A Bonanza of New Accessories at AutoAnything: Everything from LED Tail Lights to Turbo Downpipes

It’s so cold in the SD (San Diego, not South Detroit). But we’re beating old man winter’s frigidity by huddling around the warm glow of our monitors and launching a cornucopia of new accessories.

MBRP Downpipe—You’ve heard it time and again: thicker and wider is better. When it comes to turbo downpipes, no ones makes a girthier option than MBRP. Plus, these burly pipes are custom made to fit your exact rig, ensuring a direct install and wicked power gains.

Edge Juice with Attitude—CS or CTS—In the past, the Edge Juice was controlled by their plain-Jane Attitude monitor. Well, times have changed, and now Edge chips has upgraded the diesel tuning experience by reinventing the Attitude with a whole new interface: the CS Attitude and the CTS Attitude. What’s the difference, you ask? Well, the Edge CTS has a touch screen and the Edge CS doesn’t…that’s it.

Coverking Molded Dash Covers—Not to be confused with moldy dash covers, these molded Coverking dash covers are custom sculpted to match the shape and curvature of your dash. And, they come in a veritable rainbow of colors to match or accent your interior.

Dash Designs Rear Deck Covers—Like long bangs covering an acne-riddle teen’s forehead, these rear deck covers mask any pre-existing damage and shield against blemishes. And, they’re made from the same great material as Dash Designs carpet dashboard covers.

Dash Designs Velour Rear Deck Covers—Like a Gucci tracksuit for your car’s interior, this deck cover is made from a soft, sumptuous velour fabric. Don’t fret if the paparazzi mistake your rear deck for J Lo—they’re not the brightest bulbs.

Spyder Euro Tail Lights—Hasselhoff tested, Hasselhoff approved! Spyder Euro Tail Lights blend the best Bavarian styles with durable construction for the ultimate automotive lighting upgrade.

Spyder LED Tail Lights—Some brainiacs who do Greek believe that the LED version of Spyder tail lights are the greatest thing to happen to illumination since Prometheus stole fire from the gods. We agree.

Spyder Fog Lights—Not only are these fog lights custom sized for a perfect fit on your ride, but many also sport halos like Byzantine paintings—old-school. These fog lights are the perfect choice for replacing busted OEM fog lights or adding new fog lights at a fraction of the dealership price.

Spyder Headlights—Don’t let The Wallflowers steer you wrong! Drive it home with 2 headlights. And, if you’re sick of those bland stock headlights, Spyder lights make a custom-designed set of aftermarket headlights that boost your visibility and your style.

Spyder LED Third Brake Lights—If your third eye’s blind, do-do-do-do-do-do-do-not turn on bad ‘90s alt-blah-rock—just fix it with a replacement from Spyder. Besides fitting like an OEM third brake light, your Spyder third brake light looks sharp and is a cinch to install.

Yakima PowderHound Ski Rack—This personal-sized Yakima ski rack is perfect for friendless mogul runners and misanthropic downhillers—it feeds your ennui. It can hold up to 4 pairs of skis or 2 snowboards, or just 1 pair of skis or 1 board when you’re skiing solo.

CURT Venturer Brake Controller—Not to be confused with the CURT Reflex or CURT Discovery, this CURT brake controller delivers quality timed brake control at an incredibly affordable price.

Peek-a-boo: New Braking Problems Pop Up in the Prius

Just when you thought that Toyota had a grasp on its malfunctioning accelerator woes, new revelations cast doubt on the brake system of their vaunted 2010 Prius (I can almost hear the muffled cries of chetsu! from across the Pacific). Before you rush out to your already besieged local Toyota dealership, know this: no recall has been announced on the 2010 Prius.

Toyota Recall: The Fix Is In

It hasn’t been a good month for Toyota. The embattled auto manufacturer had to recall more than 2-million of its most popular vehicles because of problems with the gas pedal sticking in the Go! position. However, Toyota says it now has a fix for the sticky accelerators, and parts should be hitting the dealerships this week.

