The list includes a dashcam, external TPMS, car duster, phone charger, ventilated seat cover and much more.

BHPian amandal1810 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hi, I wanted to share the accessories that we got for our Honda Elevate ZX CVT over the last couple of months. The list turned out to be quite long.

1. Ventilated seat accessory: This is from Riggear. Ventilated seat was high on the list of our requirements but we still decided to go ahead with the Elevate. Thanks to BHPian @krishnakumar for his comprehensive and long-term review of the Riggear ventilated seat accessory. Bought it from the official site, where it's cheaper than Amazon. I am satisfied with its effectiveness. There is a mild noise when it's in operation, but only the driver can hear it. Moreover, it does not compromise the seat comfort. I have attached this to the rear lighter port and the power adapter juts out a bit too much for my liking.
2. Rear window sun shade: This is a must-buy. It's sad that Elevate does not get this from the factory. It attaches magnetically to the window frame. But the door needs to be opened in order to attach or detach it. Cannot use it on the driver-side window because it obstructs the view of the ORVM. It blocks a tiny part of the left ORVM when fixed on the co-driver side window; but this will depend on your seating position. For me, I have kept it attached only to the rear windows. Amazon link.
3. Screen guard for the infotainment display: Fits well and does not create glares.
4. Charger for phone: It goes into the lighter port. It has one USB-C and one USB-A. The type-C port supports 33W PD charging, so it can fast charge devices which support PD. It's quite small in size and stays out of the way. Amazon link.
5. Dual channel dash cam: Did some market research and found this to be the best option when considering price and video quality. Interestingly, 70mai pushes out firmware upgrades for this dashcam, which can be flashed using the app. However, the dashcam gets reset after a firmware upgrade, which is super annoying. Amazon link.
6. Micro SD card for the dash cam: It's important to use an SD card that is meant for frequent writes. This is ideal for usage in surveillance cameras and dashcams. SanDisk uses the term "High Endurance" for this. Other brands will have other monikers. Amazon link.
7. Car fragrance from Bath and Body Works: The perfume cartridge holder is affixed to the sun visor and stays out of the way. The ones that hang from the internal rear-view mirror (such as this one) obstruct visibility. There are many fragrances to choose from but here is an example. You will need a holder for it, such as this one (many designs available).
8. 90-degree short USB-A to USB-C cable: For wired Android Auto (because wireless Android Auto is buggy in Elevate). I got this thinking that a long cable would create a mess. Unfortunately, this was a bad purchase. The cable got yanked multiple times when I reached out to pick up the phone without realizing that the short cable was attached. And the 90-degree bend is towards the other side (away from the center). Amazon link.
9. External TPMS: yet another important thing that the Elevate misses out on. Got an external TPMS because fixing it was DIY. Bought the one with the highest ratings on Amazon. Works well so far. I am not using the anti-theft locks. The solar charging does not work well for me because I have got sun film installed on the windshield. Thankfully, it can be charged with a micro USB cable. I did not want one that is app-based, since it might drain the phone battery and obtain unnecessary permissions such as location data.
10. Tyre inflator: There are too many options out there. Did some market research and went with this.
11. Neck pillow: Wife needed one; usefulness is subjective. Amazon link.
12. Napkin holder: Affixed to the sun visor. Blends well with the interior (roof) color. Amazon link.
13. Jopasu car duster: Super highly rated and does what it promises. This is my go-to option when dry dusting the car. Amazon link.
14. Mini trash can for car: Fits perfectly in the cup holder and does not block access to the phone tray. Amazon link.
15. Heavy duty micro fiber cloth: It does work quite effectively in drying the exterior surface. Amazon link.
16. Key cover: Feels and looks premium. The silicon adds a nice grippy texture to the key. Amazon link.
17. Carabiner key chain: For placing the key on the belt loop. Solid built and feels built to last. Comes in pairs. Amazon link.
18. Ganesh Idol for dashboard: There are 29 options to choose from. Elevate has a floating infotainment display, so any religious idol would be partially blocked from view. Amazon link.

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It includes items such as the floor mat, dustbin, air freshener, smartphone holder, dashcam, fire extinguisher, jumper cable and more.

BHPian Aditya recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Back in 2007, we had a thread on the must-have car accessories that needed to be purchased as extras. Back then, we had recommended getting fog lamps, headlight bulb upgrades and parking sensors. These features had to be purchased as accessories from dedicated stores. Today, one would laugh at that. Today, fog lamps are a part of the standard feature list, halogen headlight bulbs have been replaced by LEDs and parking sensors are standard on many mainstream cars. As is pretty evident, over these 16 years later, a lot has changed.

