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Posts Tagged “

Aftermarket

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novelties

How Not To Modify Your Mercury Cougar

Whereas we like to think Jalopnik is a fairly safe and friendly place to express an opinion, niche forums can be brutal. Take the story of one young man and his last generation Mercury Cougar at the New Cougar forums. We know it can't be easy to be a Cougar owner — who do you have to look down on? Topaz owners? Nevertheless, these fan-boys soldier on and learn to squeeze every bit of love and performance out of their cars, which is something we can respect. But this guy's ride we can't respect. He's basically taken plywood and home theatre controls and shoved them in the backseat of his car (something you can do if you have no friends). The execution is so poor that it makes you start to appreciate the ridiculous import tuner crowd. But as harsh as we could be, our pithy comments are nothing compared to the ire directed at him by his fellow Cougar fan-boys. We've included a selection of said comments below the jump.

More »

10:40 AM on Thu Apr 17 2008
By Matt Hardigree
6,227 views, 114 comments

Latest by pradster: [www.newcougar.org] is it just me or did he photoshop the Cat logo and the red carpet? more »

gadgets

Aftermarket Manufacturers Go Sync, Next-Gen Also On The Way

We knew that Microsoft was going to look to hawk its Sync system elsewhere—especially with its booming popularity and the soon-to-be expired Ford contract. Now we know who is first to the free market table Alpine and Continental, two aftermarket manufacturers, are already working on integrating the voice command and entertainment system into their own products. Perhaps even more interesting, due to its early popularity, Microsoft is already working on the next generation of Sync and it has a super-exciting codename! More »

3:20 PM on Fri Apr 4 2008
By Travis Hudson
1,369 views, 19 comments

Latest by vividaurora: I've a new Zune 80 and I love it. Also love the fact that there might finally be some automotive accessories MADE for it. I understand the iPod is the de facto standard, but please, there are other solid alternatives, more »

accessories

What's Killing The Car Stereo Industry?

A recent NPD Group and CEA study showed that car stereo sales and other car audio equipment had a steep decline in the fourth quarter of 2007. Single CD players dropped 4 percent, amplifiers dropped 21 percent, subwoofers dropped 18 percent and speakers dropped 8 percent—all compared to the same quarter in 2006. Kenwood seems to think it was the gas prices and weather, but in all reality I think it is because aftermarket car audio is slowly becoming obsolete. Hit the jump for a poll. I certainly don't buy aftermarket audio equipment anymore and I'm curious about you. More »

1:40 PM on Thu Feb 28 2008
By Travis Hudson
7,673 views, 125 comments

Latest by Turbo Driver: @Rust- bingo- only McIntosh makes a decent looking head unit. Rest look like the marketing survey team went to the mall and stood outside the video game store to get input. Who needs a car stero that plays more »

custom cars

BMW 1-Series Accessories Brochure Leaks Out to Web

Remember those shots of the supposed BMW 1-Series tii we showed you late last week? Yeah, sorry boys, it's not a production version of the tii. Instead, it seems it's nothing more than just the German accessory brochure leaking out onto the web just a wee bit early for the wee little Bimmer. But, feel free to peruse the pages of the leaked brochure and dream — courtesy of our friends at 1addicts — if that's what you wish. Only caveat — it's entirely in German. So umm, good luck with that. Or feel free to check out the performance accessorized 1-Series below. [via 1addicts]

8:15 AM on Tue Jan 29 2008
By Ray Wert
1,782 views, 37 comments

Latest by Maladjusted: There's a better photo of the OLED display on the steering wheel in this thread: [www.1addicts.com] more »

gadgets

PimpStar LED Rims, The Classy Way To Pick Up Strippers

The end is nigh! The insane individuals at DUB Custom Wheels have now brought us the PimpStar LED wheels, and thus the end of civilization as we know it. Using full color LED lights, a microprocessor and wireless modem, these wheels can display any images you like, on the fly, that can be changed even as you're driving (hellow lawsuit). Hot girl in the next car? Just flash the numbers on your dubs and before long she'll be calling you... or the police. One of the two. They're just $12,000 so act fast before they're all sold out or outlawed. Whichever comes first. Full details below. We actually ran the PimpStar Wheels story a while ago, but now we have the video.
More »

10:30 AM on Tue Jan 8 2008
By Matt Hardigree
3,766 views, 45 comments

Latest by FreeMan: @biminitwst: good LORD, that was funny! Was that real, an ad for Smirnoff, or a parody of something else? more »

aftermarket

Alpine's 2008 Aftermarket Audio Catalog Surprisingly Filled With Goods

Alpine's 2008 lineup is here, and I have to say, I'm mighty impressed. If you remember back to yesteryear, Alpine was the bee's knees of aftermarket audio, but as of late they've kind of hit a slump. It looks like 2008 may again make Alpine a force to be reckoned with. More »

