Most of us don’t start out working on cars in a well-equipped garage. If you were lucky, maybe your parents or a friend had one of the best floor jacks, and you got to use it for your automotive work. But when most projects seem to require buying or borrowing a new specialty tool, a new, high-quality car jack can be low on the list. Impacts, air ratchets, it’s those tools that get the glamour and end up in your toolbox first. 

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, roughly 9000 sun glare-related accidents occur every year on U.S. roads. Common sense says that having a pair of sunglasses to hand could help mitigate some of the danger involved with driving into the sun.

Most of the time, it’s unnecessary to give your vehicle’s differential cover a second thought; the technology has been around for decades and works well. However, drivers of trucks and offroad vehicles have good reason to consider upgrading their differential covers. Those vehicles are often called upon to operate under arduous conditions that are harder on every component, including axles and differential assemblies.

SUVs and crossovers are the dominant body styles on the road today, and, public perception aside, they are, in essence, tall station wagons. As with the wagons of yore, there’s a large cargo area and seats that can be folded any which way to make efficient use of the space. This is great—until the bags of potting soil stowed back there burst or the family golden retriever has shed his bodyweight in fur all over your car’s cozy cabin.

Toy cars are one of life’s great joys. Some of our best memories are playing with Matchbox or Hot Wheels in the sandpit as kids, before we moved up to remote control buggies, slot-car races, and even building our own.

Not all hammers are created equal—at least according to Thor. Whether you’re a Norse God or a simple art lover hanging a picture over the fireplace, a quality hammer is essential—the best hammers offer power, precision, and ease of use.

No matter how carefully you drive and park, it’s almost impossible to avoid getting a scratch on your car or truck. But if it’s not through the clearcoat and into the paint, one of the best car scratch removers can save you a trip to the body shop. Most light scratches are only on the surface of your finish, and there are car scratch repair products that can make them disappear. 

Any number of people might require safety cones for work, play, or ensuring the public’s safety. Whether you’re marking off a gymkhana course, directing traffic, or need to indicate where the delivery van bearing the Royal Warrant is to park, there’s a safety cone perfect for the job.

Have you ever felt the frustration of your shopping bag or purse flying off the passenger seat and unloading its contents all over the floor? Everything that was safely stowed is all over the car; it’s frustrating, it’s a pain to clean up, and things invariable get lost in the melee. Consider too that having the contents of your bag disgorge themselves in the car could even create a dangerous distracted driving situation.

A quiet, comfortable ride free from dust, drafts, and wind noise is something drivers expect from their cars. Manufacturers spend big money to ensure acceptable levels of noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH); weatherstripping, door and window seals are a big part of that. Without them, your car is a whistling, freezing, scorching, misery machine. Yet who thinks about the molded rubber and metal components that contribute so much to riding refinement?

You may have an image of washing a car in a driveway with a hose and a bucket of suds, but the best foam cannons are a much easier way to do it. Not do they take less time and water, they also takes out some of the risk of rubbing grit into your finish. Even if you’re not that passionate about detailing or washing your car, owning a pressure washer and a foam cannon to use with makes the job a lot faster, easier, and can give you better results.

Every car owner should include one of the best tire pressure gauges in their toolkit. Keeping your tires properly inflated ensures they wear evenly, and that you’re getting the best possible gas mileage. It’s a small investment that will keep you from having to replace your expensive tires too soon, and save money on every fill up.

It’s one of the most basic driving lessons you first learn when you get behind the wheel: check your blind spot. Although your car is equipped with an assortment of mirrors, they’re not always adequate when it comes to covering your blind spots. If you’re tired of not being able to see what’s behind you, it might be time to invest in a new rearview mirror.

When you’re going camping, on vacation, or taking a road trip, expanded cargo capacity is almost a necessity. You don’t want to drive an oversized (and priced) vehicle all year for a few weekend trips! Plus, no matter how large your vehicle is, there’s a good chance you can’t fit everything you need when you’re traveling. That means you’re forced to pick and choose what gear you need to leave at home. The solution is a cargo carrier. A basket that mounts to your trailer hitch and lets you load even more gear that won’t fit inside your ride.

