Catching a ride in Borderlands 3 is more than just finding a vehicle; it’s about making it your own. In Borderlands 3, you have the exciting ability to hijack enemy vehicles, strip them for parts, and personalize your very own ride. This guide will dive deep into the world of vehicle customization in Borderlands 3, showing you exactly where to find car parts locations to create the ultimate wasteland whip. Let’s explore the customization options and get you cruising in style!
Borderlands 3 Vehicle Customization: From Hijacking to Personalization
Borderlands 3 marked a significant upgrade by moving to Unreal Engine 4, necessitating a complete rebuild of game elements, including vehicle combat. Recognizing that vehicle handling wasn’t a highlight in previous Borderlands titles, Gearbox Software entrusted vehicle controls to their Quebec studio. This studio, boasting developers with experience from racing game franchises like Need for Speed, was perfectly positioned to revamp the driving experience.
During the Borderlands 3 gameplay reveal, the improved vehicle handling was immediately noticeable. The controls felt intuitive, and maneuvering vehicles was smooth and responsive. The initial vehicle section in the demo was open, minimizing collision issues. However, even when navigating the tighter confines of Meridian Metroplex later in the demo, the vehicles performed admirably. Players were introduced to the Cyclone bike, a vehicle that quickly became a fan favorite. While its initial weaponry might not have been the most impactful, its agility and handling, especially at high speeds through city streets, were truly impressive.
Another welcome change in Borderlands 3 was the increased availability of Catch-A-Ride stations. These stations are more frequent, reducing long treks on foot to find a vehicle. Furthermore, the ability to fast travel directly to your vehicle is a game-changer, significantly speeding up travel across the expansive maps.
But the real depth comes with vehicle customization. Hijacking enemy vehicles isn’t just about getting from point A to point B; it’s the first step in acquiring new car parts. After successfully commandeering an enemy vehicle, you might discover unique components. Take your newly acquired vehicle to a Catch-a-Ride station, and you can scan these parts. Once scanned, these parts become available for you to digi-struct and equip on your own vehicles, opening up a vast array of customization possibilities.
Borderlands 3 offers three distinct vehicle types from Ellie’s Catch-a-Ride stations: the Outrunner, the Technical, and the Cyclone. Each vehicle boasts a wide range of customization options, allowing you to modify everything from the Body Type (vehicle chassis) to Driver Weapons, Turret Weapons, Mods, Wheels, Armor, Material (skins), and even color palettes. Let’s break down the specific car part locations for each vehicle to maximize your customization potential.
Outrunner Car Part Locations
The Outrunner is the quintessential fast vehicle in Borderlands 3, designed for speed and agility.
Developed by a major corporation, the Outrunner is the fastest land vehicle available, capable of “outrunning” almost anything – except another Outrunner.
Catch-A-Ride Station
Outrunner Statistics
- Speed: 14
- Armor: 4
Outrunner Driver Weapon Car Part Locations
- Machine Gun: A standard, high-fire-rate machine gun.
- Default weapon, available from the start.
- Tesla Coil: Emits a beam of shock damage that chains to nearby enemies.
- Found on: Maliwan Outrunners
- Location: Promethea, Meridian Metroplex; Pandora, Ascension Bluff
- Flame Thrower: Projects flames, ideal for quickly eliminating vehicle occupants.
- Found on: Outrunners
- Location: Pandora, Ascension Bluff
Outrunner Turret Weapon Car Part Locations
- Heavy Missile: Deals 50% bonus damage on direct hits. Gunner zoom for precision.
- Default weapon, available from the start.
- Shotgun Missile: Fires a spread of missiles. Gunner can adjust firing pattern.
- Found on: COV Outrunners
- Location: Pandora, Devil’s Razor
- Swarmer Missile: Launches a volley of guided missiles. Gunner can laser-guide them.
- Found on: Outrunner, Maliwan Outrunners
- Location: Pandora, Ascension Bluff; Nekrotafeyo, Desolation’s Edge
Outrunner Wheel Car Part Locations
- Dune Buggy Wheels: Balanced wheels for speed and handling.
- Default wheels, available from the start.
- Zip Wheels: E-brake generates energy for a flaming boost.
- Found on: Hijack Target Zippy Outrunner
- Location: Pandora, Devil’s Razor
- Omni Wheels: Replaces e-brake with a hovering mode.
- Found on: Maliwan Hover Outrunners
- Location: Promethea, Meridian Metroplex; Nekrotafeyo, Desolation’s Edge
- Twitchy Wheels: Steerable rear wheels for enhanced maneuverability.