Today, new cars are equipped with various features. We get sunroofs, sunshades, touchscreen head-units with fantastic sound systems, air purifiers, head-up displays, TPMS, fog lamps, alloy wheels and a lot more as standard these days. Further, fitting certain other accessories might require tampering with the wiring of the car, which might void the warranty. This has made accessory stores irrelevant. Still, certain features are not provided on most cars. These might be utilitarian or aesthetic and help us personalise certain aspects of our vehicles. Some of them are carried over from the 2007 list as they are still relevant.

Here is the 2023 edition of the list of must-have car accessories.

Exterior

Alloy wheels

Some entry-level cars still come with steel wheels. Alloy wheels not only enhance the car's look but they are lighter and stronger than steel wheels. Moreover, since the unsprung weight is less, it improves the driving experience as well.

Wider tyres

Many cars are woefully under-tyred for the power they put out (WagonR 1.2, City, etc.). This is primarily done to improve efficiency, but skinny tyres aren't very safe in emergencies. Upgrading to wider tyres improves grip levels. This enhances the steering, handling and braking of a car. It also improves the car's appearance.

Interior

Floor & boot mats

Floor & boot mats are not a part of standard equipment in most cars. But they are very necessary. They help keep the car's carpet clean. Nowadays, there are so many options with the type of floor mats like all-weather mats, fabric mats, 3D mats, and more.

Air freshener

If a car's doors have not been opened for a while, it can produce an unpleasant smell. This is particularly bad in the rainy season. An air freshener helps in such situations.

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Dustbin

A small dustbin is handy when you need a place to put all the waste such as wrappers, used tickets and more. Your cupholders and door pockets need not be used to store waste. It will also make you resist the urge to throw rubbish out of the car's window.

Car seatback organiser

While travelling, people like to carry a lot of stuff. However, inside the cabin, there is not much space to keep all the items that they have. Hence, stuff is kept loose on the seat, parcel shelf and other places. A car seatback organiser is hooked onto the seatback of the front seat. Various items such as laptops, magazines, water bottles and more can be stored in it.

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Smartphone holder

Many cars do not come with a touchscreen head-unit and navigation. In such cases, drivers use their smartphones and Google Maps. Keeping a phone loose on the instrument cluster or the centre console or seat is not advisable. A smartphone holder mounted on the dashboard will allow the driver to follow navigation instructions without taking his / her eyes off the road.

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Multi-port charger

Today, multiple gadgets are a part of our day-to-day life. These include items such as smartphones, laptops, etc. Different gadgets require different types of charging ports. Therefore, to keep these gadgets running, having a multi-port charger that draws power via a 12V outlet is essential.

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Sun shades

With sun films being banned, sun shades are a good way of keeping the harsh rays of the sun out.

Ventilated seat cushions

In a country like ours, ventilated seats are a boon, especially in a city like Mumbai where a short drive in peak summer even with the A/C running can have your back sweating. If your car isn't equipped with ventilated seats, you can get one of these ventilated seat cushions that plug into your 12V socket.

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Safety

Dashcam

A dashcam is one of the most useful car accessories you can buy today. The recordings can help you during an accident by serving as proof when you are dealing with the law or claiming insurance. BHPian ph03n!x recently had an accident and a dashcam saved him legally and financially.

Reversing camera

In modern cars, we get huge headrests, small rear windshields and thick C/D-pillars. This makes it difficult to get a clear view of the rear during reversing. This can cause an accident. A parking camera proves to be useful here as it gives a picture of what is behind the vehicle.

Fire extinguisher

Fires can break out at any time in any car. An extinguisher is very useful in such cases and using one of these might enable one to limit the damage caused by the fire.

Child seat

Nothing is more precious than the safety of our little angels. A child seat ensures that children are held in place in the safest possible manner in the car.

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Protection

Car body cover

Most of our country is hot and dusty. Besides, many other factors such as dirt, bird droppings etc. slowly damage your car's paint. A body cover offers some protection against these.

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Others

Tyre inflator

It is very important to maintain the optimum air pressure in your car's tyres. This ensures that the car performs well, handles and brakes properly and returns good fuel economy. It also ensures that the tyres last long. You might not have a trustworthy air-filling station in your neighbourhood particularly if you live in semi-urban areas. A high-quality tyre inflator is handy in such cases. It is also useful during touring.