Steam cleaners clean differently from any other method you might use. Because of this, they are often the only tool to get rid of stains and dirt that nothing else will touch.

All new vehicles come equipped with pressure monitoring systems (TPMS), and many have run-flat tires, so you might not think having one of the best portable tire inflators is a necessity. But that’s not the case, because all tires lose air over time, even if you don’t have a puncture. And knowing a tire is low doesn’t mean you can ignore it. Owning your own tire inflator means you can conveniently and routinely check your tire pressure, making sure they’re in an optimal range, and easily refill them when the light gives you a warning. Underinflated or overinflated tires have many adverse effects on your driving experience, hurting your fuel economy, tire wear, and even safety. Purchasing a tire inflator is a small investment in helping make sure your tires last as long as possible, saving you money in the long run.

If you need more cargo carrying capacity for your car, there are a lot of practical options for you that can be installed right on your car’s roof. When looking for the best roof cargo carrier, you need to first figure out what kind of cargo you’re going to be carrying. Not all cargo carriers are the same and there are different products out there for different purposes: there are travel bags, roof baskets, and cargo boxes.

Getting the best ceramic coating on your car was once only a job for the very best specialty car detailing shops. They were only introduced in 2010, and for the first years weren’t really available for home users. Only professionals used the best ceramic coating for cars, and if you ever visited a shop for a quote, you might have left shocked with an estimate that can easily be over,$1,000 for a quality ceramic coat using products from a professional-only brand such as Ceramic Pro. Few normal people can spend that much money on ceramic coating, so thankfully, car detailing brands have formulated their own products at a much more affordable price.

If you tow with your vehicle, you will need a trailer ball mount, which is also known as a hitch ball mount, or simply a ball mount. But it’s not as simple as just picking one that looks nice – there are a lot of considerations to make when buying a ball mount for your towing vehicle. Ball mounts vary in terms of size, type, weight capacity, price, features, vehicle compatibility, and so much more.

Whether you’re striking out on a two-week camping trip or heading to the beach for a picnic, no outdoor adventure is complete without food and drink. That means you’ll need a cooler to keep your beverages chilled and food fresh. But even the best coolers can only keep things cold for so long. Eventually, your freezer packs will thaw out, and you’ll have to stock up on ice from the nearest gas station or convenience store.

If your car came from the factory with halogen or HID bulbs, you’re going to need to replace them or upgrade them down the line. Both of these bulb types lose light output over time; thus, even if they’re functional, they aren’t performing like new. When it comes time to replace them, why go with the same lighting solution when there are better options? The LED light technology that illuminates the newest models can work with your older car too.

If you’re going to be storing a car for a long time, going on a long holiday, or don’t drive your car in the winter (or summer), then using one of the best trickle chargers to maintain your battery is vital. Without a car battery charger, you’re likely to come back to a dead battery when it’s time to put your ride back on the road.

There’s a common misconception between tow straps and recovery straps, and often they are marketed as the same product. Although they look very similar, there are defining features to separate the two and their purposes. The largest difference between the two is that tow straps feature large metal hooks at each end, designed to hook onto towing points and shackles. Recovery straps meanwhile, do not have these hooks.

It’s an unfortunate part of owning a vehicle, but there’s always the possibility your bumper will get scratched or even hit. If you live in tight urban areas, like New York City, for example, you’ve likely seen bumper guards on vehicles. Designed to protect the bumper from substantial damage, a bumper guard may not be the best-looking part you can add to a car, but it looks a lot better than a bumper maimed by scratches and dents.

Some people are perfectly happy washing their car by hand with a bucket of mild soapy water and soft wash mitt; some only have the time to run it through a drive-thru wash after a fill-up, and others can’t be bothered to wash their car at all. However, regular exterior cleaning will keep your vehicle in better condition in the long run, both in areas that use salt over the winter months and in places where dust, sand, and urban pollution are present.