It’s so Cold in the E: Problems for the Mini E in Wintery Weather

If you’ve ever actually read through the owner’s manual of any of your electronic gadgets, you probably ran across a warning against using your digital gewgaw in blistering hot or freezing temperatures. Unfortunately, Mini forgot to put that disclaimer in the manual for their new all-electric Mini E, and motorists in the frosty northeast have been left stranded on the side of the road, out of juice and out of luck.

New Lloyd Floor Mats & Truxxx Lift and Leveling Kits Available Now at AutoAnything

Yes, yes. Everyone’s been busy this week checking out Apple’s latest fruit, the iPad. Strangely enough, most people are talking less about its technological advances and more about its hygienic double entendre name.

It might not be as spectacular as Apple’s recent announcement, but we added some great new accessories from one of our senior brands, Lloyd, and a freshman, Truxxx, to our site last night. Here’s the skinny:

Lloyd Velourtex Floor Mats—Not only are these the most affordable custom-made carpet floor mats in Lloyd’s lineup, they’re also made of genuine Velour pelts harvested from the finest out-and-about pajama suits in Texas.

Lloyd Velourtex Cargo Liners—Along with the Velourtex Floor Mats, we also added the sister custom carpet cargo liners made from the same material.

Truxxx Leveling Kits—By boosting your rig’s snout a few inches, a Truxxx Leveling Kit evens out the ride height at the front and rear end. Not only do these leveling kits improve the look of your ride, they’re also surprisingly easy to install.

Truxxx Lift Kits—You may have been burnt in the past by online products promising to give you more inches, but these suspension lift kits deliver on that promise. They’re custom designed to boost your ride height up to 3 inches, and they mount with no drilling, cutting or welding.

Stay tuned for more great products coming next week, including an impressive new assortment of headlights, tail lights, fog lights and many more automotive lights.

2011 Ford Explorer: Coming to America, and Being Built Here Too

In a press release that seems inspired by Neil Diamond’s uber patriotic anthem, Ford announced on January 26 that they’re coming (back) to America to manufacture the radically redesigned 2011 Ford Explorer. The new Explorer will be produced in the company’s Chicago factories, adding approximately 1,200 new jobs to the region. The assembly line is due to start rolling at the start of the 4th quarter.

With the US economy still on the mend from the financial fallout of 2008 and 2009, Ford’s decision to bring the project to Chicago is a hopeful sign and should help revitalize the area. Along with the Explorer, these Chicago factories will also be assembling the new Ford Taurus and the Lincoln MKS.

Not only will the 2011 Ford Explorer be built here in the US, it’s also getting a serious makeover. Gone are the days of the Explorer as a large, lumbering SUV. The 2011 models are going to fleet-footed crossovers equipped with Ford’s new EcoBoost engine, a 6-speed transmission, innovative inflatable seat belts, and unibody construction. Better still, the new Explorer is expected to enjoy a 25% reduction in fuel consumption from the current gas-guzzling Explorers. 

2010 Retromobile Car Show: Europe’s Classic Rides on Display in Paris

Ah, Paris. Nous aimons (we love) your succulent cheeses, your delicate wines, your quiet days in Clichy. Every inch of the city oozes history, and the aroma of literature, painting and revolution wafts through the air like steam from a stovetop BonJour espresso machine. The city of lights is the perfect locale for the 2010 Retromobile Car Show, which is running from Janvier (January) 22nd through the 31st.

2010 Chevy Camaro Sunergy Coming Soon in Limited Numbers

Yes, the 2010 Chevy Camaro SS is bitchin’. Even the base Camaro LS is hands-down gorgeous. But, the streets are going to be clogged with these standard trims over the coming years. If you’re looking to stand out from the Camaro herd, you’ll want to place your order for the upcoming Special Edition 2010 Chevy Camaro Sunergy.

