Top Tech to Soup Up Your Vehicle

The advances in technology have not missed the automobile industry and many new cars have more gadgets and buttons than a passenger plane. Not everyone has a new car though, so how can you bring yours more in line with the tech-heavy vehicles that are being produced now.

Making Your Car Smarter

The first screen most people will turn to is the one on their smartphone. People such as Apple and Google realized this was happening even when cars were mobile, and came up with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. New cars have both of these, but that does not mean you cannot have them in older cars as well. There are many aftermarket systems that support them, although they are not the cheapest item you can buy for your vehicle.  The beauty of them is that where the CD player used to be you could now have a box that will let you access music, communications, GPS and many other things.

Under The Hood

Most cars built after 1996 have an Onboard Diagnostic port.  This is for your mechanic to plug into to find all sorts of information about your car, including showing up any faults.

There are now tools that let you plug into older cars to access similar information. ScanTool OBDLink SX Scan Tool is a very simple device that plugs into a laptop. The OBD software will connect to your smartphone, and as long as you understand the information you are being given, you will be able to find any faults.

Upgrading Engine Parts

Your engine may be getting old and less efficient, and it could be time to upgrade a few of the parts. As well as making it run more smoothly, it could less be less of a fuel guzzler. AFE Power performance chips can give your engine more power and torque, as well as recalibrating the engine management system. All the systems on your car can be improved, either by upgrading the parts or by having them serviced.

Keeping Safe

One innovation that will be available for all cars soon is cockpit cameras that will record the inside of a car. We have all seen these in operation in such programs as Comedians in Car with Coffee and Carpool Karaoke, but soon they will be available to everyone. There are already other safety features available, like dash cams and ones that alert you if you are exceeding speed limits. Some of them automatically go into record and save mode if they detect an accident about to happen.

The Pearl Rear Vision system lets you see what is happening behind your car as well, which is brilliant for parking but also is good for if a vehicle runs into the back of you.

This is all clever stuff when you remember that it was not that many years ago when a compass stuck to the windscreen that had a ball that showed you the direction you were going was considered to be hi-tech.  

However, the one thing that upgrading your older car does is give you the choice of which innovations you want. With new models, you tend to have them all, whether you want them or not.