Whether you’re a kid at heart or shopping for a child, Hot Wheels track sets are the perfect way to have fun away from your actual car. Modern Hot Wheels track sets offer a ton of versatility, allowing you to put together the wildest creations and tracks of your dreams. Whether it’s to race head-to-head or side-by-side, or you just want to capture some spectacular crashes or gravity-defying stunts, Hot Wheels offers it all with a huge variety of track sets.

Car seat covers are a practical, stylish accessory; they can also add value by keeping your interior in top-notch shape. A removable car seat cover can have fancy patterns and colors that spice up your interior, but its main purpose is to keep your car’s seats clean. Whether you want to protect protecting against spills, dirt, mud, or sweat, car seat covers come in a variety of prices and materials, so they’re not as easy to shop for as you may initially think. If you have a truck or large SUV, we cover those in a separate article.

One of the best parts of owning an electric vehicle is never having to go to the gas station to refuel. Instead of finding a pump, you can charge at home every night. Not only is having an EV charger at home convenient because you can charge any time you want, but you’ll also never have to worry about waiting in line if all public chargers are occupied. Wake up every morning to a fresh and fully charged battery. You can even pre-condition without reducing your range.

Windshield wipers are an often overlooked maintenance item on your vehicle, but they’re one of the most important features when it comes to safety. Both for summer and winter driving (see our Winter Wiper blade picks). Poor wipers can affect visibility in bad weather and you don’t want to wait until you’re caught in a storm to realize your wipers are worn out and you can't see through the rain on your glass. Fortunately, now you don’t even have to navigate the confusing rack of indistinguishable versions at an auto parts store to buy the best windshield wipers for your vehicle.

If you really want to get the most out of your crossover, you’re going to want these ten must-have Toyota Highlander accessories.

If you’re hunting around for the very best Toyota Corolla accessories to improve your ownership experience, you’ve come to the right place.

There’s no denying that your Toyota Camry takes good care of you, but with the right Toyota Camry accessories, you can transform your vehicle into an even more practical, convenient, comfortable commuter car.

Most brand new cars leave now the factory with USB ports inside the cabin, allowing you and your passengers to charge your mobile devices. While USB ports come in handy for daily use, they don’t offer enough power to charge larger accessories, or sometimes even quick charge phones. The best power inverters give you household AC power ands plug to charge laptop or camera batteries, and even run small appliances like a coffee maker while you’re camping, or a TV for tailgating.

In a market awash in SUVs, the Toyota 4Runner still stands out, in that it’s one of the few SUVs that has kept its design focus on off-road capability. We’ve rounded up the best Toyota 4Runner accessories to help you tackle the roads less traveled.

Living in Vermont, I’ve gone through snow tires like some people eat mints. Even a decade ago, there were only a few snow tires that I’d have been willing to call “serious” winter tires—Bridgestone Blizzaks, Nokian Hakkapeliittas, Michelin X-Ice, a few others. And I stuck with them, buying them (usually Blizzak tires) generation after generation, and for every car.

Coilover suspensions are just about the only way to change your car or crossover’s ride height safely and easily. Traditionally, the name meant a shock running inside the hole in the spring, usually with an adjustment to let you alter the height of the spring. The point is to let you lower your vehicle, either for appearance or for better cornering performance. With the popularity of lowering modern cars, there are now dozens of companies selling coilover suspensions. Here’s your guide to some of the best in the business and some tips on what to avoid.

The Nissan Sentra has long served as one of the most popular and most affordable compact sedans sold in North America. That is great for drivers who want an inexpensive, roomy four-door to get their coworkers to the office or their kids to school. The downside to many lower priced compact sedans is that they also lack some conveniences features that are optional in pricier models. You can solve this dilemma by taking advantage of the best Nissan Sentra accessories the aftermarket has to offer..

Tire manufacturers have done an amazing job at using modern rubber compounds and computer tread designs that give studless winter tires more grip than the studded tires from just 30 years ago. While that’s made studded tires less popular than they were in the past, they haven’t gone away. Why? Because some parts of the country still see winters where the snow is measured in feet, not inches. Where there is more ice on the road than there is sun in the sky for half of the year.

