What is the worst car accessory you have ever seen..... that became a success?

[peterzoom]

Back in the early eighties I was in the motor trade. A Rep. from one of our suppliers arrived with a case of plastic hands that were attatched to a sucker. Each hand had a slogan on itn like ' UP YER KILT'. or ' PROUD TO BE A SCOUSER' etc etc.
The idea was that they were to be stuck on to the inside glass of your vehicle and would wave the chosen greeting to the world as you motored along.
I thought they were the worst thing I had yet seen and predicted they would bomb, nobody would ever buy them, ever!
The Rep. lnsisted they were going to be a massive success.
We bartered back and forth and eventually agreed I would take 1,000 on sale or return and if they sold within a month I would buy lunch on the next visit.
They cost .10p and sold at £1.00.
I had our guys plaster the insides of the shop windows with them, hoping to get rid of them sooner rather than later and to at least demonstrate that I had given them a fair shot, totally confident that they would still be bleaching in the window when the Rep came back.

To my complete astonishment we sold out in one weekend and the became a staple of our stock range for years!

What has caught on in the car world that you thought ' Never, no way, not in a month of Sundays ??

[v8will]

Headlamp eyelashes seem to be worringly common.

Tat sells it seems.

[AndyClockwise]

The anti static strips that used to hang from the rear of cars in the 70's & 80's; haven't seen any in years but they must have sold a fair few over the years.

Surely they had no actual benefit?

[falkster]

Paddy Hopkirk blindspot mirrors??

Stickers like 'My other cars a Porsche'? or 'My other cars a bike'?

[anonymous-user]

AndyClockwise said:

The anti static strips that used to hang from the rear of cars in the 70's & 80's; haven't seen any in years but they must have sold a fair few over the years.

Surely they had no actual benefit?

I used to have one on my 205 as it always gave me an electric shock untill I fitted one

[alangla]

Did rear window louvres actually do anything? (keep your interior cool maybe?)

[Pommygranite]

'Baby On Board' signs.

Wow you can breed. Well done. I was going to ram your car but now I won't.

[alangla]

Those "cute" ball things people stick on their aerials. Very popular, but do they do anything other than bend/snap the aerial?

[AndyClockwise]

MonkeyMatt said:

I used to have one on my 205 as it always gave me an electric shock untill I fitted one

well you live and learn - never knew they actually worked

[DanDC5]

Under car neons.

[Dave Hedgehog]

garfields ass hanging out of the boot, normally manky

[kambites]

Alloy wheels that weight more than steel ones... which seems to be most of them these days.

[anonymous-user]

AndyClockwise said:

MonkeyMatt said:

I used to have one on my 205 as it always gave me an electric shock untill I fitted one

well you live and learn - never knew they actually worked

I guess I should have just got the electricity leak fixed though

[deeen]

alangla said:

Did rear window louvres actually do anything? (keep your interior cool maybe?)

Make your car look like a Miura, was the idea, I think.

[Captain Muppet]

alangla said:

Those "cute" ball things people stick on their aerials. Very popular, but do they do anything other than bend/snap the aerial?

A former GF said it was easier to find her car in a car park because she could just look for the ball on the arial. I use the "remembering where I left it" method, because I don't have a PHD.

Not tha 1984 Daihatsu Charades in light metalic green with the stupid "sunroof" high roof metalwork were common enough that spotting your one would ever be a problem. It's the only one I've ever seen.

[Captain Muppet]

kambites said:

Alloy wheels that weight more than steel ones... which seems to be most of them these days.

Got any data on that? I've be very interested. I've got 40 or so random alloys in storage and while the weights they weigh do vary enormously for a given size I've not got any that are heavier than steelies of the same size.

[kambites]

Captain Muppet said:

kambites said:

Alloy wheels that weight more than steel ones... which seems to be most of them these days.

Got any data on that? I've be very interested. I've got 40 or so random alloys in storage and while the weights they weigh do vary enormously for a given size I've not got any that are heavier than steelies of the same size.

I know that the OEM wheel and tyre combination on our Octavia weighs (significantly) over 20kg, which is more than the steel wheels on my MGB, which have very similar overall rolling radius. They're probably closer to 30kg than 20kg, in fact.

[toon10]

There seems to be a growing trend amongst the McDonalds car park crews to hang a small cuddly toy from the rear bumper. First time I saw it I thought nobody else would be that stupid. They're all doing it now.

[blugnu]

toon10 said:

There seems to be a growing trend amongst the McDonalds car park crews to hang a small cuddly toy from the rear bumper. First time I saw it I thought nobody else would be that stupid. They're all doing it now.

It's all handcuffs around here.

[nagsheadwarrior]

Pommygranite said:

'Baby On Board' signs.

Wow you can breed. Well done. I was going to ram your car but now I won't.

I used to think they're stupid cringeful things but someone on another thread said they're so the fireman double check the area for your kid if you have a crash?

I still wouldnt have one though (kid or sign about it!)