Damage, Repair, and Upgrading

'Normal' Damage
Items which have received damage may often be repaired in a town mechanic shop, by spending $ Darkwind currency. Note that $ Darkwind currency cannot fix 'serious' damage. Items which have received large amounts of 'normal' damage may not be repaired in a town if the NPC mechanic doesn't have sufficient spare parts. In this case, a player-run camp or a different town may be able to help.

'Serious' Damage
A fraction of all 'normal' damage becomes 'serious' damage - this represents more difficult to fix structural or technical component damage. Serious damage may be fixed in a town mechanic shop using Chrome currency. Note that Chrome currency cannot fix 'normal' damage: any remaining normal damage, after repairing Serious damage can be repaired at a town mechanic if they have enough materials on hand, or else at a player run camp.

Upgraded Engines
Engines may be upgraded in a town mechanic shop using Chrome currency. An upgrade to an engine will allow it to deliver an increase in raw power (e.g. 105%). This means that the power delivered by the engine is 5% better than a normal engine of that type. Raw power does not, of course, equate directly to speed or acceleration since many other factors are at play (tyres, chassis type, driver skill, weight of vehicle, type of terrain, etc.)

Upgraded Chassis
Chassis health is an important statistic for all vehicles, hence it is a useful thing to be able to upgrade a vehicle above 100% chassis health. Chassis health affects the acceleration and top speed of a vehicle, and it also affects the effectiveness of each point of armour.

Upgraded Weapons
Weapons may be upgraded in a town mechanic shop using Chrome currency. An upgraded weapon may have its accuracy upgraded, and/or its damage upgraded. An accuracy upgrade to 110%, for example, means that the calculated 'to hit' roll is increased by 10% after all other factors have been taken into account. Therefore, modifiying a weapon's accuracy will not magically make a poor gunner hit, nor make a weapon hit at much greater distances than normal. Upgrading accuracy will, at best, give the weapon a small edge over normal weapons of that type. Upgrading weapon damage to 105% will mean that the weapon causes 5% more damage than a normal weapon of that type. It also means that secondary ('splash') damage from exploding weapons will be boosted by the same amount, and the physical force ('bounce') exerted on the target will be boosted.

Upgraded Dropped Weapons
Upgrading a dropped weapon has a slightly different effect than upgrading a targeted weapon. If the weapon causes damage or explosions, then upgraded damage occurs as normal. If the weapon is defensive (e.g. smokescreen or oiljet) then it will cover a proportionally larger area than normal. Similarly dropped spikes, if upgraded for damage, will damage tyres at a further distance than normal. Upgrading accuracy is not possible for dropped weapons.

Upgraded Vehicle Mounted Melee Weapons
Vehicle mounted melee weapons (rams and mounted spikes) can be upgraded in terms of damage but not in terms of accuracy.

Upgraded Special Weapons and Weapon-like-components
'Special' weapons and weapon-like components such as nitros, rocket boosters, and fire extinguishers will function more powerfully if they have 'upgraded damage', but they cannot be improved in terms of 'upgraded accuracy'.