What is After-Market Products?

After-market products are features that are added to a car after the car has rolled out of the factory and into the showroom – or even after the car has been purchased. Some after market products are designed to enhance the car’s looks, such as tinted windows, spoilers, mag/alloy wheels, extra spotlights/fog lights and decals (boy racers in particular seem to love aftermarket products such as strip lights along the side skirts or on the spokes of the wheels). Other after-market products are purchased to enhance the interior of a vehicle – upgrading the sound system is a very common aftermarket addition. Other interior enhancements added as after-market products can include the humble steering wheel cover, seat covers, alarms or radar detectors (naughty, naughty!). Other interior after-market products are added for practical reasons: extra seat belts can be added in the cargo space of large 4x4s and station wagons to allow the vehicle to carry extra passengers when the cargo space is not needed for luggage. For even more practical reasons, after-market products such as roof rails and towbars (drawbars) are often added to a vehicle, while 4x4s that are used for serious bush-bashing often are fitted with winches or spotlights. Aftermarket products can also be integrated into the engine, suspension or chassis to enhance performance. Other after market products can be purchased as accessories from specific car manufacturers to suit particular vehicles (e.g. Ford’s “Day Tripper” fridge unit). The list of after-market products is seemingly endless.

After-market products are often referred to as “tweaks” (also spelt “tweeks”) and the process of adding them is referred to as “tweaking” and a vehicle that has been fitted with aftermarket products is referred to as being “tweaked”. No matter what you call them and no matter which after market products you prefer, it is important that they are fitted safely by an expert and that they do not compromise the vehicle’s safety.<
We hope that helps answer the question ‘What is What is After-Market Products?’!

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