Car Comforts : Gadgets to Keep You From Getting Homesick in Your Car
With commuting to and from work taking a bigger chunk out of the day, many motorists are furnishing their cars in the manner they would a second home. Few drivers, it would appear, seem to want to leave home without it. Here are a number of car accessories on the market that may ease the long and winding road.
What are some of the functional gadgets people are buying for their cars?
According to Jonathan Holland, a sales supervisor at Brookstone in North County Fair, the lighted note pad that affixes to the windshield with a suction cup is a big seller. Priced at $20, the note pad allows the nocturnal motorist to scribble to his or her heart’s content without having to turn on the interior light.
A telephone/address book that clips to the car visor is a handy item for car phone owners, and costs $12.95. Similar to the metal pop-up phone books of two decades ago, the user slides the arrow to the desired letter of the alphabet, pushes a tab, and the book opens to the page needed.
Because the morning commuter is faced with spending more of the semi-conscious hours on the road and doesn’t know when he will ever see his next cup of coffee, the market has produced a number of beverage holders for the car. At Brookstone, there are holders that hook in the slot of the window, and there are squishy bean bag affairs that sit on the floor or passenger seat and cushion a coffee mug. And now, for $5.50, there is a drink holder you can attach to your cigarette lighter to keep your drink warm.
Is there anything to improve the comfort of the drive?
At Kragen Auto Parts stores (throughout North County), beaded seat covers sell for about $9 and are said to relax tight back and neck muscles during a grueling commute. The wood bead cover, which resembles a loose macrame blanket, drapes over the seat and the rolling beads stimulate circulation.
Sheepskin seat covers are considered a luxury by some and a necessity by others. Superlamb Inc. on Miramar Road specializes in the custom cut and tailored seat cover. Beyond the customized covering, Superlamb has several standard styles for car seats, and up to 21 colors to choose from. Prices range from $159 to $639 for a pair of seat covers.
Another item that is a perennial favorite at automotive accessory stores is the cloth-covered steering wheel cover. The cover not only keeps the steering wheel from being hot to the touch, but the rubber backing provides a better texture and grip for arthritic hands.
What are some of the more unusual car products?
For the motorist who doesn’t know north from south and whose every drive is like a page out of Gulliver’s Travels, Brookstone offers a new electric compass. Energized by a car’s cigarette lighter, the compass costs $50 and can keep a commuter on course.
For $40, motorists can keep cool without air-conditioning, whether they drive across the Mojave or park their car in the sun for several hours. Designed for four-door cars, the solar-operated auto vent fan attaches to a side window, draws in air from the outside and exhausts the hot air out.
Windshield sunscreens, often made of cardboard, are widely available. A model with silver laminated Mylar not only keeps the sun out of a parked car, but deflects the rays.
What’s new for the office on wheels?
There are still a few people left in this world who welcome getting into their car for the sole reason that there is no phone or fax machine to plague them. However, for those who don’t, there are an array of cellular phones.
Cellular phones come in three types. Mobiles are installed permanently in cars and run off their electrical systems; transportables run off the batteries in their cases; and portables (or hand-helds), run off batteries in their handsets. Mobiles have outside antennas; the others do not.
Mobiles start at about $450; transportables at $599; and a hand-held at $799. Cellular telephone companies, such as Pac Tel Cellular and U.S. West Cellular, both in San Diego, and mass merchandisers like Dow, Silo and Jack’s sell these phones.
Cellular operated fax machines are a rare car commodity, in part because they don’t work very well, said Tim Wickers of Amerifax in Carlsbad. However, this does not deter a die-hard faxaholic. A company in Canoga Park called Cellabs sells portable faxes and can install them, Wickers said.
What’s to keep someone from stealing the car?
According to Auto Sonics in Encinitas, car alarms can cost anywhere from $189 to $1,000 depending on what features you want. More expensive systems provide the creature comforts of rolling up your windows and sunroof and locking your doors, if you are prone to forgetting that sort of thing. However, for the more standard alarm that blares an obnoxious horn whenever there is an earthquake or a big truck rolls by, the cost ranges from $350 to $400. Whatever system you choose, you will be outfitted with yet another car gadget, the beeper that activates and deactivates your alarm. Unfortunately, people armed with these remote controls sometimes can’t remember if they’ve beeped or not, and often the result when they step into their car is deafening.
If you want security on a shoestring, there are a variety of steering wheel locks that cost considerably less than the electronic alarm systems. The most popular steering wheel lock is The Club, which ranges from $40 to $60 depending on the size. A bar made of tempered steel hooks around the steering wheel locks in place, making the car inoperable.
Anything to keep a car from looking and smelling like a pig pen?
For as little as 99 cents, a motorist can buy a solid air freshener that hangs from the rear view mirror or sits on the dashboard and lasts about six weeks. The fragrances are many: forest pine, island coconut, strawberry, jasmine, lemon, and an impostor’s version of the popular perfume Georgio. You can find these for sale at car washes and auto supply stores.
Consider that littering anything (such as those unwanted faxes, post it notes and coffee grounds from the bottom of your mug) on a freeway or street is a minimum $500 fine. Then consider that coughing up $3.99 for an ersatz leather trash bag that hooks to your now defunct cigarette lighter may be the best buy of 1992. The hottest selling color in litter bags is black, according to one gift shop clerk, but an assortment of colors can be had, including brown and navy blue.
And, if you need a receptacle for your non-disposables, such as tapes, compact discs and portable stereos, check stereo stores.
Finally, if you think tidying up your car is as time and energy consuming as cleaning up your house, consider the Dash Duster sold at the Hold It store in Carlsbad. The feather duster is specifically designed to swab out all those dusty nooks and crannies on a car’s dash board.