If you’ve been searching the web for the best Honda CR-V accessories available to take your ride to the next level in terms of functionality and comfort, you’ve come to the right place.

If you’re a Toyota RAV4 owner, there are plenty of aftermarket Toyota RAV4 accessories you can add to really maximize the utility of your ride and transform it into exactly the sort of practical, all-purpose vehicle you’ve always wanted it to be.

What’s the point of an outdoor car cover if it can’t protect your vehicle from all of the elements? For much of the US, that means not just wind, rain, and snow, it means the likelihood of hail. Hail is the precipitation most likely to damage your vehicle, and it’s extremely difficult to repair that damage. You want to look at quality hail-proof car covers that can stop it.

Finding the right wheel for your muscle car is one of the biggest challenges to making your Challenger look just right. You can have every bit of chrome trim perfectly polished and aligned and the lumpiest cam in town, and if your wheels are wrong then your ride will never be right.

The Ford Escape is one of the most popular small SUVs in the North American market, combining a roomy interior, an efficient drivetrain and all-wheel-drive for safe driving in any conditions. When you combine the versatility of the Escape with the relatively low price, it is easy to see why this compact Ford is one of the bestselling SUVs in the market. You will also find a wide array of Ford Escape accessories available so owners can better fit the compact SUV their needs.

The Chevrolet Traverse is one of the most popular family vehicles available in North America, offering loads of interior space for both passengers and cargo in an efficient, affordable package. Like the other Chevy SUVs, the Traverse is available with a wide variety of options which showcase the latest modern technology. There are also plenty of accessories available from the dealership which can make the ownership experience better while adding multiple types of security. However, if your Traverse is missing these popular accessories, you are in luck, as there is a myriad of options available from Amazon.

While we do not condone speeding, we acknowledge the fact that drivers do exceed the speed limit from time to time. Whether it’s in a rural part of the U.S. with a long and uneventful freeway, or the road has just opened up after being stuck in traffic, drivers like to stretch their car’s legs every now and then. That’s where a radar detector comes in handy, so long as they’re legal in your state (they’re currently illegal in Virginia and Washington, D.C., and only legal in Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia in Canada). They’re also illegal throughout the US on any vehicle weighing over 10,000 pounds.

So you love keeping your vehicle clean but don’t want to rewash your car completely every day or spend a fortune at the car wash? It sounds like you need to get yourself some waterless car wash products.

A surprising number of modern vehicles still don’t come with the best car speakers, since it’s an invisible way for manufacturers to save money. Audio upgrades, which can be hundreds or even thousands of dollars, are one of the most profitable options when ordering a new car. And older vehicles and used cars may either have come with basic stereos, or have had unknown and maybe mismatched speakers installed by a previous owner.

Over time and miles, your car might start to slow down. It might not accelerate as quickly as it once did; the engine may not run as smoothly as you remember, or the fuel economy may dip—but everything else may work fine. If that happens, it might be time to treat your engine’s fuel system to a cleaning with the best fuel injector cleaner you can use. Fuel injection systems are high-precision electro-mechanical systems with tight tolerances that operate under very high pressures. All the fuel has to squeeze out of injectors with tiny outlets in ultra-precise amounts. Or performance suffers.

Not everyone has the luxury of parking their car in a garage, and to maintain your car’s appearance (and resale value), you need to find the best car cover for it. That’s why we take a look at the best car covers available today, explaining their features and what they have to offer. It may appear that most are the same, but you’ll want to pay close attention to the material they’re constructed from and how many layers it offers. Some car covers aren’t recommended for outdoor use, while waterproof covers for your car offer additional straps and buckles to protect it from the wind. A good starting point when choosing a car cover is determining how often you’ll need to use it outdoors, since you’ll need additional features, like heavy fabric, additional layers, and waterproofing, to make sure it offers ample protection. It’s not just dust and dirt you’re keeping out, but getting protection from rain, snow, and even hail, sap, bird droppings, and accidental scratches. Covering your car also provides some theft deterrent, as a thief first doesn’t know what’s under the cover; then has to make a disturbance getting it out of the way. 

