All the people I know take this approach to their windshield wipers:
1. Damn, it’s not wiping that bit properly. Oh well, I can still see.
2. Hm, now a quarter of the window is blurry. But it’s not the driver side quarter, so it doesn’t matter.
3. Oh look, a dude selling cheap wipers on the side of the road, I’ll have 2 please.

It never even occured to me you could sharpen your old ones. But Japan knows everything! Enter the Windshield Wiper Sharpener.

One thing’s for sure: at $5, it’s much cheaper than a pair of new wipers, so it’s worth a shot. Yeah, it won’t extend their life a lot, but it’s better than nothing and useful to have around when you realize just before a long trip that you should’ve changed them.

How much under $29.99?
A lit: $4.90 on DealExtreme.com.

Via GearDiary

Everyone loved Marty McFly and Doc Brown, and I’m sure many were very sad when Michael J. Fox announced he had Parkinson’s.

We watched the original and then the sequels… and even 25+ years after the release, the movie is still an icon, so the awesome Back to the Future License Plate Replica is a guaranteed hit.

It would look best on a Delorean, but this OUTATIME California plate fits any car. Expires in ‘86, of course, but it won’t make your vehicle suddenly go 30 years in the past once you hit 88 mph. Although you’re free to try…

(Of course, you’ll have to check your local laws to see if using this plate is legal.)

How much under $29.99?
Exactly $29.99 on ThinkGeek.com.

Can you be trust a $6 breathalyzer? Good question.

The Keychain Breathalyser with Flashlight is essentially a good product: knowing just how much alcohol you have in your blood is a good idea if you’re thinking of getting behind the wheel. The breath tester doesn’t display an exact result, instead it flashes one of its 3 colored LEDs according to this code: green – safe (under 0.02% BAC – blood alcohol concentration); yellow – caution (0.02% BAC to 0.05% BAC; red and yellow light – danger (over 0.05% BAC).

Now, being able to test yourself on the go is a great idea… but the price is a bit iffy. Do you want to trust your life to a cheap gadget? It could be nice as a “toy” or to get a general idea, but I wouldn’t count on the green to mean “you’re perfectly fine, go ahead”.

How much under $29.99?
A lot: $5.99 on SourcingMap.com.

Via AutoMotoGadgets

Can anything make waking up a more pleasant experience? Most people would say “no”, but hey, there’s no black and white, just shades of grey.

What might be the most annoying sound in the world for someone might be a soothing purr to someone else. Or more a roar than a purr, in the case of the Start Your Engines Alarm Clock. A V8 engine increasing its revolutions per minute in a very noisy way could definitely wake up a person, but it would take a real car lover to enjoy the sound.

However, car enthusiasts have been known to like even crazier things. And either way, anyone needs a clock, even if the alarm doesn’t get used, and the AM/FM radio is a welcomed bonus.

How much under $29.99?
Exactly $29.95 on Hammacher.com.

Via Coolest Gadgets

How on Earth can a techno-geek survive without looking at his gadgets all the time? Putting the iPhone away while driving because he needs the GPS? The horror…

Although my technology addict is fictional, I’m sure many exist. And where there’s demand, supply soon follows – in this case, in the form of the Car Windshield Mount with Twin Holders.

It can hold devices ranging from 45 mm to 115 mm wide, 30 mm deep and 100mm high, which include, among others, iPods and iPhones, Blackberries and GPS.

However, this was not invented to let careless drivers be even careless. Changing iPod tunes is done while the car is stationary, not mid-overtake, ok?

How much under $29.99?
A little: $25.99 on USBFever.com.

Via GearDiary

How many of the people involved in accidents thought it could never happen to them? Most of them, probably. And while bumping into another car might not be a tragedy, a serious accident could result in the car exploding or submerging… in which case the people inside should get out as soon as possible.

Houdini is here to help. No, the magician didn’t come back to life, but the Houdini Automotive Escape Tool uses his name to get the point across. A simple keychain could save someone’s life: it features a window breaker, a seatbelt cutter, a safety whistle and a LED flashlight, the basics for making sure no one remains caught inside the vehicle.

Unfortunately, being a careful driver doesn’t ensure road safety. You never know when someone runs into you… and “better safe than sorry” is the phrase that best applies here.

How much under $29.99?
Some: $18.99 on Amazon.com.

Via AutoMotoGadgets

If you’re fond of gadgets, long car trips sometimes spell trouble. My laptop dies in 1 hour and a half and my mp3 player might have a good battery life, but a 7-hour long drive of constantly hitting “next” (yeah, I have a problem) is too much for it.

The Coffee Cup Inverter is just like all the other car chargers, in the sense that it powers your gizmos on the move. It’s also not like all the other car chargers, because it offers two outlets and one USB port (laptop & iPod at the same time!) and it’s shaped like a cup. Normally I’d say a square box would’ve been more than enough, but the shape is actually a good idea: this way it fits perfectly in a cup holder and stays there even through bumpy roads and sudden brakes.

Almost $30 is too much if you only take a long trip a year, but I’d say it’s worth it if you’re a frequent car traveler.

How much under $29.99?
A little: $26.60 on Amazon.com.

Via gizmodo

There’s many ways of attracting attention… making it look like your car hit an animal is one. Or maybe you want to masquerade as a modern Santa?

Either way, the Truck Antlers are available and waiting for someone to give them a home. Or a ride, to be precise. They slide into the base of the window on your truck or SUV and turn you into “Joe who just ran over Rudolph”.

Honestly, I don’t know who’d want these. People eagerly awaiting Christmas? Reindeer-haters? But hey, as long as they’re not on my car…

How much under $29.99?
Exactly $29.99 on Amazon.com.

Via FoolishGadgets

If your car is lacking in the cell phones accessories department, you can just do a quick google search and find dozens of result. But if you’re not concerned about brand or appearance and you just want something cheap to prevent your phone from meeting the floor, you can save yourself the effort and just get the Big Hug Adhesive Cell Phone Holder.

It’s sort of funny and not very ugly, though the color doesn’t do it any favors. The hands are made from soft rubber so your phone will be safe from scratches, but it will only hold phones up to about 4 cm x 10 cm x 2 cm, which means no PDAs and no iPhones. It comes with a double sided adhesive tape on the back which allows for easy monunting on any flat surface.

To be perfectly honest, it’s nothing to write home about. What makes it worthwhile is the $4 price tag. If you’re really skint or you’re just looking for a temporary solution, this will work just fine.

How much under $29.99?
A lot: $3.99 on SourcingMap.com.

Via Coolest Gadgets

Teenagers sometimes have problems understanding that dad is not a taxi driver, especially not their personal employee. Just because he drives them to parties or movies it doesn’t mean he likes it, just that he’d rather know they get there safe.

The poor guy needs Dad’s Cab. It looks just like a cab meter, but it doesn’t print a bill. Instead it comes with forfeit cards, each with a task for the kids. From now on, dad’s services need to be paid – but not with money. The cards dispense tasks such as “tidy your room” and “make dad a cup of tea” which will make teens appreciate their parents’ efforts more and make parents feel they get something in return.

How much under $29.99?
Some: ~$19.50 on Gizoo.co.uk.

Via Coolest Gadgets