate, or a warning tone may sound. This is a great personalization to ensure the safety of passengers while also increasing the value of your vehicle.

3. Keyless Entry and Ignition

Have you ever found your hands full with the groceries or the kids and you barely have enough room to maneuver your keys out of your pocket, much less open your car doors? With keyless vehicle entries and electronic lock systems, you can easily open your car’s doors with just the push of a button.

Electronic lock systems and automated ignition systems aren’t just a fancy way of opening and starting up your car, they also have an additional failsafe which guarantees that your car cannot be picked or hotwired. In most cases, if the conventional key system is jeopardized, the vehicle will emit a loud alert to inform the owner and other passersby that the vehicle has been tampered with.

Another additional functionality with keyless systems is that it can help to improve the overall usability and comfort of vehicular operations, even allowing features such as linking your keys to your smartphone so you never risk losing them. Just keep the key fob in your pocket or your purse and within a week, you’ll forget what life was like before this.

4. Custom Car Floor Mats

If you’re looking for an incredible way to safeguard the value of your car while enhancing its style and comfort, you can’t go wrong with a set of custom-made floor mats. High-quality car floor mats add extra protection to the interior of your vehicle.

In fact, good-quality car mats usually feature complete car floor coverage so that they cover much more of your car than your standard factory mats would. What’s more, they’re made of premium leather fabric with waterproof technology so they do an excellent job of keeping the flooring and side panels free of dirt, mud, snow, rain, moisture, and anything else you might track in. This helps to keep your original car carpets in immaculate condition even years down the line.

A good set of custom car floor mats can completely shield your vehicle interior from the most damaging elements, all the while protecting your car’s resale value. This is especially beneficial if you travel with kids and pets often.

5. Light and Rain Sensors

The light and rain sensors in a vehicle are important for monitoring and adapting the car to suit the weather conditions. Ever wonder how your car knows when it’s raining and how hard? Most rain-sensing wipers use a sensor that’s mounted behind the windshield. It sends out a beam of infrared light that, when water droplets are on the windshield, is reflected back at different angles. This tells the system to activate the wipers, as well as adjust wiper speed and frequency. That’s a convenience and potentially a real safety benefit when driving through heavy rain on a dark highway.

The light sensors work in a similar way as well, detecting the amount of light coming through the windscreen. If it is below a threshold, then it automatically activates headlights while the car is on. These sensor systems are beneficial in vehicles as they increase driver safety while reducing distracted driving.

While increased safety can lead to preserving or potentially increasing your vehicle’s resale value in the future, some other modifications that you can look into to increase your car’s value include parking sensors, cruise control, reversing/parking camera, tinted windows, and a sunroof.

It is also important to note that simply modifying or customizing your vehicle doesn’t necessarily increase the value of it. Stick to modifications that truly help increase vehicle safety or driver convenience rather than spending money on physical customizations since they may not excite future owners of your vehicle if you resell.

So avoid modifications such as installing underbody neon lights, eyelashes on headlights, spinning rims, Christmas antlers, car stickers/bumper stickers, colorful alloys, and tinted headlights.

Car modifications do not have to cost a fortune. In fact, simple investments like custom car floor mats can help you add a ton of style to your car without compromising on quality. Custom-made car floor mats can help your vehicle stand apart from the crowd. However, if you don’t know where to start, we can assist you! When you buy mats from F1Mats, you’re taking no chances. Every set is custom-made for your car and guaranteed to fit. We make the entire procedure a breeze from start to finish with our top-notch customer service and premium quality products. Why not take a look at some of our premium leather mats or go here to design a customized car mat of your own color choice?