New Air Suspension, Chrome Trim & Cargo Bags Available Now at AutoAnything

It might not be fleet week in San Diego, but it’s been raining men since Monday. Well, not literally men, but droplets of water the size of a pre-diabetic 5th-grader. It’s as though the heavens have been swilling Natural Ice for months and picked this week to see a man about a horse.

In other words, it’s been wet. Damn wet. But AutoAnything isn’t deterred by a deluge. Instead, we went postal. Not that kind of postal—we went postal in the “neither rain, nor sleet, nor hail shall stop us from deliver junk mail” sense. Instead of coupons and credit card applications, we’re delivering 5 new products from 3 deluxe brands: Air Zenith, Dee Zee and Heininger.

Air Zenith Air Struts—Tyra Banks may think she knows the catwalk, but these new Air Zenith Air Struts can teach her a thing or two about strutting. The ideal alternative to traditional hydraulics, these air suspension kits are custom engineered for a perfect fit on your ride and deliver 12-way adjustable dampening.

Air Zenith Dual OB2 Air Compressor Kit—Air struts by themselves are pretty boss, but you need a way to control them. That’s where the Air Zenith Dual-OB2 Air Compressor Kit comes in handy. Available in either a basic or pro kit, it comes with everything you need to put some bounce in your air suspension: air compressors & air tanks & all the connectors.

Dee Zee U-Cut Chrome Rocker Panels—Thanks to Dee Zee’s universal U-Cut chrome accessories, everyone can rock out with their chrome out. These brilliant chrome rocker panels can be trimmed to fit just about any vehicle.

Dee Zee U-Cut Chrome Pillar Posts—Cutting the cheese is uncouth, but cutting out your own chrome pillar post trim is all the rage. Just size it up, cut it out, and give your ride more bling than Lil Jon’s Crunk chalice.

Heininger SofTop Roof Top Cargo Bag—Alles klar, Herr Heininger? This is the same roof cargo bag that Austrian pop-rocker Falco used to carry his gear from gig to gig. With 15 cubic ft of storage space, this roomy roof bag has enough space to stuff a Kommissar and the bones of Amadeus.

And after we got these sleek new products up, we wrote a little information piece about the differences between paper and reusable filters. Let us know if you find it helpful.

2010 Ford Taurus SHO: The Sleeper Awakes

Long the favored sedan of government fleets and giant-haired late-night talk show hosts, the Ford Taurus doesn’t exactly evoke images of tire-smoking performance. But back in the ‘90s, the Taurus had a turbocharged SHO option available, and that wicked-fast trim is coming back for the 2010 model year, but with a far more eco-friendly footprint. Better buckle up, Fish & Wildlife Service bureaucrat—your company car’s grown a pair.

Big Lips, Fast Cars: Top Gear Wants Angelia Jolie as Co-host

When it comes to witty, opinionated reviews on cars, Jeremy Clarkson is the king. However, his British mug isn’t exactly eye candy. Come to think of it, none of the hosts of the BBC’s spectacularly popular show Top Gear are exactly pleasing on the eyes. James May looks like a weathered Janis Joplin, and Richard Hammond strikes me as what Steve Buscemi and Ryan Seacrest’s love-child might look like. The Stig, of course, doesn’t count.

2010 Detroit Auto Show Concept Cars

Stealing a page from Conan O’Brien’s playbook, automakers used the 2010 Detroit Auto Show to showcase futuristic concept cars—cars inspired by *sung in a high falsetto voice* the year two-thousand…the year two-thousand.

Now, every self-respecting car show has its fair share of concept cars on display. However, the Detroit Auto Show tends to be the forum where manufacturers bring out the big guns. Here’s a quick run down of the crème de la concept crème:

Top 5 Punk Songs About Cars

Dust off your leather jacket with the Subhumans banner pinned to the back, sharpen the spikes in your Mohawk with raw eggs, and puke all over your parents’ door mat—it’s time to bring punk rock back from the dead by listing out the top 5 punk songs about cars!

Okay, hold on a second, literal readers out there. We’re not technically bringing punk back from the dead. That was a figure of speech. What we are doing is something more like digging up punk rock’s corpse and poking at it with a stick. It’s still a tribute, though. So sit back, crack open a Blatz and take an anarchic trip down memory lane.