Puncture repair kit

Punctures can happen at any time. In most places, you are not too far away from a puncture repair facility. However, there are times when there could be nothing for miles. In such times, a puncture repair kit is very useful. Again, this is an extremely important accessory to have while touring.

Jumper cables

Sometimes, a battery runs down due to a light left on through the night or if the car is not used for a long time. Apart from that, a battery also becomes weak with time. Ultimately, it may not have the required power to crank the engine. Here is where jumper cables come in handy. Using jumper cables, one can connect the weak car battery to another car's battery and jump-start it.

Vacuum cleaner

Dust, skin particles, hair, food crumbs and whatnot - all can be found in the interior of a car. Keeping the interior clean is extremely important. A car vacuum cleaner is excellent at sucking up all the rubbish inside a car.

Do share your thoughts on what car accessories you think are must-haves today.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

In the Etios, I have placed an anti slip mat & keep the phone over it. In the Duster there is a small storage place on the top of the dashboard.

BHPian sidsden recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hi All, a newbie here!

I recently 'upgraded' from a 3rd Gen 2010 Honda City iVTEC to a facelifted 2023 Hyundai Venue SX(O) DCT. One of the things I was over annoyed with my Honda City (among others) was the placement of the cup holders, which was so close to the center console, that it was impossible to keep even a 1 litre bottle there. On the flip side, the placement of the cup holders ensured that the usual place for cup holders, between the gear knob and the hand brake was free, and I bought a seat gap filler that allowed me the space to keep my mobile phone down while driving.

Fast forward to the Venue. I retained the seat gap filler while selling my City and have been using it in my Venue. However, the placement of the cup holders in my Venue ensures that whenever I put the gap filler, it occupies a large chunk of space above the cup holders, thus again making it impossible to keep a water bottle there.

So, my simple question here is, what is your most preferred position to keep your phone while driving? I do assume that a lot of folks use a mobile mount, but with the advent of Android Auto and Apple Car Play, and most recent cars featuring that, I suppose the use for a phone mount is going down (and I for sure don't want to clog either my windscreen or dashboard with one), but what about the rest? And, where do you keep your phone when you are connected to your entertainment system with a wire for AA or CarPlay?

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

Cupholders in the BMW 530d, with the charging cable plugged in. I don't like the smartphone clips & holders at all. Period. Interestingly, the BMW's cupholder holds my Samsung Flip perfectly fine, including when I "flip" it for Google Maps display:

Compartment at the base of the center fascia in the Thar, with the charging cable plugged in. I have a quirk with phone charging and always plug-in when driving. You'll never hear "my battery was dead" with me:

Here's what BHPian Samba had to say on the matter:

Luckily both my cars have a nice place on the dashboard.

In the Etios, I have placed an anti slip mat & keep the phone over it.

In the Duster there is a small storage place on the top of the dashboard. I have kept a small dark color microfibre cloth (dark to avoid reflection) & I keep the phone on it.

In the both the cars the phone is quite secured in these places. They do not fall or move out in case of a harsh manoeuvre.

Plus the charging cable reaches the 12v socket easily incase I need to charge the phone:

Here's what BHPian danlalan had to say on the matter:

There is never really a perfect place. Ive always fumbled with this. Usually i just keep it on my lap, thats always a preferred location so its easy to pick up whilst at a signal or slow moving traffic.

For my current daily drive its either the lap or just above the ac vents on the ledge that houses the screen:

Here's what BHPian anandhsub had to say on the matter:

I have wireless Android Auto, so for most city drives the phone is just in my pant pocket.

On longer solo drives or if I need to charge I put it in the cup holder. If not solo I just give it to my wife or kid to control music or play games.

Here's what BHPian robincsamuel had to say on the matter:

Never an issue on a Kia Sonet; you can easily keep three phones. There's a wireless charger, a similar space below it, and another space between the cupholders.

Photos from the Team-BHP official review:

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

What has completely surprised me is the level of fit and finish some of these car accessory dealers are showcasing on YouTube.

BHPian A777R recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Well I am in the market for the new Fronx and due to the atrocious pricing on the top end version, doing extensive research on after market additions - some of them cosmetic and some of them functional.

What has completely surprised me is the level of fit and finish some of these car accessory dealers are showcasing on YouTube. They offer discounts on Maruti genuine accessories and the fit and finish looks on par or in some cases even better than the OEM fittings.

For example they are offering piano black finish on the centre console with a smaller touch screen that even Maruti does not offer. Maybe this has become the norm in the last few years but I was still surprised by the kind of options being offered for relatively reasonable prices.

