Category Archives: Car Accessories

Finding accessories to personalise your car

If you are someone that likes to put your own stamp on things then you may want to try and personalise your car without going all out on a custom spray job. There are quite a few little changes that you can make to your vehicle to make it feel like your own and to give people who may see it a little insight into your personality.

Firstly you need to decide on your theme, are you going to have a chosen colour or pattern such as leopard print or rainbow or are you going to just pick items that you like as and when you see them? You can then start to look for the accessories to suit your chosen style. Car mats, seat covers and steering wheel covers are usually the first things that people change to give their vehicle a whole new look. Next, you may consider changing the dashboard plastics or wood, you can often get vinyl stickers that can just go over the original. Changing wheel trims is a relatively cheap fix but if you want to change your alloys then you may be looking at forking out quite a bit extra.

If you want to go the extra mile you may consider changing the bumpers or even putting a vinyl wrap on the bonnet of your car, adding bull bars and side skirts and also a spoiler. It is important to remember that some of these changes may need to be reported to your insurance company.

 

 

Posted on

Car dash cams

Dash cams are becoming very popular amongst all types of motorists. Dash cams have been around for some time now, but recently they have dropped in price massively making them more widely available.

A dash cam can be a great way of getting extra piece of mind, and although it does not usually stop an accident or break in it can often help sort out fault for insurance purposes or catch the criminals who are breaking in. Sometimes just having a dash cam can be enough to put people off from breaking in to your car.

The cameras range in price from about £50 upwards toward a £1000 depending on what functionality and spec you want it to have. The cheaper cameras often do not come with a memory card though so you will have to factor in the cost for that too. Most dash cams are powered by a USB lead or 12v plug but you can buy kits to hardwire them in to the battery.

In some cases, having a dash cam may in fact lower your insurance price and some companies are stating that they will knock off up to 20% for having a dash cam.

Posted on

Car accessories – A gift for a petrol head

For the avid car driver finding the perfect Christmas or birthday gift needn’t be a chore, there are lots of cool gadgets and gismos out there designed with petrol heads in mind, here are some of the best:

Dash cam – these are great for pretty much any driver as they are a good back up to have if you are involved in an accident where you are not at fault. They vary in price quite dramatically so you really can find one to suit your budget.

Dash grip gel pads – these are basically adhesives pad that sits on your dashboard and can be used to hold your items such as phone keys and money, the gel that the pad that is made out of stop the items from slipping off as the car is in motion.

Power cup – this is a great little invention for regular commuters as it’s a travel cup that can plug in to your in-car 12 volt socket and keep your coffee warm for the duration of your journey.

Head up windshield projector – this is a great invention for Sat Nav users who hate having to have the device stuck to your window (and removed when you leave the car) this devise sits on your dash and projects the images from the Sat Nav up onto the windshield of your car, easy to follow and doesn’t get in your way!

Posted on

Choosing a sat nav system

If you are lucky enough to be able to get a new car, then it may come with a built in satellite navigation system. These systems are usually quite good, but the problem comes when they go wrong. As they are built in to the stereo system, it may be that you cannot fix it and have to replace the whole unit instead.

If you are buying an aftermarket sat nav system then you need to think about what is important to you. It may be that you want to be able to receive traffic updates and have the system re-route you to find a quick way to your destination. Some systems come with some sort of traffic update such as many of the TomTom devices, they track the routes of other TomTom devices to see how long it has taken to get through traffic and to find alternative routes.

Most sat navs will need updating every 12 months or so and you may have to pay for these updates.

 

Posted on

Handsfree phone kits

It is illegal to use your phone whilst driving in the UK unless you have a hands free kit. In the past, if you wanted a hands free kit you would either have to add it to the build of the car as an optional extra at the factory or you would have to have an aftermarket one installed, which could be pricey, but over the last ten years or so there has been an influx of hands free kits on the market meaning the prices are significantly lower.

Some stereos have Bluetooth built in to them to allow you to link your phone and then make and receive calls through the car speakers, these are a great way to stay safe whilst driving and can cost as little as fifty pounds. With Bluetooth connection you can also play music from your phone through to the car speakers and sometimes even have a sat nav read out directions to you.

 

Posted on