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21 hours ago
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My first job out of college was as an automotive video producer. I shot Ferraris, Cadillacs, Lincolns — the kind of cars that made valet attendants (and kids in their early 20s) smile. But when the cameras stopped rolling, I'd walk out to my own ride — the same car I'd driven all through college and bought from my parents for $3,000. I was lucky to have it, sure, but next to the cars I filmed all day, it felt… dated. Maybe that's how you feel in your own vehicle.
The good news? You don't need to drop six figures on a super SUV to make your daily ride feel fresh. With some commonsense upkeep and a few tried-and-true upgrades, you can add a surprising dose of luxury to just about anything on four wheels. Your car might not be a Mercedes on the outside, but it can come a lot closer to feeling like one on the inside.
Step 1: Clean out your car
Yeah, I know, this one isn't that exciting, but if sitting in your vehicle also means assaulting your senses, tidying up is the first place to start. No amount of scent is going to mask the rotting French fries you have under the seat. Luckily, it doesn't take much to clean out a car. A regular once-over with a car vacuum will keep the buildup of pet hair and stale Cheerios to a minimum. And to keep things neat between vacuuming, an over-the-seat garbage can like this one will help wrappers (and stinky scents) from accumulating. Once your interior is sorted out, toss in a few pouches of odor-absorbing charcoal and a quality air freshener and it'll smell like new.
When it comes to introducing a scent to your car, it's best to start with a clean slate, or in this case a clean vehicle. This Dustbuster for your car — a Yahoo reader favorite — comes with a 16-foot power cord that will plug into any standard 12-volt outlet, as well as a HEPA filter, so all of that dog hair and spilled food will be no more.
This stuff easily molds into every nook and cranny in your car. As I'm writing this, I know exactly where I could use it to get rid of dust and dirt that my vacuum can't reach, like those pesky window buttons that never seem to be clean, or the place that at one point was meant for spare change but now holds whatever trout flies I last used.
The sticky goo is designed to adhere to dust and other debris but not your hands. It doesn't leave any residue despite its gooey texture. And how great is this: No water or cleaner is needed! Plus, it can be reused until it turns black. No chemical smell, either — it has a light, sweet scent. And it's not just for cars — it can pick up dirt trapped in your keyboard, on your cell phone, in the TV remote buttons and any other hard-to-reach spots.
Trash stinks. Literally. Keep it all in one place with this small yet feature-filled "carbage" can. A water- and leak-proof design means you don't need to worry about anything icky dripping onto your floor mats, it's easy to empty (which you should do often to avoid unwanted odors) and its liner is removable and machine washable. Alternatively, you can use this as an in-car organizer for accessories and other supplies.
Once everything is vacuumed up, and most importantly, nice and dry, sprinkle baking soda or activated charcoal around the interior of your car. Baking soda will react with the acidic materials that are creating odors in your vehicle, neutralizing them. Activated charcoal is even better, thanks to millions of microscopic pores in each piece that attract and absorb moisture and odors. Regardless of which option you go with, sprinkle it around the entire interior, leave it overnight and vacuum it up in the morning. Your vehicle should be an odorless, blank canvas for introducing scents.
This wooden block features a handy clip that fastens it to your visor. The Drift has a more sophisticated look than typical car fresheners, and its scents follow suit — it comes in a variety of long-lasting fragrances, including Amber, Cabana, Grove, Open Air, Pine and Teak. Each sustainably produced block lasts about 30 days; once it's ready to be replaced (or you feel like trying a different scent), simply pop the magnetic wooden block off of the visor clip and swap in a new one.
Cover those torn, stained seats, steering wheel and floors
A couple of years back, my cousin bought one of my dream vehicles, a 100-series Land Cruiser in the form of a Lexus LX. It was over two decades old, but still had plenty of life left and was great to drive (and off-road with). While the back seats looked as new as the day it rolled off the lot when I was just a pre-teen, the driver's seat had seen lots of action and, as a result, had a large tear where getting in and out of the car thousands of times had taken its toll. He took it to a shop that specializes in seat repair, and for a few hundred bucks, they replaced that panel and made it look like new. I was amazed.
Not all of us have — or want to spend — hundreds of dollars fixing a seat tear, or wear on our steering wheel. That's where covers come in. Like with pretty much every item on the market, there are covers out there ranging in quality, and a lot of it has to do with fit, so make sure to do some research as to what kind of seat cover will fit your vehicle.