Now obviously the electronics such as ICE and LED lightings could be of suspect quality but everything else that these dealers are fitting looks really good (at least in the videos).

If this trend continues, I genuinely think it would not be such a big risk to buy the lower variants and get them upgraded.

I suspect a couple of big reasons for this trend are:

• A vast and updated catalogue of genuine Maruti spare parts and accessories.
• The modern car is much more modular and easier to modify than the older ones.

This is just a random video from a dealer in Delhi who claims to accessorize 6 Fronx(s) every day amongst many other cars. (I am in no way associated with this dealer but he has been putting a lot of Fronx videos lately).

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

Years back, I had thought of the car accessory shop as a declining business. And to some extent, I stick by a lot of those opinions. Today's top variants (and many mid-variants) are very well-equipped & come with practically everything! Even the OEM sound systems have improved (it was a must-have aftermarket accessory at one time), sunfilm has been banned and dealers throw in freebies for mandatory stuff (e.g. floormats).

But there are a lot of buyers of sparsely equipped lower variant cars keeping the business alive. Plus, the sheer size of the market! Today, more 15 - 25 lakh cars are being sold than at any point in the history of the Indian car scene. These customers have a bigger wallet for accessories than an Alto customer.

And I must compliment the after-market for responding with truly high-quality, tempting upgrades. If you are willing to spend, you can get top-quality body wraps, PPF, LED headlamps, leather interiors, 18 - 22" rims, ICE etc. in the market. These have replaced sunfilm, Autocop security systems, horn upgrades, blinking Pioneer stereos etc which were mandatory accessories from 1990 - 2010.

For my 530d, Superb & Sunny, I never visited the auto accessory shop. But for my Thar, I practically raided the after-market with an F16.

Due to manufacturers also overpricing the higher variants, there are splendid options in the aftermarket to convert your base variant into a top one.

Here's what BHPian Mr.Boss had to say on the matter:

Adding a bit:

Growing technology & tools for reverse engineering. We spent hours or even days to measure and develop a 3D CAD models a decade ago, not that's done in seconds with 3D scanners.

Base & mid variants are loaded with basic features and provision for additional features these days (earlier that was not the case, pre-wiring, mounting provisions will be missed).

Market (people) is encouraging or moving towards these accessories.

Change in business model. Earlier accessories means sun film, audio, park assist, seat cover, wheel cap, alloy wheels, aux lamps. Now majority of these are either OE fitment or illegal to use. So we move towards something else.

Here's what BHPian Samba had to say on the matter:

In the earlier years, we used to visit the car accessory shops for fitting accessories like stereo, seat covers, floor mats, sun films, upgraded headlight bulbs and horn with a relay.

The experience was mixed. I never liked the way the mechanics handled the car. There was always a chance, you end up with a shoddy low quality wiring job, or they do not pay attention on the fuse ratings, or cutting/tapping the original wiring. Few inexperienced mechanics used to end-up breaking the plastic clips while opening the door pads, or any plastic panels. I also hated when they cut or remove the oem seat covers while installing the aftermarket ones.

So, I always had to be present and monitor their work thoroughly. Right from inspecting the fuse ratings to the quality of the wires they used, the way they were installing the seat covers, etc etc. My presence and intervention used to irk the mechanics as I used to resist them whenever I found their work to be shoddy. I absolutely hated it.

Am happy I do not have to visit the accessory shops anymore!

Now most of the cars come with 6 air bags- So installing an after market seat cover is not even an option for me. If I want to install one, will get one from the dealer, as an OEM accessory.

The accessory shops do offer seat covers which are compatible with the airbags, but I won't trust them where safety is involved.

Most cars come with projectors and leds, so upgrading the headlights are not anymore required.

Now I use the horn as less as possible, so upgrading the horn is not required either.

Sun-films got banned in many states of India. So it's no more an option for me too. Few cars come with factory fitted tinted glasses, and they are actually nice.

Regarding the ICE, now almost every cars come with a decent factory fitted music system.

In today's date most of the base model cars also come equipped with a decent level of features.

Lastly apart from installing few basic accessories, if the original wiring is touched/tampered by the accessory shops,the factory warranty gets void. And now with the extended warranty schemes, most cars are covered for 5-7 years.

Now the car owners are much more well versed, and safety conscious than they were a decade back.

These are the main reasons I feel for the down-growth of car accessory shops.

