You customize a car in GTA 5 by driving it into a Los Santos Customs garage and picking from the modification menu that opens automatically. The car has to be yours to drive in, and the garage has to be one you can reach without a wanted level. Those two conditions cover almost every reason the door refuses to open for someone.
Finding a Los Santos Customs
The garages are marked on the map with a spray can icon, and there are several across Los Santos and Blaine County. Drive into the entrance and the shutter opens, the menu appears, and the car is lifted onto the ramp.
One garage is different: the Harmony branch can be bought outright, and it is one of Franklin’s character-specific properties. Owning it makes all the work there free. Our guide on how to buy property covers that purchase and the others.
What You Can Change
The menu is broken into categories, and most vehicles support most of them:
- Respray, covering primary and secondary colours, plus finishes like matte, metallic and pearlescent.
- Wheels, in several style families, with tire options including bulletproof tires.
- Body work, including bumpers, skirts, spoilers, hoods and roll cages.
- Performance, covering engine, brakes, transmission, suspension and turbo.
- Extras like window tint, horns, and armor plating.
Performance upgrades are the ones that change how the car drives. Everything else is appearance.
Upgrades That Stay Locked
Some options do not appear at first. A number of modifications, armor and bulletproof tires among them, unlock as the story progresses rather than being available from your first visit.
If an option you expected is missing, that is usually why rather than a problem with the vehicle. Come back later in the campaign and the list is longer.
The Wanted Level Rule
You cannot enter Los Santos Customs while you have a wanted level. The shutter stays down as long as the mini-map is flashing. This also means the garage is not an escape route from a pursuit, which is a mistake a lot of players make once. Our guide on how to lose a wanted level covers what actually works.
Keeping the Car
Modifications persist on the vehicle, but only if the car itself persists. A customized car left in the street is as disposable as any other. Park it in a character’s garage so it saves properly, and our guide on selling cars covers what the work is worth if you decide to move it on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you customize any vehicle? Most road vehicles, yes. Emergency and some special vehicles have restricted or no options.
Why will the garage not let me in? Almost always a wanted level. The shutter stays closed until it clears.
Do performance upgrades actually matter? Yes. Engine, brakes, transmission and turbo change how the car handles and accelerates.
Is there a way to get modifications for free? Buying the Harmony Los Santos Customs as Franklin makes the work there free.