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DIY simple and cheap appearance mods

35K views 56 replies 18 participants last post by  TMcDermid 
#1 ·
I dont know about others but im the kind of person who has no motivation to do any kind of mods due to thinking things are too hard or too troublesome and also keeping budget in mind. I finally mustered up some strength to start trying some things out and want to share my experience and hopefully encourage others. heres my ride: Land vehicle Vehicle Car Mid-size car Chevrolet cruze
white 2012 LT1

First thing ive done is a debadge - my dealer stuck on a really big logo, looks really out of place. here are some before and after pics:
Land vehicle Vehicle Car Chevrolet Chevrolet cruze
Land vehicle Vehicle Chevrolet cruze Car Chevrolet

The logo has most likely only been on the car for about 5 days before I removed it. It was really really easy, took about 2 minutes. all i used was a hairdryer, some dental floss and wiped it clean after with a cloth + some cleaning solution. If any one is looking for an ez (basically free) mod this is your first step!

due to the cold temps i was withholding any other mods but weather is saying that im gonna get +10 C over the weekend so i plan to start the below(will have pics after i finish)
vinyl mods:
- Received my black carbon fiber emblem overlays yesterday 2$ off of ebay sent from china, received in 20 days from the day i ordered it.
- tail light tints also bought off ebay 4$ for both tail lights sent from china, bought on same day as the emblems, not receieved yet
- black matte vinyl over the diffuser, havent bought the vinyl yet but i think its 3$ per sq foot
- black gloss vinyl over the roof, about 50$
will be doing all this myself since professional installation is VERY pricey, over 100$ to install vinyl over the roof

rear lip spoiler: i just ordered this, this morning for 86$ and they paint it according to the color code you give them, also from china will let you guys know how it is when i receive it + pics

other mods i want but still unsure of:
- shark fin: also relatively cheap but i kinda like the stock attena
- bazooka sub: no idea how to install :( im clueless about the mechanical and electronical stuff
- 18" rims: selection doesnt seem too good due to the cruze bolt pattern + i live in canada. my budget is 1000 so money is a very big issue here.
- led strip fog lights: no idea how to install + quite pricey

feedback, tips, additions, new ideas all welcome!
 

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#2 ·
Nice man good looking cruze right there. Ive done some of the less expensive mods on the "HOW TO" section of the forum. Just yesterday i heated up the garage and took off the dealership sticker, debadged the cruze eco from the trunk lid, put my matte black over lays on the bowties (front/back)- tonight im going to do the over lays on the marker lights. I also took out the intake resinator (listed in the how to section). Oh and i bought a K&N drop in filter for my stock intake box (like 35$ on amazon- and much better then the stock paper filters). Are the tail light tints you bought pre cut? im looking into doing this as well being that the weather this weekend is supposed to be upwards of 60F. if you do a search on the forum for amp/sub installs with stock head unit there are a few good write ups. doesnt seem to hard todo at all. Im a novice guy when it comes to this and this forum has been a load of help. If you have any questions i may be able to help you out- but definately someone will be able to help you pretty much regardless of what it is. i also did a LED strip called "lightning eyes" off of carid.com and it was a very easy install and they look crazy good. (30$)
 
#3 ·
here are some of the links for quick reference...

intake bypass : http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/57-how-forum/5479-how-bypass-intake-resonator.html
intake install (injen) : http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/57-how-forum/3977-injen-cold-air-intake-install.html -
- like i said i havent done this yet but its a great write up and i plan on doing it in the spring .
fog lights : http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/57-h...fog-lights-without-removing-front-bumper.html
-thats without removing bumper, id recommend removing it its not too hard once u do it once its a piece of cake.. (200$ for OEM fogs tho well worth it if you ask me)
sub install : (i just did a search theres too many to list here ) http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/gtsearch.php?q=sub+install+stock+radio&siteurl=www.cruzetalk.com%2Fforum%2F57-how-forum%2F&ref=www.cruzetalk.com%2Fforum%2F&ss=5164j1786578j25
the fog light strip install is here : Fog/Driving light LED light strip Install w/pics (i havent done it yet but want to - says cost him roughly 20 bucks)... sorry AMERICAN USD HAHA
and for rims id check out our vendors section - always support our vendors! GOOD DEALS!
 
