Buying a new car - what after market accessories to get?

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notmyhand
Posts: 496
Joined: Mon Jul 15, 2013 7:43 pm

Buying a new car - what after market accessories to get?

Post by notmyhand »

Taking delivery of a minivan next Saturday. I'm shopping around for accessories now? What do you get to protect your vehicle? Any other must-haves?

Currently on the list:
-Trashcan
-All weather floor mats
-Cargo floor mat
-Back seat organizer

Any suggestions on how to protect leather seats from car seats?

Thanks!
RMO87
Posts: 263
Joined: Fri Jan 18, 2008 8:11 am
Location: Kansas City, MO

Re: Buying a new car - what after market accessories to get?

Post by RMO87 »

I have always liked mudguards to give a little protection to the paint. Never had leather seats, so can't help you there.
Teague
Posts: 2524
Joined: Wed Nov 04, 2015 5:15 pm

Re: Buying a new car - what after market accessories to get?

Post by Teague »

$25K aftermarket audio upgrade.
Semper Augustus
joebruin77
Posts: 438
Joined: Fri Apr 23, 2010 12:14 am

Re: Buying a new car - what after market accessories to get?

Post by joebruin77 »

notmyhand wrote: Sat Jan 16, 2021 1:06 pm Taking delivery of a minivan next Saturday. I'm shopping around for accessories now? What do you get to protect your vehicle? Any other must-haves?

Currently on the list:
-Trashcan
-All weather floor mats
-Cargo floor mat
-Back seat organizer

Any suggestions on how to protect leather seats from car seats?

Thanks!
I would apply a leather protectant such as Optimum Protectant Plus or even a ceramic coating specifically designed for leather such as CarPro CQuartz Leather Coating. This will protect the leather from spills and stains. I would also get a protector pad that you place underneath the carseat such as these on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Car-Seat-Automot ... 8457330011

Finally, I would buy a sun windshield visor to reduce the UV rays from entering the car. If you really want to protect the interior from the sun's UV rays, you can invest in ceramic tint for all the windows, but this is a bit expensive and requires professional installation.

Hope that helps.
iamlucky13
Posts: 3527
Joined: Sat Mar 04, 2017 4:28 pm
Location: Western Washington

Re: Buying a new car - what after market accessories to get?

Post by iamlucky13 »

notmyhand wrote: Sat Jan 16, 2021 1:06 pm Any suggestions on how to protect leather seats from car seats?

Thanks!
We bought a seat protector that if I remember right was the same brand as the carseat.

Dirt still gets under the seat protector and can grind into the seat. I recommend removing the carseat maybe every 6 months to clean the leather and the seat protector.

We didn't remove ours until the 2nd child arrived - probably 2 years continuous use. The cushioning is probably permenantly compressed by the corners of the seat, and has some abrasion and staining of the leather. It is not enough to stress over, but I wish I had thought to remove a few times for cleaning in the interim. Spending an hour gently scrubbing with Armor-all leather wipes did actually get it looking pretty good.

I like having a windshield shade to put up while parked in the summer to keep the car more comfortable (after all, it takes the AC a few minutes, and it prevents the seat from being scorching hot) and as someone else mentioned, reduce the aging of the interior and anything I have inside.
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