How Motorists Modify Their Cars: A Survey Of Avto.ru

2023 Author: Natalie MacDonald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-26 13:59

Car enthusiasts are divided into two camps: the former prefer not to do anything with the new car and simply operate it, periodically carrying out routine maintenance. Others invest time, effort and money in various improvements - from toning to deep tuning. We conducted a survey and asked Auto.ru users whether they improve their cars immediately after buying and, if so, what exactly they do first. More than two thousand people took part in the survey.

Only a quarter of the respondents prefer a standard car. “I buy cars that do not need any modifications, I roll back the warranty and sell them,” a reader of the Auto.ru Journal's telegram channel shared his opinion. Many of them try to choose cars in such configurations so that the set of options meets all the requirements.

However, the majority of respondents - 75 percent - still try to improve their newly purchased cars. Someone lacks little things, for example, tinting. Others are making more serious changes. As one of the readers of the Telegram channel Zhurnal Avto.ru wrote, he retrofits cars in basic or medium trim levels with options from top-end versions: door closers, a head-up display, an electric tailgate, heating the rear row of seats, and so on.

The biggest waste after buying a car is the wheels (tires and rims). Many owners immediately buy a set of seasonal tires, while someone wants to put prettier wheels on a new car.

Every tenth survey participant first of all goes to tinting, installs or changes an audio system and makes noise insulation. Drivers also prioritize the protection of the body from external damage, so 7 percent of the respondents prefer to first treat the car with anticorrosive material or stick on an armored film.

Often - in 25 percent of cases - car owners are not limited to one revision and cover several "basic needs" at once.

Vadim Sharov, reader of the Auto.ru Magazine:

"I put on an alarm if the car model is in the risk of theft, tint the rear hemisphere, glue the protective film on the hood edge from chips with glue, put a protective mesh on the radiator grill and change the horn if necessary."

Much less often, owners are engaged in tuning equipment (engine, transmission, suspension, etc.), exterior and interior. “First, refinement of the chassis, new shock absorbers, engine tuning, anticorrosive and Shumka, and the rest - over time. A car is like a Lego constructor! - says the user. But in total, there are only about 6 percent of them.

Another 3 percent of respondents buy roof racks or roof rails, although some vehicle configurations are already equipped with them from the factory. Only 2 percent of users voted for the towbar and off-road equipment.

Most of the respondents prefer to rely on professionals in matters of finalizing their cars. More than half of them (60 percent) turn to third-party services for help, because they usually cost less than a dealer. However, every fourth buyer prefers to install additional equipment in official services - either at a dealer (13 percent of respondents), or at a branded station of the equipment manufacturer (9 percent).

Andrey Rog, reader of Auto.ru Magazine:

“Over the past 13 years, I have bought 5 new cars of different brands and in all of them, first of all, I ordered several special stages from a dealer, after which I equipped the cars with a security complex, but always in a third-party service. Plus, I buy winter wheels and various little things."

There are 45 percent of car owners who prefer to "pump" their cars on their own. For those who love and know how to do this, this is a way to save money - after all, some operations (such as installing a roof rack) can be handled without assistance and special tools.