I don’t normally do these types of posts, but I really thought some of you could use this.

Amazon.com is holding some really good deals on automotive products right now. I’ll list a few of the best ones below, then a link to go look at all of them. There are almost 7,300 automotive products right now that are over 70% off!

HID Conversion Kits for only $120 (full kits, multiple colors)
Just click the link to go there, then figure out which one fits your car.

Tons of Cheap Key Chains - Most are $1.25, some are $5. Here are a few:

• Nissan 350Z Custom Key Chain and Nissan 350Z Tear Drop Key Chain
• Dodge Tear Drop Key Chain
• Infiniti G35 Square Key Chain
• Dodge Custom Key Chain
• Ford Tear Drop Key Chain

Tons of Exterior Parts

License Plate Frame with Video Camera - $200

$5 Carbon Fiber Pens - Only a few are $5, but they’re all under $20.

In normal Amazon style, most of these items ship free with an order total of $25 or more. It’s really easy to pad your order past the $25, these guys have everything.

Here’s the full list of all 7,300 products on this insane sale.

The good folks over at modern Modern Mechanix bring us this report about what could be the first cup holder.

According to them, it first came around in 1950:

“Travel snacks can be enjoyed while the car is in motion with a dashboard tray which prevents cold drinks or water glasses from tipping over. The tray hangs from two cords which are held on the dashboard by suction cups. Bottles or glasses rest on two disks which are suspended below the tray on chains. When not in use, the tray can be folded into small space for storage in the glove compartment.”

Gack!

Talk about not understanding the driving environment …

I remember hearing a quote from a Mercedes engineer back in the 80s. A person at an autoshow mentioned the lack of cup holders in the upcoming S-Class, to which the Merc engineer responded, “I do not have a steering wheel on my dining table, why do you need to hold a cup in one of my cars?”

Silly German engineer with multiple degrees … they somehow didn’t get the memo that it’s our God-given right to keep and bare 128 ounce super-mega-big gulp Mountain Dews where they are handy (you kids shut up back there!).

Back in July 2007 in New York, a man was arrested for the murder of a 12 year-old girl. The case was solved with evidence from a GPS tracking device that his wife apparently placed in his truck because she suspected that he was having an affair.

The GPS Tracking device that was used is a pocket sized gadget from a company named LandAirSea, based out of a small town in Illinois. The not-so-cleverly named “GPS Tracking Key” attaches to any vehicle by way of either a magnet (stick it on the bottom of the car, super-secret spy style,) or just throw it in the glove box or something. It’s accurate by about 2.5 meters, and once the car is back, take the device, plug it into the computer, and you have all sorts of detailed information about where the car has been: where it stopped, how long it stopped, how fast it was going, etc. And the coolest part is that it integrates into Google Earth, so you can view the car’s path over a satellite image of the area: Continue Reading…

What’s this? Please, oh please let it be true! Is BMW really thinking about dropping that accursed iDrive?

I sure hope they are … I know what they’re trying to do, what with all the new systems and nav screens and what not, why not just have them all in one spot? Why not just have everything from the radio to the heaters to the trunk warmer all controlled from one central screen and controlled by one big knob?

Because you end up staring and a screen and navigating through page after page after page after page to turn something off, or on or just to make it stop.

That’s why.

Or at least that’s my impression form my limited involvement with The System (and when the hell did things like heater controls end up being A System? I swear, it’s a cable that lets more or less coolant into a heat exchanger, why make it so complex? Why? Why? Why?). Continue Reading…