#8 ·
thanks for the help
definitely want to look into the lightning eyes and those fog light LED strip
installing the OEM fog light is gonna leave a dent in my wallet =S and i really have no need for fog lights, i just think leds look nice :) if i can just install the strip i can avoid all the trouble of fog lights not to mention the cost woot
do u happen to have any pics of how the lightning eyes turned out?
do u also have a pic of those marker light overlays? did u cover it up or form some kind of design?
USD and CDN seem to be almost equal nowadays anyways so i just treat them as being the same =D
still lacking the motivation for subwoofer installation but eventually ill get to it!
 
#4 ·
Love what you're planning! The sharkfin is super easy, just twist off the old one and place down the new one. It's probably my favourite visual mod I have.

As for the Sub, I just installed mine the other day, in the process of doing a write up once I clean up the wiring/install a killswitch upfront. (and it's not so windy. I'm also waiting for the weekend!).

I'll send you a link once it's done.
 
#6 ·
hey you mind sending that link my way too?
 
#14 ·
#23 ·
Hey guys, planning on doing the-badging this weekend along with the injen short ram install just asking for any tips or last minute advice and yes I understand to remove the negative cable to the battery people cant seem to stress that enough.. thanks in advance for any tips you may want to offer.. Paul
 
#24 ·
Land vehicle Vehicle Chevrolet cruze Car Mid-size car
Land vehicle Vehicle Car Motor vehicle Trunk


Did all that for no more than $15... :)
 
#27 ·
Plastidip isn't so much illegal, just has different stuff in it to pass laws... And so a can goes from a few dollars in the US to about 20 here! And we don't even get the glossifier!


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did a search on kijiji and found some ppl selling it but yes the prices are def much higher than in usa. lowest ive seen is 12$, seems like vinyl is still a cheaper option
 
#28 · (Edited)
alright guys heres an update, went and bought my vinyl 2day 20$ for 2x5 feet, will install this weekend so stay tuned
gonna have about 1x2 left over and thinking about maybe making a transformers logo and sticking it in the middle of the hood
any ideas on this or other things i could do with the extra 1x2
- going to try it out with a black sheet of paper "will post pics of course!"

- tint film still not in booo
 
#35 ·
View attachment 10055 i did a horrible job in ms paint but just one of my ideas . yes or no that is the question
I was thinking about replacing the rear Chevy sign with the limited edition camaro Transformer badges. We have some extra here from when we were upgrading the Camaro's and putting the tranformer packages on them.
 
#33 ·
Lol please don't do that to you car,... If you must have the autobot symbol try to incorporate it in the middle of say a fat racing stripe. As a former graphic designer I can tell you it's not that hard. If you want, message me and I can fawk around in photoshop/illustrator for you when I get some down time from work


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#37 ·
I personally hate everything transformer related but to each their own. Do what u like after all it's your car.


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#38 ·
sorry for the delay this literally took 3 days
first thing is vinyl is a b**** to work with lol, anything with alot of bends/ curves is torture, if i knew it was going to be this hard i would have went with plasti dip
but here are the results Land vehicle Vehicle Car Chevrolet cruze Chevrolet
Land vehicle Vehicle Car Motor vehicle Grille


still waiting for the tint to get here but after i tint those tail lights and side markers gonna be hot =D
 

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#39 ·
#43 ·
thanks!

side note, tint film came in 2day and will be putting these on during the weekend
if this is as bad as vinyl im gonna be in a lot of trouble =[

any1 have tips for installing tint film? mainly how to avoid getting creases and air bubbles
 
#47 ·
baby soap n water!!!
 
#48 ·
collins you gotta update your sig picture to SGT! haha MOVE MOVE MOVE:shoot:
 
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#53 ·
Hi folks,
Just wanted to add a new point, hope you like it.
I am a new owner of a CRUZE. I ordered a set of vinyl layers, for window tint.
You can order them on AMAZON.com or dirctly from RVINYL.com. You will find so many other things on this web site. Mostly budget friendly.
 
#54 ·
Just finished up my vinyl don't want to flood the forum more then once w pics : check them out thread is vinyl comes in Monday . Let me know what u think!


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