Must have stuff for your car

A car is an essential part of today's life. A car is as much a requirement as a home and a job. After home and office, it is in the car that we spend most of the time. Being such an important thing, it is necessary that we feel comfortable with the car for a long time. Some accessories are equally important as the maintanance of car itself to enjoy our ride.

In this hub, I'm trying to list some of the accessories that are very useful to have in a car. Everything I'm listing is not necessary to be part of every car, but you should be able to choose what are the essential things you require for your kind of use. Please let me know if I missed on anything.

This is required for almost all cars. We all keep keys, coins or mobile phone on dash and they keep sliding here and there on the dash during turns or acceleration/decelaration. After a certain period, the dash will be left with micros cratches and looses its charm. Moreover the stuff kept on the dash keeps making noise through out the drive. 

Non slip dash pad/mat is a small form like mat of around 6x8 inches(sizes vary) which we can keep on the dash. The material is similar to the exercise mat. There is no sticking required in most cases though some people stick it to the dash board. The mat is kept on the dash and any keys or coins can be put on this mat. The mat doesn't move nor does it allow the keys to move here and there. Apart from keeping your dash clean and scratchless for long time, it also saves you from the noise.

These mats do word on slightly curved surfaces too, holding the stuff. Its not necessary that it should be only used on the dash, the mat can even be used on the centre console or near the rear glass to hold those little things in place, or just to cancel the sounds. A neatly looking dash in the car gives us more pleasant driving experience.

It's a quiet common accessory. Most of us take calls on the move and when the phone rings when we are driving, we struggle to reach the phone and get it out of the pocket/purse and end up missing the call. While the focus should be on driving, our focus will be on reaching the phone. There are different kinds of mobile holders and these can be mounted on dash, windshield, center console or doors depending on the model and our preference. There are universal mobile holders which can hold most mobile phones and there are model specific holders which only fit a particular model phone. Depending on your preference, you may get the one you like and install it within your easy reach.

Model specific mobile holders made by mobile companies are usually of high quality and may have some specific features that make life easier. On the other hand, universal holders can hold most mobile phones. So anyone can use the universal holder to keep their mobile while driving and you do not have to change the mobile holder when you change your mobile phone. Some mobile companies sell universal holders. I suggest you buy a mobile holder from a prominent manufacturer so that the phone will be much secure.

A bluetooth headset is as essential as the car holder, it makes calls on the move a whole lot easier and safer. While the wired headsets are cheaper, they are delicate and more prone to failures, added to that we end up tangled. A bluetooth headset is not only easier and safer, they can also be used with different phones. My suggestion is that you buy the bluetooth headset of the same make as your mobile phone so that same charger can be used to charge both your phone and headset. You do not have to carry two different chargers while travelling. Even if you are buying a different make, see if one with a same charger pin is available(micro usb, mini usb etc).

There are different kinds of bluetooth headsets available. Choose the one that best suits you. I'm listing some of the available types below,

• Basic headset - Make and receive calls
• Headset with vibration - it vibrates when there is an incoming call
• Headset with display - It displays the caller id when there is an incoming call apart from displaying the battery status etc. It will be useful when you are in a mall or movie so that you do not have to take out your mobile to know who is calling.
• Stereo Headsets - Supports A2DP and stereo music streaming, ideal if you are a music buff. Leave your ipod at home and carry your music in your phone. Listen wherever you want without the hanging wires.
• Bluetooth Car kits - These are hardwired/attached to the car, usually having a dash mount display, speakers and mic. You do not have to wear it over ear, you can use the mic and speakers to take calls.