From License Plate Frames to Mechanics Creepers: 14 New Products Available Now at AutoAnything

You’d think that there might be some start-of-the-year malaise making us drag our feet. Nothing could be further from the truth. Fueled by caffeine and cigarettes, we’ve added a massive new assortment of products. Take a look…but if you don’t mind, we’re going to take a nap in the supply closet for a while.

4tek Kreepster—Hipsters on Kreepsters don’t have to worry about mussing up their flat-ironed faux hawks ‘cause there’s an adjustable headrest. And, the built-in trays are the perfect place to stash your Lyra Skala cartridges, your Bed Head product, and all those Animal Collective records that you claim to find so deep but truly can’t stand. This mechanics creeper has it all.

4tek Kreepstool—The next time you’ve got to lay some brake cable, cop a squat on the Kreepstool, your throne away from throne. This plush, padded creeper stool from 4tek gives you a cozy place to sit and work on your garage projects.

SnowEx Tailgate Salt Spreaders—Sick of slipping and sliding all over icy roads? Melt it with a tailgate salt spreader from SnowEx. It spits out road salts evenly in a wide path for total coverage. If only they made a pepper spreader, too!

Firestone Digital Air Command—Because the Analog Air Command is just so 1979, you can now control your Firestone air bags with this fully digital air suspension management kit.

Firestone Wireless Air Command—It’s the cordless phone equivalent to air suspension control—no wires, no limits.

Firestone In-Cab System—If this truck’s a rockin’, there’s an In-Cab System doing the knockin’. This air suspension kit comes in a wide range of styles to control up to 4 air springs at a time.

Firestone Air Tank Systems—Outfit your rig like Cousteau outfitted the Calypso. These air tanks come in a range of sizes from a half gallon up to 3 gallons.

Firestone Automatic Air Command—Like breathing and blinking, suspension control just happens automatically with this Firestone system.

Firestone Control Panels—When your need for control borders on the obsessive, these control panels give you total control over every aspect of your air suspension system.

Firestone Air Compressors—Compressed air is better than a compressed disc, and Firestone air compressors are some of the best available.

License2Bling Graphic License Plate Frames—Arms, chests and backs are the perfect canvases for tattoos. Cars and needles don’t really get along, though. These license plate frames by License2Bling are the next best thing to having a butterfly or Celtic knot marked on the small of your ride’s back.

ShurTrax Max-Pax Traction Aid—Take all the fun out of driving on slick and icy roads. When conditions get downright banana peel-ish, simply fill up these traction aids to help keep your rear end from fishtailing.

Rampage 3D Mesh Grille—Whoa man, what if that 1980’s video game Rampage was in 3D?! It’d almost be as cool as these trick Jeep billet grilles from Rampage Jeep.

Rampage Retractable Rock Slider Steps—Try not to flip your lid when you see these flippin’ amazing rock slider steps. They flip down when you need to get in and out of your rock crawler, and they flip up when you’re actually crawling over rock.

The 2011 Ford Focus: The Least Embarrassing-to-own Focus Yet

I’m not ashamed to admit that when the first Ford Focus models were unveiled back in 1999, I was a hater. It seemed like the Ford blew its load on the headlight design but didn’t have any creative juices left to finish the job. So they ended up with a bug-eyed, anemic, practical-joke of a car.

New Brake Controllers, Tow Bars & Tool Cabinets – An AutoAnything Weekly Update

How many of you have ever driven up the Grapevine? It’s a beautiful pass, but it’s a mighty steep and mighty long stretch of road. Now, how many of you have ever seen an out-of-control truck screaming down the Grapevine with its trailer rocking dangerously side-to-side? It’s a startling sight, like waking in on your grandmother in the toilet.