Here's what BHPian ashis89 had to say on the matter:

On a related note, a decade ago the dealers and service centres used to offer a small range of accessories - a couple of seat cover options, rubber mats, perfumes and a bunch of chrome kits. Today they are trying to catch up with the accessory shops with OE branded tyre inflators, dashcams, LED bulbs, HID kits, touchscreen units, a variety of mats and even in house ceramic coating. They even entice us with knowledge that their accessories will not hamper warranty. IMO, the accessory market and the options available for each model, has grown leaps and bounds and that gives each of these players the room to grow further.

Here's what BHPian PrideRed had to say on the matter:

Other than standard cosmetics and electronics, the car accessory dealers have diverted their attention to more profitable options like tuning, performance upgrade and mechanical modifications. Overlanding, offroading culture has taken interest in country and OEM's are providing hardly any options. Take example of Thar, while cosmetic/electronics may get accessory dealer a sum of 50K per car, aftermarket suspensions, tires, winch, offroad protective gear and we are talking a bill upwards of 2 Lakh.

While the sub 10-15L rupee cars go to accessory shop for HU, trims, chrome, LEDs etc. the offroad oriented cars, SUVs, performance cars are going for mechanical upgrades which I believe most accessory shops have started focusing on.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Have tapped the wire from the dome lights and it glows whenever the door the opened, irrespective of the dome light switch position.

BHPian Blow Horn Ok recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Recently added the MGA branded footwell lights to my 2017 Aspire. Have tapped the wire from the dome lights and it glows whenever the door the opened, irrespective of the dome light switch position. A nice and warm feature to have. Ironically I have also installed MGA branded reverse parking sensors and they are flawless since 3 years of installation.

Here's what BHPian VWAllstar had to say on the matter:

Looks good. I got one from Ford during delivery. It is managed by an App which connects via BT. It costed me Rs.5000 and used it for max 1 week. After looking at this post, I realized that I have a similar one in my Figo. What you did by connecting to an action (opening of door) makes it more usable and desirable now.

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The unit has a learning function, and I could link all the buttons on the steering to the unit.

BHPian ashutoshb recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Making this post, as it might be useful to Tata owners who want a budget music system, which is compatible with the steering wheel controls.

So, my father-in-law has a Tata Bolt as his second car and is well out of warranty.

His OEM Harman infotainment system (non touch) went kaput a couple of months back.

Recently he mentioned about it to me. I took the plunge to get it fixed.

First I showed it at the Tata service centre. They called the Harman person to inspect. He told me, that in order to replace the unit, it will cost Rs.65,000. And to get the current one repaired, the unit will have to be sent to Pune for inspection. The inspection charges are Rs. 3,600 and then the repair charges would be extra.

I then showed the unit to some technicians outside. One quoted Rs. 7,100, the other one quoted slightly less.

I then decided to buy a new music system instead.

Nowadays all aftermarket systems are Android. But, the car is driven primarily by the driver and rarely by my father-in-law, so a high end system was not required.

My father-in-law doesn't use Google Maps anyways, and in order for them to run properly (with traffic info), one has to connect the unit with a mobile wi-fi hotspot. Something, he would never do.

So, a search for a basic touch unit started. But, that basic unit also had to work with the existing steering wheel controls.

After multiple searches on Google, I saw a unit by Mosfet Technologies. The link to the product is here.

They had launched this Windows CE unit, in collaboration with Map My India. But the same unit is available without the maps, for Rs. 3,990. And it supported steering wheel controls.

I got in touch with them, asked whether it is compatible with Tata cars. They were not sure. Neither did they offer any installation.

So, I took a chance and ordered it anyways. Since I live right next to Delhi, there were no shipping charges and got the unit the next day.

No technician in Noida could figure it out, and said making the steering remote work is not possible. And then I took the car to Karol Bagh.

There, I was told that there is a 99% chance, it will not work without canbus. I asked them to give it a try. I will pay for the labour, if it doesn't work.

Fortunately, it did work.

The unit has a learning function, and I could link all the buttons on the steering to the unit.

The audio quality is not as good as the Harman unit, but for most, it will do.

What I spent:

• Mosfet music sytem: Rs. 3,990.
• Aftermarket stereo frame + coupler + labour + Rear Camera: Rs. 2,800.

Total: Rs. 6,790.

I know they overcharged me for the coupler and the frame, but I was so happy that the experiment worked and did not haggle any further.

I thought of sharing all this information, so that if someone wants to opt for a budget alternative, this info would come handy.

A video and some images:

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