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Fun car stuff we found while traveling

posted by AskPatty - Auto Advice
Tuesday, September 15, 2009 at 10:49am CDT

With all our Female Friendly training visits, and new vehicle introductions, sometimes it seems like AskPatty staffers are on a plane practically every week.

I don't know about you, but I love to read the inflight magazines, and am especially entertained by all the fun stuff in the airline product catalogs. On this most recent trip, I picked up the Delta Airlines "Skymiles" catalog, and was surprised to see -- along with the plush animal drinking fountains, spiky grass-aerating strap-on sandals, personalized jigsaw puzzles, and smiling solar tiki torches -- that it also contains some fun auto-related products.

"Yeah, yeah," I can hear you thinking, "More stuff I don't need!" And that's partly true, but just because most of us really CAN live without truck antlers or animated hitch critters doesn't mean we can't still secretly wish for them. But aside from the playful products, we also found some practical devices meant to make life in and with your car more convenient.

Highly rated on the practical product scale is this battery-operated illuminating "Park 'n' Place" stop sign that helps you safely position your vehicle in the garage. The fiberglass pole flexes and a red LED light flashes to let you know when you're in the right spot, and won't dent your car or scratch your paint like the tall lamp I used as a guide in my own garage. Spending $19.95 for this flashing stop sign is much cheaper than replacing the lamp after it tips over from one awkward bump. If you need help parking, but don't like this product, SkyMall also offers several other parking aids, including a heavy-duty parking curb, and a helpful no-ding wallguard.

When I was a young driver, I always wanted one of those rearview mirrors that stretched across the entire windshield to enlarge the view behind the car. Skymall offers something similar with its extra-wide "no blindspot rear view mirror" from Hammacher Schlemmer which clamps on to your car's existing rear view mirror and increases the driver's field of view to 180 degrees (as opposed to the 52 degrees offered by standard mirrors). Skymall claims the mirror provides a distortion-free view of the five lanes of traffic behind you. $59.95.

If you're a sales person or consultant who spends a lot of time on the road, then we know you'll want to check out these workstations from Auto Exec which turns your passenger seat into an office. Now, they're obviously not meant to be used while driving, but these workstations strap into the passenger seat and provide hanging file storage, non-slip writing surface, and an adjustable laptop plate that lets you slide your computer into a comfortable typing location. Prices begin at $129.95, and go up to $349.95 for the ultra-luxe version which includes a 110-volt power inverter that plugs into the cigarette lighter to provide two three-prong AC power outlets.

Are you the kind of person who loses your car in big parking lots? (I'm thinking about the long-term parking lot at LAX. I've lost my car there twice this year.) This pocket-sized GPS device from Bushnell marks your location with the touch of a button to help you find your way back again. For $89.95, it's also a great gadget to help hikers find their way back home as well.

Some vehicles are sold with a heads-up display that projects driving data onto the windshield. If you don't have the technology in your car, for $149.95 you can add it with this dash-mounted heads-up display unit that allows the driver to display compass headings and speed readings. The Bluetooth-compatible device can even be set to alert you at certain speeds to encourage safe driving.

Okay, okay, enough of the practical products, it's time for the silly stuff: How about a pair of antlers for your truck? Priced at $24.99, these weatherproof, molded plastic antlers affix to the windows and are sure to cause plenty of double-takes and big smiles. You know you want 'em...

If you've got a great sense of humor, you can show it with these fun, trailer hitch covers. Besides protecting the ball from corrosion, these animated hitch critters plug-in to provide an additional braking light for added safety. You can choose from a waving deer, tail-flopping bass, chomping dog, flapping duck, or a motorcycle-riding hog for $24.99.

Who knew there was so much good car stuff hidden among the pages of the SkyMall catalog? If you're going going to be on a plane anytime soon to review the catalog for yourself, you can search for these products and many others at www.skymall.com, or by calling 1-800-SkyMall. Shipping and handling and applicable sales taxes will be applied to your purchase.