Whether your seats have seen better days or you just want to keep them protected, covers are an easy, affordable upgrade. These from Skechers hit a sweet spot: budget-friendly but surprisingly well-fitting. They do have the "S" logo — not my favorite — but it's far more subtle than some of the other options out there (looking at you, Caterpillar).
My newest car (which is nearly a decade old at this point) spoiled me with a heated steering wheel — one of those luxuries I didn't know I needed until I had it. My secondary car? Not so fancy. The wheel's still in great shape after 10 years, but adding one of these would keep it both cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
As an avid hiker, skier, fisherman and dog-owner, my vehicles have all-weather floor mats. WeatherTech options fit cars exactly, so everything is covered, but they'll run you a couple hundred bucks if not more. If you don't want to spend that kind of coin, these MotorTrend ones are a solid option at just $35.
Add in some modern-day tech
The average age of a car on the road in the States is 12+ years, which means it's likely your ride doesn't have Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. Let's change that.
Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, to me, a former automotive journalist, is one of the most useful non-mechanical upgrades a car can have. That used to mean shelling out hundreds for a new head unit, but now it is the cost of a week's worth of coffee.
Does your vehicle have Apple CarPlay but you hate the look of all of those wires strewn about your console? Plug in this Bluetooth adapter and you're off to the races, with no latency, no plugging anything in — you don't even have to take your phone out of your purse or pocket.
Not everyone wants to deal with an extra screen or a mess of cables, I get that. And if your car is older than 2005, it's likely you don't have an aux or USB input to play your music through. This adapter will fit the bill nicely if you're craving those personalized Spotify playlists over whatever is on FM. It also comes with ports to charge up to four devices and can handle hands-free calling with ease.
Said one pleasantly surprised customer, "I was a bit suspicious of the quality of these features based on the low price tag, but I figured, oh what the heck, as long as it charges my phone, any other features are all upside.... Well, it turns out after receiving and briefly testing out the item, all of the advertised features work well, and I couldn’t come up with any complaints about the quality."
These days, a phone holder is a must, not only for ease of use, but for safety reasons as well (not to mention to avoid a costly ticket!).
I have one that holds my phone on with magnets and charges it while connected. These aren't just for convenience or safety — a lot of states don't allow drivers to hold a phone while driving anymore, and even if it's legal where you are, it's simply not a good idea.
If you only use your car's 12V outlet for charging devices, I highly recommend this adapter, which sits flush with the outlet and makes it look like these USB ports came straight from the factory. And two slots also means you won't have to deal with kids (or adults) fighting over who gets to charge their dying phone first. (Get this version if you want one with the flexibility of USB-C and USB-A.)
Imagine this: You're stopped at a red light when the car in front of you starts to back up. Before you have time to think, let alone react, BAM! They hit your car but claim you rear-ended them. Unfortunately, this kind of insurance scam happens all too often, and unless you have a dashcam that shows what actually happened, you might be shelling out a lot of dough to make this problem go away. Fortunately, high-quality options don't have to cost an arm and a leg.
Safety
Dealing with a dead battery at night in a parking lot isn't just miserable; it can be downright dangerous once cold weather comes around. And fixing a flat on the side of the highway is one of the riskiest things you can do as a driver. That's why keeping a portable jump starter, a reliable tire inflator and even a basic OBDII scanner in your trunk isn't over-preparing — it's smart insurance. A jump starter can get you back on the road without flagging down a stranger, a tire inflator can save you from the hazards of waiting on the shoulder and an OBD2 scanner can save you money by helping you diagnose that check-engine light before a mechanic upsells you on needless repairs.
Nothing can halt a road trip faster than a dead battery. Fortunately, that happens to be a relatively easy fix, provided you brought along a (charged) jump starter.
I always keep a rechargeable jump pack in my car. Before any long trip, I take it out and plug it in to ensure it's fully charged and ready to save me if I leave my lights on all day.
Before you hit the road, you should ask yourself: Am I prepared if my car breaks down? Or if I get a flat tire?
The good news: In the event of the latter, Zgzuxo's Tire Inflator can save the day, and it's on sale for just $30. Yahoo's tech savant Rick Broida said it "might be [his] favorite car accessory" of last year.
Car repairs can be painfully expensive — and for most of us, heading to the mechanic feels like flying blind. This scanner connects to your car's computer system and can read its internal codes to diagnose mechanical and electronic ills. That "Check Engine" light could be related to something as simple as you not screwing on the gas cap correctly or as complicated as a failing engine thermostat. In other words, an OBD scanner is a useful tool, and buying one keeps you in the driver's seat (heh) when it comes to knowing what repairs your ride might need.
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The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.
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