When it comes to maintenance items on your vehicle, one of the most important components you need to pay attention to are brake pads. Having high-quality brake pads could save you from getting into an accident, and they should be replaced regularly. Unfortunately, shopping for the best brake pads can be cumbersome and tedious, with hundreds of options available in the market that cover a wide range of prices.

It’s true that newer, modern vehicles come with impressive stereo systems straight from the factory, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be better. For many car owners, the stock stereo just won’t cut it and thankfully there are plenty of cost-efficient ways to upgrade.

Not all steering wheels are made equally, and there’s a reason why some automakers offer premium and more expensive options straight from the factory. When you’re driving, most of your time is spent with your hands on the wheel, and you may not realize just how much it could contribute to fatigue and comfort. A comfortable steering wheel can make the world of difference on long commutes. Some steering wheels can be slippery, cold, or hot depending on weather conditions, while others may not be easy to grip in certain areas.

Most drivers know that regular oil changes are important for keeping their vehicles performing at their peak, but many people neglect their transmission. Transmission fluid isn’t changed on a regular interval like engine oil and a proper transmission flush is far more expensive than your average oil change. Also, a transmission fluid flush requires a costly machine that prevents most owners from changing the fluid themselves. As a result, many drivers forget to service the transmission fluid with any regularity, while some others avoid the process due to the cost.

Octane boosters can help to improve your vehicle’s performance in many ways. Whether you’re looking for increased power, or something to stop engine pinging and knocking, you’ve come to the right place. Instead of wasting time researching dozens of octane boosters, we’re here to save you time by narrowing down your search. Below, you’ll see our picks for the best octane boosters currently available, along with plenty of information so you can learn more about octane boosters.

Few things can make you more furious than a rock flying up and chipping your windshield. Not only does it make your car look janky, but it can also impact your visibility and be a safety hazard.

We’ve driven trucks that cost close to $100,000, but even if yours is a more reasonable workhorse, it still makes sense to protect it with a set of the best truck seat covers. Truck seat covers aren’t what they used to be, though. Today, you can order modern truck seats that rival luxury cars of a few years ago. Made with a perfect fit, perforations so your backside can breathe, and even seat heaters. Don’t get us wrong, you can still get the old saddle blanket cover to use as a cover, which is a cool option in the right truck. But seat covers have changed and improved immensely since those days.

A torque wrench is an extremely important tightening tool that you definitely don’t want to skimp on, especially if you’re using it to tighten your car’s lug nuts, or other fasteners important to your vehicle’s operation.

Chrome parts can be some of the best-looking components on your vehicle, and it’s also a strong and durable finish. Chrome plating on your wheels, grille, trim, and mirrors gives your vehicle a glow that can be seen from across the parking lot while being extremely resistant to weather, road grime, dirt, and everything else that batters your vehicle every single day. Although the finish is strong, without proper maintenance, it will start to look dull, pitted, faded, chalky, or even rusty. Fortunately, most of those issues are right on the surface and don’t get into the finish properly.

Properly washing your car isn’t as simple as you think. Like most things automotive, there’s a right tool for each job. There may even be tools you never thought you needed to wash your car! These days, there are plenty of options to get your car clean. You can go to your local car wash and pay a few bucks, or you can run it through an auto car wash at your local gas station. There are even more expensive detailers who will make your car shine better than new.

If you have a strong passion for working on cars, you may want to consider learning how to weld. Metal fabrication comes in handy, whether it’s to do some body repair or fixing an exhaust. Regardless of whether you’re an amateur or an expert when it comes to welding, you’ll want to invest into a quality welding helmet. Designed to protect your eyes, face, and neck from flash burn, ultraviolet lights, sparks, and other similar elements, a welding helmet is extremely important for safety reasons. And that’s why it’s particularly important to make sure you’re getting a quality welding helmet, as it’s the thing that stands in between you and potential disaster.