How to Learn to Customize a Car

Learning how to customize a car requires you to research a multitude of print and digital sources and practice what you learn.

Car customization has developed into a multimillion-dollar industry throughout the world. Learning how to participate in this lucrative and creative field can be a daunting task. Though there are a multitude of print and online resources devoted to specific processes of customization, there aren't many resources devoted the specific process of learning how customize. The educational philosophies of John Dewey, coupled with the countless resources available in print and on the web provide suggestions on how you can learn how to customize cars.

Things You'll Need

• Internet

Instructions

1. Purchase or borrow any and all service manuals for the vehicles you would like to customize. Service manuals will provide you with the requisite mechanical information for the cars you want to customize so that you don't remove or replace a part essential to the car's operation. Many service manuals for newer cars are now available on car company corporate websites.

2. Purchase or borrow customization tutorial guidebooks related to a specific type of customization.

3. Watch tutorial videos online through free video services such as YouTube, Google Videos or eHow. Though there are pay-per-view sites with specific tutorial videos, many similar videos are produced by private mechanics and car customizers.

4. Practice customization techniques on junk or practice cars before moving to any customizations of car you hope to drive or sell.

Tips & Warnings

• Apprentice with an expert car mechanic or customizer and practice your customization techniques under his tutelage.

• Avoid general overviews of customizations, as they often to not engage in specific mechanical or aesthetic issues related to a customization job.

• Do not follow an online video tutorial step-for-step. Instead compare the customization process you're researching as it appears in multiple videos so that you can see what similarities exist over multiple videos.

References

• Experience and Education; John Dewey; 1997
• The Future of Thinking: Learning Institutions in a Digital Age (John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Reports on Digital Media and Learning) ; Cathy N Davidson and David Theo Golberg; 2010
• Monster Garage: How to Customize Damn Near Anything; Lee Klanchar; 2003