- Found on: Twitchy Outrunner
- Location: Promethea, Meridian Metroplex/Outskirts; Pandora, Droughts/Ascension Bluff/Devil’s Razor
Outrunner Armor Car Part Locations
- Stripped Armor: Lighter armor with no durability benefits.
- Default armor, available from the start.
- Heavy Armor: Plated armor for increased durability but reduced speed.
- Found on: Hijack Target Heavy Outrunner
- Location: Pandora, Ascension Bluff
Outrunner Mod Car Part Locations
- Booster Canisters: Balanced boost for speed and duration.
- Default mods, available from the start.
- Energy Cells: Three charges of energy boost with a shock damage pulse.
- Found on: Pulsing Outrunner
- Location: Nekrotafeyo, Desolation’s Edge
- Blaze Booster: Fast-burning boost, best used in short bursts.
- Found on: COV Outrunners
- Location: Promethea, Meridian Metroplex; Pandora, Ascension Bluff
- Laser Wings: Boost energy creates laser blades around the vehicle.
- Found on: Hijack Target Razor Outrunner
- Location: Eden-6, Floodmoor Basin
Technical Car Part Locations
The Technical Vehicle in Borderlands 3
The Technical is the rugged, durable vehicle favored by the Children of the Vault (COV) in Borderlands 3.
While not technically sophisticated, the COV Technical is surprisingly robust, packs a powerful punch, and is incredibly fun to drive!
Catch-A-Ride Station
Technical Statistics
- Speed: 12
- Armor: 7
Technical Driver Weapon Car Part Locations
- Machine Gun: A reliable classic weapon.
- Default weapon, available from the start.
- Flak Cannon: A potent shotgun that fires scrap projectiles, deadly at close range.
- Found on: COV Technical
- Location: Promethea, Neon Arterial; Pandora, Splinterlands
Technical Turret Weapon Car Part Locations
- Barrel Launcher: Launches explosive barrels that can be detonated mid-air for cluster bombs.
- Default weapon, available from the start.
- Sticky Bombs: Bombs that adhere to surfaces and detonate after a timer or gunner trigger.
- Found on: Hijack Target
- Location: Promethea, Meridian Outskirts
- Tire Bombs: Tire-shaped bombs that can be remotely steered by the gunner.
- Found on: Hijack Target Spare Tire Technical
- Location: Pandora, Splinterlands
Technical Wheel Car Part Locations
- All-Terrain Wheels: The fastest wheels for the Technical.
- Default wheels, available from the start.
- Monster Wheels: Large wheels that improve handling and durability.
- Found on: Angels and Speed Demons quest
- Location: Pandora
- Barbed Wheels: Ignore terrain and deal +50% ramming damage against flesh.
- Found on: Hijack Target Spiked Technical
- Location: Pandora, Devil’s Razor
- Hover Wheels: Replaces the e-brake with a hovering mode.
- Found on: Hover Technical
- Location: Promethea, Meridian Outskirts
Technical Armor Car Part Locations
- Stripped Armor: Lighter armor with no durability benefits.
- Default armor, available from the start.
- Heavy Armor: Plated armor for increased durability at the cost of speed.
- Found on: COV Technical
- Location: Promethea, Meridian Outskirts; Eden-6, Floodmoor Basin
- Guaranteed spawn during “Beneath the Meridian” mission.
- Meat Grinder: +100% ramming damage, +200% against flesh.
Technical Mod Car Part Locations
- Passenger Seats: Includes a boost module and passenger seating.
- Default mod, available from the start.
- Fuel Barrels: Provides unlimited boost, sacrificing power for duration.
- Found on: COV Technical
- Location: Eden-6, Floodmoor Basin
- Toxic Booster: A weaker boost that emits corrosive clouds damaging enemies.
- Found on: COV Technical
- Location: Promethea, Neon Arterial; Eden-6, Floodmoor Basin
- Jet Booster: A powerful, charge-up jet engine boost.
- Found on: Carnivora Technicals
- Location: Pandora, Carnivora
- Found during the Carnivora chase sequence only.
Cyclone Car Part Locations
The Cyclone is the speed demon of Borderlands 3 vehicles, prioritizing maneuverability and rapid attacks over heavy defenses.
The Cyclone compensates for its weaker defenses with exceptional maneuverability, armed with fast-firing weapons that can target enemies in a full 360-degree radius.