9:30 AM on Thu Jan 3 2008
By Travis Hudson
2,765 views, 10 comments

found on ebay

Dramatic Prius Sales Video

Orson Welles once said, "The best thing commercially, which is the worst thing artistically, by and large, is the most successful." He was referring to drama, a concept the seller of this highly modified Toyota Prius has employed to great effect, though its commercial success remains to be seen. If after seeing the above excerpt you must have more, you can see the full video here, including some tense script-in-the-shot moments and a more detailed examination of the interior. The car itself is a major aftermarket extravaganza, including many JDM add-ons, new suspension components and an A/V system. Of course, he's likely being ironic, so don't go all Star Wars Kid on the guy. (Thanks to Omar for the tip.) [eBay]

7:44 AM on Fri Oct 12 2007
By Mike Spinelli
3,026 views, 36 comments

Latest by Trick: A true American, flying the flag in his garage while droolin' over a Toyota! more »

aftermarket

Way to Ruin Hello Kitty...Again

So, we saw this a couple of days ago, but we've been taking some time to ponder our response to these aftermarket Hello Kitty wheels. Since one of us is a big Hello Kitty fan, people are always sending me links to all things HK, along with messages that say things like, "look how cute!" or, "I bet you'd love this!" The fact of the matter is, no, I do not like most of them. Sure enough, I got a similar message today when Kitty Hell posted a photo of the latest item to be butchered: A set of Hello Kitty wheels. More »

9:30 AM on Fri Oct 5 2007
By burstein
2,180 views, 57 comments

Latest by dculberson: Jeremy Clarkson, of all people, actually had a good point about the Boxster - Cayman - 911 thing. He had the performance specs for all three up on a board, neatly arranged in a grid. He pointed out more »

aftermarket

Bimmerformance! BMW Launches Performance Parts Line

Not to be outdone in the aftermarket-parts goldmine, BMW is launching a line of factory performance parts that will challenge those from tuning shops. Apparently, the line only includes gear for the Z4 and 3 Series, with a concentration on the last-gen model. To wit: BMW claims a performance exhaust offers five more horsepower at a reduction of 8.8 pounds, and an engine kit for the 330 adds 10 horsepower and 8 lb-ft of torque. Also in the catalog are a shift kit, suspension hoo-has, drilled brake rotors, an air intake, and wheels. We'll hold out for the V10 crate motor for our Mantamino project, thanks. [Automobile]

8:54 AM on Thu Oct 4 2007
By Mike Spinelli
1,341 views, 9 comments

Latest by superbmtsub: Looks like a clean shaven Santa. more »

devolution

Turn Your Heap into an Evo MR!

By and large we're not big fans of adding carbon-fiber gewgaws and doohickies to vehicles that honestly don't need them. But for readers of Max Power, it seems to be a pretty common pastime. Witness this fine example of CF-accesorization — a vortex generator a la Mitsu's AWD road-torcher that can be fitted to your ride. We can't wait to see our first Aveo so equipped. [Monster Modz via Max Power]

9:00 PM on Fri Jul 20 2007
By Davey G. Johnson
2,004 views, 8 comments

question of the day

Should You Spend It All In One Place?

Or is it better to spread the money around? Today's question comes straight from the lips of commenter/good guy Erik M. Here's what he asks,
Given a set amount of money, say like 30k or so, Is it better to spend all of it on a nice car, or [just] spend some of it on the car and leave the rest for improvments/ customization?
We're thinking this one will yield some pretty heated answers. Our take? Well, we've always planned on turning the WRX Sport Wagon (with walnuts, Johnson) into an RS 4 Avant. But just yesterday a certain Mr. M. Bumbeck has once again talked us out of performing any mods whatsoever. We now sleep with the warranty info under our pillow. What say all y'all? – Jonny Lieberman More »

11:15 AM on Fri Jun 8 2007
By Jonny Lieberman
1,976 views, 81 comments

Latest by my favorite car is a motorcycle: @piththeelder: Seriously good ride, indeed. Need to drop the weight about 400 pounds, then we'll talk about best handling car in the world, though. more »

news

The Maltese Falcon: A Hardtop Mustang?

Autoblog found a story in the Times of Malta of a Maltese company building retractable hardtops that can be fitted to late-model Ford Mustangs. If you remember, Malta is the island nation south of Sicily on which AC Cars is reportedly building replicas of original AC Cobras, and where it will reportedly build AC roadsters based on the erstwhile Smart roadster for the UK's Project Kimber. Of course, none of those projects appear to be on solid footing. But this hardtop may be just what Malta's aftermarket automotive industry needs to get going. No word on, well, anything else about it. – Mike Spinelli More »

6:05 PM on Mon Mar 19 2007
By Mike Spinelli
564 views, Comment