8 Things A Car Dealer Can Add To A New Car – The List Will Surprise You!

Whether ordering off McDonald’s “secret” menu or accessing one of Netflix’s hidden categories, the customer is always right. That applies to auto dealerships as well.

Dealerships often have their own separate “secret menu” of options to choose from. Here’s a list of 8 things a dealership can add to a brand new car, a couple of which will probably surprise you.

Interior Ambient Lighting

Adding our interior ambient lighting car kit will give your ride a high-end, luxury feel. It’s so incredibly practical to be able to see things in your car while driving at night – especially when you need to find something. Or get the entry/exit light when you open the door. Great welcoming feature to see inside your car when you open the door at night.

Use our handy app to set any color or brightness for this interior ambient lighting car kit. Color selection is done via color wheel or preset swatches. So you can change colors as often as you like to match any occasion or mood. You can even choose different settings for multiple zones.

Proximity based Passive Keyless Entry System

Let’s say you want to purchase a new car with a proximity based passive keyless entry system and don’t want to pay for an expensive package that has it. You can actually add this to your new vehicle. A kit available from VAIS Technology adds keyless entry, walk-away lock, and illuminated entry all based on proximity. A small tag to carry and get all these features added.

Leather Seats

Sometimes you want that leather interior, but it’s not economically viable to get it. For example, a 2016 Honda Accord LX starts at $22,205. To get those leather seats, you have to upgrade all the way to the EX-l package that starts at $28,670. That’s over $6,000 more for leather seats and other add-ons!

Your other option would be to get leather seats installed through the dealership, which will run you $1500-$2000. There’s usually no discernible difference between look, fit, or durability between dealer installed leather and factory-installed leather. After-market leather seats can be ordered with special color schemes, stitched logos, and even piping! Most dealers will order a leather seat “kit” from Katzkin (which specializes in manufacturing after-market leather seats), but there are other companies that offer similar products.

Satellite Radio And Bluetooth Music Streaming

Bluetooth add on

If your car is older, or if your brand new car didn’t come satellite radio ready, you can still add on an upgraded system. Dealers go to companies like VAIS  for high tech upgrades such as Bluetooth and satellite radio add-on adapters, etc.

Heated Seats

Nearly any vehicle can have heated seats installed. The kits are simple, the installation is straightforward, and the cost is surprisingly affordable (under $500 for most applications). If you live in a cold climate, seat heaters are a nice add-on your dealership can install for a modest fee.

A 4WD System

Believe it or not, it’s possible to add a 4WD system to most Ford and GM vans, as well as Nissan vans. This is crazy when you think about it, as adding 4WD is vastly more complicated than adding leather seats or cutting a hole in a roof. The company that offers this upgrade is named Quigley, and vans that feature their conversion kit often fetch top-dollar new or used.

4wd Kit

Quigley can retrofit most full-size vans with a 4WD kit that makes for a formidable overland vehicle.

Air Conditioning

This doesn’t happen much anymore, as most cars (even the most basic models) include standard air conditioning. However, a few years ago, after-market air conditioning systems were added to base model vehicles with regularity.

Bulletproof Armor And Windows

This one might surprise you. As it turns out, there are tens of thousands of people that – for one reason or another – require an armored vehicle. Contact any number of companies to get armor added to an existing vehicle or order a new car with armor pre-installed.

Bulletproof Land Cruiser Armored

While any vehicle can be armored, the Toyota Land Cruiser and Chevy Suburban are two of the more popular models. Of course, BMW and Mercedes-Benz cars are on the list as well. Image courtesy ArmorMax.com.

The types of armor will depend on the vehicle chosen and the needs of the customer. Need a car that can stop a bullet from a handgun up to 44 magnum? That’s entry-level protection known as “B4” level protection. Need something that can survive an M-16? That’s an upgrade to “B6” or “National Institute of Justice level 3.”

While you’re shopping for armored vehicles, be sure to ask about smoke generators and electrified door handles (these things are available, too).

Categories: Car Accessories


2024-03-24 23:45:50