aftermarket

OnStar FMV drops to $99 including installation

Between May 6 and June 16, OnStar's aftermarket telematics system, the OnStar FMV, is getting a lot cheaper with a price drop to just $99, which includes installation at participating consumer electronics retail outlets, including Best Buy.

When I took a look at the OnStar FMV last year, one of the only drawbacks that I could find was that the "price, installation, and subscription fees create a high cost of entry." At an MSRP of $299 with a subscription fee of $199 to $299 per year, adding an OnStar mirror to your car was no mere impulse … Read more

New study shows 88 percent of auto repair shops recycle tires

From 1989 to 2001, a company called Used Rubber USA operated a retail store, offering cool gear to city-dwelling hipsters, on the corner of Fillmore and Haight streets in San Francisco. The company still turns old tires into book bags, wallets or belts and other merchandise--now online only.

Recycling used tires isn't a new idea, and now a study shows that most auto repair shops recycle tires rather than send them off to a landfill.

The organization Car Care Council has been urging auto repair shops to recycle more vehicle parts and engine fluids, in a consumer education campaign … Read more

CNET Roadside Assistance 002: Darn kids, get off my lawn! (podcast)

Today, it's all about your email, calls, help & how-to around the high tech device that is today's car. Car Tech guys Wayne Cunningham and Antuan Goodwin answer your questions about cabin tech on a budget, start-stop technology, and aftermarket entertainment options. Later, Antuan gets on an old man rant about loud stereos and loud exhausts and we take a look at a device that could save you a few bucks at the pump on this episode of CNET Roadside Assistance.

Subscribe with iTunes (audio) Subscribe with iTunes (video) Subscribe with RSS (audio) Subscribe with RSS (video) EPISODE … Read more

SEMA News names the 2010 Most Accessory-Friendly Vehicles

Well, the 2010 SEMA Show is long over, but the members of the Specialty Equipment Market Association are still at work doing whatever else they do when they're not putting together banging car shows.

The 2010 Chevrolet Camaro leads the charge as the most accessory-friendly car, earning its position with its reasonable sticker price, which should leave plenty of cash in your pocket for the many styling accessories for the retro futuristic body and performance accessories for its mod-friendly LS-series V-8 engine.

Representing for the trucks category is the Ford F-Series Super Duty, which isn't surprising considering the … Read more

AC Schnitzer releases LCD shift knob for BMW, Mini

It must be SEMA Show time again, because we're seeing the beginnings of an aftermarket accessory flood. Some of these products are useful, some aren't. AC Schnitzer, purveyor of aftermarket accessories, has just released a new LCD shift knob for manually shifted BMWs and Minis that we think falls into the latter category.

The red illuminated LCD screen on the top of the new shift knob displays the gear the vehicle is in up to sixth. The only connection to the vehicle are the wires for 12V power, so the LCD shift knob uses an accelerometer to determine … Read more

Petty car part thievery: are you at risk?

Someone had the nerve to swipe my special-order, aftermarket clear side markers from my BMW 325 Ci last week while the car was parked outside in a valet lot in Beverly Hills while I was having dinner. Not only did the d-bag (think French for shower) pry off the lenses from both sides, but he -- or she -- even took the trouble to unplug and steal my special stealth bulbs (which appear silver, but blink orange). Seriously, folks. How lame.

It got me thinking. Could someone make a living by swiping tiny little car parts here and there? If … Read more