What Auto Accessory Is Your #1

Your car is your baby!  Your truck is your pride and joy!  Your Jeep…..well, it might be your holy grail!

Okay, so this is a bit of an exaggeration, but the point is that we love our rides.  There is a reason why automotive accessory dealers have tax time sales.  These business owners know that money in the pocket of a car lover, is customers walking in their doors.  This time of year can make or break a small business.  The influx of business during this time is planned and prepped for months in advance.  You have to strike while the iron is hot and if you don’t, you miss the opportunity.

Now that we are familiar with the life of a small business owner who specializes in automotive accessories,  what are the top accessories that consumer want?

From the research I have done, it seems like some of the more popular things right now are electronic gadgets and organization items.  for the purposes of this post,  if it does not have to do audio, appearance, safety, or performance I will not be including the item.

Safety

A couple items fall into this category.  The systems that mount your phone from the vents are great.  This helps keep your eyes on the road.  Especially since so many people are using their phones for navigation.   No-one would dare text while driving so navigation has to be the reason for this.   Maxboost Magnetic Phone Mounts make a good product and are available on Amazon for under $10.

How about a dash cam.  It todays law suite happy world, I can understand why someone would choose to have a dash cam installers.  These will typically be expensive, yet again, can be found on Amazon for under $50.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

I have reference Amazon a couple time and probably will again.  I am not trying to make more Bezos or Jassy anymore money than what they already have.  I am using this as a place of reference for pricing.  Most of these automotive accessory shops will have these exact items, but without calling them and asking, it is just a guessing game on pricing.  I would encourage to do research about competitive prices before your enter a automotive shop.  

Audio

All of these products are centered around a better sound from you ride or getting music from your phone to your ride.  There are numerous options.  It may all depend on if your vehicle has bluetooth.  If it does, then your phone should not have any problems sending music to the radio.  I personally am not a big car stereo guy.  Making my eardrums rumble while rolling down the rode never interested me.  I also never wanted to bring extra attention to myself like a loud stereo will usually do.  Because of my lack of interest, I am not offering many suggestions other than research before entering a shop.

Appearance

Since I operate under the belief that a Jeep Wrangler is the possible the greatest thing since sliced bread,  I will start with a simple lift kit.  Doing some pre-shopping, you can find name brand lift kits on amazon around $500.  That will give you some idea before enter the auto shop.

Now, since you are getting a lift…..YOU HAVE TO HAVE NEW TIRES AND WHEELS!  In all honestly, I could be a millionaire and the very first thing I am buying is a Jeep Wrangler and decking it out with a short lift and new tires and wheels.   These items are going to hurt the wallet a bit so be prepared.

Why you are at it, might as well have some window film installed as well.  I will classify this under the Appearance category because I believe this is why the majority of consumers decide to have film installed.  Yet, window tint can also be classified under with the safety category because of the benefits it provide.  Ultimately, window film adds a unique look to the vehicle.  While offering heat rejection, UVA rejection, and UVB rejection.  Window film will not break the bank for installation.  But, there is for sure a good, better, best rating of the film style that you should consider.  This is a topic that you window film installer should be able to address with you.  I have discussed this in previous topics and if your film installer is not willing to educate you about film, I would consider shopping elsewhere.

Performance

This is tough to classify based on the type of vehicle you are wanting to make modification to.  A sports car will need a vastly different option that lifted 4×4.

One item that most will agree is a better quality air filter.  K&N makes one of the best when it comes to performance.  This is something you can probably do yourself.  If you are unable to open your own hood….well i suggest you flirt with your neighbor and get them to do it.  It will save you time and money.  Turbo chargers, fuel injectors, and exhaust systems all fall into this category and you will want to consider talking to an expert before making some of this decisions.  They will be costly and you wan to be sure the provide the desired outcome before dropping all that money.

So many of these options are based on personal preference and taste.   This is why the aftermarket and accessories business continues to be a multi-billion dollar a year industry.   At Scorpion, we specialize in truck bed liners and window film.  These are our top products and both are popular in the industry.