10 Tips For Modifying Your Ride

I’ve been in the tuning circle in many capacities since I got my first 1994 BMW 325ic back in 1999. I now have a 1999 BMW 328ic and a 2000 BMW M5 which are modified to my liking and I will do an article on them as soon as the weather gets better here in Vancouver to take some photos.

Looking back over my experiences as both being an automotive technician for a well known European tuning shop and a member of various enthusiast clubs, I’ve realized the amount of money I’ve wasted on my cars, later to find out that I really don’t like the modification or it wasn’t truly meant for the car.

So here is a list I’ve put together of some of the do’s and don’ts that I recommend a modder should take a look at before embarking on a modding project!

1.Research the source from which you want to buy the product to add to your car. Go to their website, read their descriptions and get a general feeling about how seriously they take their own products.
2.Read up on the related car forums and see what other members are saying about the company with the said product.
3. Usually if a product is being presented as a group buy on the forums it is generally a decent product since users generally set up the group buys.
4. What is the product made of in comparison to similar products? In the case of body kits, I recommend ones made from ABS plastic over fiberglass since painted fiberglass tends to crack more easily and will cause you fitting issues.
5. Try to see the item in person before you buy it over the internet. This will give you a good gut instinct on whether or not you’ll be happy with it. Pictures on the internet always look great!
6.What does your mechanic think? Ask them if they’ve had any experience with the item.
7. Will the item require additional modifications to your car just to make it work? Generally speaking, if you need to make a modification to make another modification, you might be getting yourself into a problem.
8. If your modification is something visual like wheels, paint, lights or body work, forum members of the related forum will be happy to photoshop a concept of your vehicle after the modding is done.
9. What is the warranty like? Many aftermarket parts other than one supplied by OEM companies do not come with that great of a warranty so make sure you find out what the average lifespan of the product is and compare that to the warranty. For example, HID bulbs will claim something like  40,000 hours before they need replacement but if you only have a 1 year warranty, what good is that?
10. The cheapest place to buy is not always the best! Find out from others what the customer service will be like after you buy the item. You want to make sure that if you have issues afterwards, the vendor will support you. There is nothing worse than getting stuck with a product that is useless to you.

I have made many of these mistake myself and through trial and error and an amount of money I’d rather not think about have learnt my lesson. I hope these points are helpful and others are welcomed to add to it as well!