When we ran the blog item yesterday with the photo of the super cool Ute from Australia, the comments were mostly favorable, but Matt Cramer from DIYAutoTune made one interesting observation. He said it needed to lose the body kit and black vents. That, and a car we saw on Craigslist today, made us think about all the add on crap you can buy at the auto parts store to glue, stick, or screw to your car which got us thinking. Uh oh, “Danger Will Robinson, Danger!”
Every time we walk into a Pep Boys, Auto Zone or O’Reillys we invariably end up walking around checking stuff out. This happens despite the fact that there is nothing new there since the last time we were in. And yet every time we also find ourselves laughing at some random chrome grille or doodad or magical speed part. But someone clearly buys these! Otherwise they wouldn’t be on the shelf, right? I mean if the dude at the Long Beach Swap Meet can make money selling Brahma Bull stickers for the sides of trucks then chrome skull door lock knobs would have to virtually fly off the shelf!
But what’s the worst add on you have ever seen in the auto parts store? I mean there are some truly hideous things. Is it the fake Buick chrome grilles for you fenders? Or it is the 3d chrome logos that say things like “Racer” or “SS”? Of is it worse than that?
You tell us. What is the worst add accessory you have ever seen at the auto parts store?
The things below are actually chrome “air diverters” so that you can make your junk stylish and aerodynamic all at the same time!
Stick-on hood scoops. Pretty much any “stick-on” doodad or device. Double sised tape is the devil.
I could be wrong but I think the add on crap on that Holden ute is actually HSV (Holden Special Vehicles ) `standard’ fitment. That said, it still looks crap. A few stick on things that bug the shit out of me…don’t know if you guys get ` my family ‘ stickers? Stick on stick figures that represent your family members – like anyone cares how many you’ve spat out. Next one are these horns and devils tails in chrome plastic to go around your mazda or Toyota badge, like secretly you’re a bit evil even though you drive a crappy little car…ah…no, no you’re not.
“Baby on board ” signs. Makes me want to take special aim…..
And they leave that ‘baby on board’ sign on their car even if the car is empty.
All those unseccessful attempts….
Back in the 1980’s, the ugliest of ALL auto parts store add-ons came to exist in the form of the Dayglo painted aero-style, winged windshield wipers.
Oh hell yes….this has to be a winner
My vote is for the whistles that are supposed to scare deer away. Seems like most vehicles I’ve seen that have hit deer have them (or at least one that hasn’t fallen off)
Stick on Buick portholes.
Fake testicles that hang from the rear bumper.
I hope to never come across any real ones hanging from a vehicle.
Yeah, I guess this is one case where fake is better than real. Still, those sometimes make me want to give the car a good kick in the nuts.
One of the worst I’ve seen was stick on fake exhaust tips. They glued to your quarter panels to make it look like you had a soup can size side exit exhaust. Fake versions of real mods are bad enough; fake versions of useless poseur mods are even worse!
I’ve got real ones hanging from mine, I hope that’s OK?
Welcome to Texas, my own personal hell
Remember that hideous fuzzy – fluffy ‘ Flocking ‘ exterior paint/covering from the late 60’s early 70’s that went from paint shop only to OTC-DIY and was spread so liberally on custom vans and the such across the country for so long ?
That ! Hands down !
Spinner hubcaps.
Ding, Ding, Ding!!!!! We have a winner!!!!
Those stupid stick-drawings of your families.
….. as well as ” Baby On Board ” yellow diamond signs in the windows … and as those ” My Kids an Honor Student ” bumper stickers … like any of us really give a rats posterior about either … especially when the person driving the ” Baby On Board ‘ car is driving like an irresponsible idiot and acting more like their shoe size than their age 😉
From my time working at Autozone I’d have to say the fake hood pins/latches followed by all the “Type-R” badging.
The worst is stick on chrome anything..and baby on board signs im so glad you put that sign up.because i always just use the car in front of me to stop
Chrome stick on port holes bug me to no end. I Always hated the euro/aero neon wiper blades and all that crap they sold like sun visors and spoilers for trucks. Lets not forget the flame stickers…those are super uber bitchin’. Some people have no taste.
I think its the crap parts that comes across the counter. Electrical stuff is my current rant.
For years I have been preaching the benifits of firing an MSD with a Duraspark pick up .
The problem is you cant get a DURASPARK pick up any more. My old conversions have been brainless. Set and forget. The latest in my Mustang has killed 3 BMC(ROUCKF……whatever….) pick ups. Yes I have it wired correctly. They all die the same death,start out with a miss that kicks the tach,then the car dies. For about 3 days you think its in your head,then the car doesn’t start and you know…..its dead Jim.
It sad I carry a pre wired spare like I used to carry points and condensor….
Fuzzy dice, fake braided hoses, and anything “blingy” are all totally lame in my book.
I can’t stand those fake and often misaligned Buick portholes on anything.
Family stick figures on vehicles.
The rubber band / big rim look on any car.
Just because there’s a jegs or summit racing sticker on your car or truck doesn’t mean it’s fast or cool
those plastic streetrod scripts
Any of those fake Buick chrome, neighbor up the street has them on a Mazda looks awful, and also has those dumb crowns they put in the back window what is that about, also a car that probably runs 28 second qtrs and couldn’t break a freakin 100 mph with hurricane pushing it has a wing that looks like it belongs on on top alcohol or top fuel car or indy car held on with big grain bin bolts, this kid I know had one so big he had to be careful not to break the back window out of his car when he opened hid trunk lid, the car was powered eithier by gerbils on a wheel or wind up rubber bands, also had the biggest muffler you ever saw, with like about a 1 inch inlet and about a 5 inch outlet with big chrome tip, probably good for a negative 15 horsepower !
Double windshield wipers chromed out with the wings for down force?
When they put the size of there tires in great big reflective tape letters on the side of their ride, a caprice in our are has great big 24″ on the side, such coolness people can’t hardly take it, not !
Worst one is when they’re exaggerating the size of the wheels. I’ve seen ones that said 20″ when the wheels couldn’t have been bigger than 17″.
I want to get a set of 15″ stickers for my daily driver to make fun of these numbskulls. Or better yet, put ones that say 13″, so as to lie about it in the opposite direction.
Idiot’s that are about 5 ft nothing driving a vehicle with giant’s bull’s nuts hanging on the back, most these idiots have never seen a real bull or been near one, I seen a pair of chrome ones hanging on the back of a 4 door Honda Civic the other day not sure what kind of statement he was trying to make.
Fake mud stickers. Worst case scenario: on a Hummer H2. I was an eye witness to this tragedy, and I’m still scarred.
Bullet hole stickers. Typically purchased by a different kind of hole.
I like…er…I mean I hate, I mean, I agree with all of the above. But unless I missed it, I have to through in those ugly clear tail lights with the little round red lights inside of them. Not only are they ugly, but they work maybe half as well as the stock ones do so they are also dangerous when it comes to brake light visibility.
Faux Carbon Fiber Anything. And worse, Real CF parts that slip-on to cover heavy steel parts.
Fake chrome.
Giant chrome mufflers on a pos rice burner.