How Car Dealers Upgrade Old Cars to Sell as Brand New, What Car Upgrade Looks Like

As car upgrades are becoming more rampant in Nigeria, car owners are not the only ones participating in car upgrades. Even car dealers are upgrading cars they already have in their dealerships. For some of them, it’s a way to modernize old cars in their dealership, while others do it to create the impression that they are the new models of specific brands.

But, what are the major areas car dealers focus on when upgrading a car? Here are some of the major sides of cars that car dealers upgrade from old to look new before reselling them to buyers as new model cars.

1. Vehicle Audio Upgrade

One way to know an old vehicle is by evaluating its audio capabilities and performance. Since older speakers tend to be blown out, they cannot produce the sounds they once could. Additionally, older-style head units and lack of touch screens don’t exactly help the case. As such, car dealers often upgrade the audio of old cars to look new.

These audio upgrades often range from replacing a single component to adding tweeters and woofers. Some common reasons for upgrading your audio components include better sound quality, improved soundstage, and the ability to handle more power. The configurations are endless, making it harder for buyers to easily detect. 

Some of the audio upgrades they do include incorporating the Apple CarPlay or Android Auto Head Unit in cars that don’t have them. Many modern vehicles come with touchscreen displays that feature Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, as such, they upgrade these older vehicles to also have a similar experience.

Another way they upgrade the audio of a car is by upgrading its speaker, which drastically changes the interior quality of the older vehicle. 

2. Vehicle Accessibility Upgrades

Upgrading the vehicle’s accessibility is another thing car dealers do when upgrading older cars to new cars. The flashy quality-of-life features that come with newer vehicles today generally make older cars look outdated. However, with some tools and spare time, they upgrade them to new ones. 

Car dealers do this by upgrading areas like the vehicle’s rearview backup camera. Rear-view backup cameras have become standardized in passenger vehicles within the last few years. These allow you to monitor the surrounding areas behind your car, effectively allowing you to see the edges of the curbs. Some even allow you to monitor the car’s surrounding area, showing its front, sides, and rear on a screen.

They buy kits that include everything needed to add a backup camera to a vehicle. With this upgrade, the parking sensors and a backup camera, prevent any potential accidents and make parking easier.

3. Vehicle Lighting Upgrades

Another car upgrade car dealers do is in the vehicle lighting. Lighting is important for a variety of reasons, both practical and aesthetic. Practically, lighting is imperative for visibility and safety reasons, whereas aesthetically, it can play a significant role in the overall ambience and atmosphere of a space.

A typical example is the upgrading of the lighting of old model cars to LED headlights. Why? Many manufacturers today equip their new model vehicles with fancy headlights. There are many variations, from daytime running lights to different headlight configurations. 

Replacing the faded yellow hue on the headlight lenses is one way they upgrade old cars to compete with the newer vehicles today. Upgrading the bulbs to LED or replacing the housings drastically improves the car’s lighting performance and aesthetics.

Another lighting upgrade is the ambient lighting. Often called mood lighting, ambient lighting is another method to modernize the interior look of your older vehicle. It is used to create a comfortable and aesthetically pleasing atmosphere. Commonly found on most newer cars, ambient lighting sets the environment for your vehicle’s interior.

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Interestingly enough, each colour affects the body differently—softer lighting tends to be for relaxation and leisure, whereas brighter lighting tends to be the opposite. This feature is most found in new model cars, so car dealers upgrade them to give the old vehicles a welcoming environment and change the interior look and feel of the old car.

Conclusion

Oftentimes, when we hear about car upgrades, we focus on the change of the vehicle’s exterior body. That’s not mostly the case for car dealers as those ones cost a lot of money. As such, car dealers focus the upgrading of old model cars to new models in strategic positions. This way, they get to make the vehicles look newer and appeal to buyers.