Catch-A-Ride Station
Cyclone Statistics
- Speed: 17
- Armor: 2
Cyclone Driver Weapon Car Part Locations
- Machine Gun: The classic, reliable machine gun.
- Default mod, available from the start.
- Explosive Needle Launcher: Fires explosive needles that detonate after a short delay.
- Found on: Maliwan Cyclones
- Location: Nekrotafeyo, Desolation’s Edge; Promethea, Meridian Metroplex (True Vault Hunter Mode)
- Sawblade Launcher: Launches powerful, explosive sawblades.
- Found on: COV Cyclones
- Location: Eden-6, Floodmoor Basin; Pandora, Devil’s Razor
Cyclone Wheel Car Part Locations
- Monowheel: The fastest wheel option for the Cyclone.
- Default wheel, available from the start.
- Blade Wheel: Offers increased traction and significant ramming damage against flesh.
- Found on: Blade Cyclone
- Location: Promethea, Neon Arterial; Eden-6, Floodmoor Basin; Pandora, Devil’s Razor
- Wide Wheel: Improves handling and durability.
- Found on: Hijack Target Fat Cyclone
- Location: Eden-6, Floodmoor Basin
- Hover Wheel: Enables Hover mode when activating the e-brake.
- Found on: Maliwan Hover Cyclone
- Location: Promethea, Meridian Metroplex
Cyclone Armor Car Part Locations
- Stripped Armor: Lighter armor with no durability benefits.
- Default armor, available from the start.
- Heavy Armor: Plated armor for increased durability, reducing speed.
- Found on: Heavy cyclone
- Location: Promethea, Meridian Metroplex; Eden-6, Floodmoor Basin
Cyclone Mod Car Part Locations
- Heavy Booster: An extremely powerful boost for maximum speed.
- Default Mod, available from the start.
Borderlands 3 Vehicle Skin Customizations
Beyond parts, Borderlands 3 lets you personalize your vehicle’s appearance with various skin themes and color adjustments.
Vehicle Themes
You can discover different skin themes as loot drops throughout the game, just like weapons and other gear.
| Skin Name | Skin Description |
|---|---|
| Default | Classic Look |
| Atlas | You are now sponsored by the Atlas Corporation! |
| Magic Number | “Illusion, Michael” |
| Blue Angels | Who’s the star? You’re the star! |
| Bubblegum | Let’s face it, this paint job would exist even if we didn’t put it here. Chew on this! |
| Children of the Vault | The Calypsos probably wouldn’t like us rocking their color, but who cares? |
| Dahl | You are now sponsored by the Dahl Corporation! |
| Ellie | Ain’t that a beauty? Feel free to change it even though it would break my heart. |
| Follow-Me | Fancy a game of checkers? |
| Forest Camo | Forest Camo? Anyone happen to remember we’re invading a desert planet? |
| Golden Ticket | Big Donny gave his life so you could have this … well you took it from him. |
| Gearbox | Now where have I seen this before …? |
| Halftone | Want this one? Sign here on the dotted line. |
| Hyperion | You are now sponsored by the Hyperion Corporation! |
| Jakobs | You are now sponsored by the Jakobs Corporation! |
| I like dinosaurs | Life huh … finds a way. |
| Leather | A tough leather finish. |
| Maliwan | You are now sponsored by the Maliwan Corporation … wait what? |
| Plaid | So warm and fuzzy |
| Roadkill | Look at this beauty, just like new! Wait, is that blood? |
| Skag | We love Skags. Don’t you? |
| Stealth | For stealthy night operations. Not sure how it works with all these explosives. |
| Thunderbird | Instead of soaring through the sky, you will ram through skags. |
| Torgue | You are now sponsored by the Torgue Corporation! |
| Vaughn’s | Vaughn is serious with this Sunsmasher business. |
| Vladof | You are now sponsored by the Vladof Corporation! |
| Woodland Camo | Ideal for chasing those pesky CoVs on Pandora. |
How to Scan Vehicles and Unlock Parts in Borderlands 3
To scan vehicle parts in Borderlands 3, head to any Catch-a-Ride station. Park the vehicle you’ve hijacked onto the designated digi-struct spot, marked by glowing outlines. Exit the vehicle, and it will automatically be deconstructed. Any new parts on that vehicle will be scanned and added to your available customization options for future vehicle spawns.
With this comprehensive guide to Borderlands 3 Car Part Locations and customization, you’re now equipped to build the ultimate vehicle and dominate the Borderlands in style. Happy hunting, Vault Hunter!
