Largo Area Hyundai Dealer Asks: Does it Make Sense to Customize Your Vehicle?

Apr 13, 2013

Your Largo area Hyundai dealer wants to make sure that you have fully considered the potential repercussions of customizing a vehicle. Once you know all of the facts, you can make an informed decision about what you do with your car.

Customizing a Vehicle Could Void Its Warranty

Certain types of customizations could void your vehicle’s warranty. If you add oversized wheels to your car, then the changes could negatively impact several parts of the vehicle, including the steering system. Making this kind of alteration could give your dealership reason to deny any claim when the vehicle malfunctions.

There’s simply no way to know whether the vehicle malfunctioned because of a manufacturing mistake or because of your customizations.

Other types of customizations don’t usually impact your warranty. If you want to customize the paintjob, then you don’t have to worry about how it will affect the car’s performance. If the custom job makes any alterations to the vehicle’s mechanics, though, you could find that future malfunctions are your responsibility.

Some Modifications May Break Local Laws

Many states and cities have laws that control the level of emissions that come from vehicles. Altering the engine or muffler could cause your car to emit more fumes than other vehicles. If this causes you to break the law, then you might have to pay stiff fines. Depending on where you live, the government might even force you to fix the vehicle so that it does release so many toxic chemicals.

Customizing a car can also break local noise ordinances. An extremely loud muffler might sound cool to you, but it’s annoying to your neighbors. It could even cause safety hazards on the road by drowning the sounds of approaching sirens.

Customizing a Car Can Lower Its Value

In many cases, customized cars have lower re-sale values than cars that have not been modified significantly. Again, you might think that the customization is terrific, but others may not agree.

When you customize a vehicle radically, you reduce the number of people interested in purchasing it. As fewer and fewer people want to buy the vehicle, the car’s value falls.

This isn’t always the case. Some customizations can significantly increase a car’s value. If you want to re-sale your used car to the general public, though, it’s harder to find someone who wants to buy a custom car. You should consider that before making any major changes.