Show me how your vehicle looks, and I’ll tell you what kind of person you are! Beyond a doubt, it’s much more than just a sweeping overgeneralization. In fact, the way your car or truck looks is not less important than its performance or fuel economy because it can say a lot about your character and attitude to life.
Thus, those who always properly clean and maintain their vehicles are usually more calm and kind to people surrounding them, while owners of dirty and damaged vehicles often never get tasks done completely. What kind of person to be is a matter of your own choice, so we can’t influence that, but what we can actually help you with is to provide some tips on how to maintain your vehicle and where to buy exterior parts for cars and trucks to keep it in the perfect condition as long as you own the vehicle.
Vehicle maintenance tips
No matter what type of vehicle you own, whether it is a family sedan or an off-road truck, there are a couple of simple rules you should follow to keep it looking good all year round. The first one is to regularly wash your vehicle using special abrasive-free cleaners even if it seems to be clean.
Besides, it is always a good idea to inspect its paintwork for imperfections, including small scratches and cracks after every wash as well as do your best to fix them as soon as possible in order to prevent rusting. These simple actions will allow you to maintain the perfect look of your paintwork and save you lots of budget and headache in the long run.
There is nothing timeless under the sun. Your exterior body parts are no exception. Sooner or later, some of them will need to be replaced because of their natural wear and tear or due to the damage caused by a road collision. If this happens to you, use only high-quality parts of the exterior of a car to ensure their accurate fit and long-lasting trouble-free performance.
We recommend you to use only OE parts and accessories or similar quality aftermarket parts provided by reputed manufacturers and resellers. In case you’re working on a custom project and about to purchase aftermarket parts to customize your vehicle’s exterior, make sure you deal with a trusted online store or website.
Where to buy exterior car parts?
Whether you’re looking for replacement or aftermarket parts for your car or truck, you should never compromise on their quality. Even if you are on a budget, there is always a good online store, where you can find quality automotive parts and accessories at fair and competitive prices. Such online stores usually deal with manufacturers directly, providing a variety of products for the most popular domestic and imported makes and models at affordable cost. The other signs of a good online store are:
- positive customer feedback with lots of reviews;
- fair shipping and return policies;
- availability of all popular payment methods;
- 24/7 sales and customer support;
- user-friendly design.
If the website you’re about to deal with meets all these criteria, beyond a doubt, it is a good source of parts and accessories for your vehicle, like, for example, https://truckandgear.com.
Types of aftermarket exterior car parts
All aftermarket exterior car and truck parts and accessories can be classified under two main groups, including body parts and accessories that simply replace OE parts and those that improve vehicle performance and/or functionality.
The first one includes replicas of OE hoods, fenders, grilles, front and rear lights, etc., while the second group consists of custom body parts, spoilers, wind deflectors, running boards, accessory lighting and many other parts and accessories that allow for customizing the look of a vehicle or leveling up its comfort and performance.
As a general rule, the products that belong to the first group usually serve as a budget-friendly alternative to original parts, while the other ones are used for custom projects that require solutions with additional benefits over OE counterparts.
The majority of custom exterior body parts require some kind of modifications to be installed properly even if they are specially designed for your specific make and model. This is especially true for custom body parts like hoods, fenders, bumpers, spoilers, bumper lips, grilles, etc.
There will always be a misfit due to individual dimensions, form and shape of each and every vehicle, so some trimming and/or cutting can be necessary to install them the right way. In addition, nine out of ten aftermarket body parts come unpainted (just powder coated), so they require custom painting to match the other body parts of a vehicle.
Even if a body part is painted by the manufacturer, there is a chance it will not perfectly match your color due to the natural fading and discoloration of the paintwork over time. The latter is the reason why we do not recommend you to purchase already custom painted parts for your vehicle. The only exception is if the part is painted another color that should not match your original one, and you’re sure no modification will be necessary to mount it.
Cost-effective via expensive exterior parts
There are several factors that influence the price of a part, including its shipping cost, time of production, etc. However, as a rule, the price of a part mostly depends on the cost of materials it is made of and if it is handmade or mass-produced. The majority of luxury and high-end body parts are manufactured from premium materials by hand or, at least, assembled by hand.
Such body parts meet the strictest industry standards and are aimed at addressing the needs of the most exacting customers. At the same time, the majority of mid-price and budget-friendly exterior body parts also satisfy strict quality standards and can last the lifetime of its more expensive counterparts. Which one to choose is the matter of your preferences, but we do recommend you to purchase exterior body parts based on the current price of your vehicle.
Nina Smith 
Rhydian Choi