Luckily, the tow-minded engineers over at CURT Mfg have devised a ton of quality trailer hitches and towing accessories to keep you in control of your load. Last night, we added a few more CURT accessories to the site. And, we added a few new garage toolboxes from Viper for good measure. Here’s the skinny:

CURT Discovery Brake Controller—Christopher Columbus may have discovered the New World, but CURT has made a Discovery of their own. It’s a timed brake controller, so it applies your trailer’s brakes at a steadily increasing rate the longer your foot’s on the brake pedal in the cab.

CURT Reflex Brake Controller—You brake, it brakes, we all brake with the Reflex. More advanced than the Discovery, the Reflex is an inertia brake controller, so it senses how hard you’re braking and applies an equally strong or light amount of braking strength at your trailer.

CURT Tow Bar—With a 5000-lb rating, this tow bar can haul just about anything. Not that you should haul off with anything you can fit onto your flatbed trailer. For example, we recommend that you put baby Shamu back where you found him.

Viper Tool Chests—When you’re done riding the snake to the lake, the ancient lake, you can think about organizing your tools inside one of these handy Viper tool storage cabinets. They’re available in 4 sizes, from the 2-drawer cabinet that fits perfectly on top of a rollaway to a full-blown 5-drawer rollaway.

Viper Garage Cabinets—You won’t have to worry about tripping over River Phoenix in front of your Viper Garage Cabinets, unless you happen to concoct a time machine, head back to 1993, and set it up in front of the Viper Room. That’s a pretty remote possibility, though. Besides, the point of these rugged tool cabinets is to keep your garage organized and free from stuff you might trip over.

The True Meaning Behind BMW’s Iconic Roundel

Few corporate logos are as recognizable and renowned as BMW’s blue and white roundel. The Planters’ top-hatted peanut guy is pretty recognizable, so too is KFC’s Colonel. But neither logo carries the same degree of respect or ganas, as Edward James Olmos would say, as the BMW logo.

If you asked an aficionado to decipher the meaning behind the BMW roundel, they’d probably tell you that it’s supposed to represent a white airplane propeller against a blue sky. Why? Because the Bayerische Motoren Werke (aka, Bavarian Motor Works (aka BMW)) started out building engines for airplanes. Thus, it’s an homage to their heritage.

Seems like a reasonable explanation, right? Wrong!

Top 5 Winter-Driving Songs

Now that the holidays have come and gone, we can all get down to focusing on just how lousy the weather is. All around the United States, snow storms have been running wilder than a liquored up San Diego State sophomore in Tijuana. And where there’s a snow storm, there’s traffic—the two go together like a bottle of tequila and a whistle.

Now, there’s not a lot to like about traffic. The only advantage of being stuck in your car is that you can reconnect with your playlists. Some music (Beach Boys, say) ought to be avoided in the dead of winter, but some tracks are appropriate for the season. Here’s a quick list of tune’s I’d listen to on a wintry drive:

Auto Parts in San Diego – 92123 to 92109 zip codes

For San Diego auto parts shoppers that are looking for the lowest prices on performance parts from top name auto accessory brands like K&N and Magnaflow, be sure to stop by our site http://www.autoanything.com/. With Free shipping on 99% of all products, you can save on virtually every item on stock by ordering with AutoAnything and shipping your new accessories straight to your door.

We are running a special that ends today and the offer will put 10% of your money back into your pocket on orders of $150 or more for discountable brands.

Mother Nature’s down with body mods

If you were to poll 100 native San Diegans, at least 75% would agree that snow is just a myth (the other 25% are snowboarders, and we really don’t take them that seriously). However, outside of our unnaturally pleasant 619/858/760 area codes, the celestial dandruff is an all-too-common annoyance.

Now, snow and cars don’t normally get along. The one usually causes the other to skid across highway lanes like a greased-up ten-year-old on a downhill slip ‘n slide. Sometimes, though, the two place nicely together. Jalopnik recently compiled a list of ten cars modded by Mother Nature. Lesson learned: if you’re thinking about bolting on a body kit but are unsure about how it might look, you can always park overnight in Fargo and take a look at the results.