I bought myself a car (build in 2007, so hopefully not a privacy nightmare itself) and I need your opinions on some different things for it’s edc.
I plan to pack some “tech basics” like replacement fuses, light bulbs and oil. Some personal things like another set of clothes and snacks.
Wich led me to the questions: Do i want a tent in there? How much camping should a normal car carry around? Do I need to update my vehicles sound system to do more modern things?
What would be a place to add cyberpunk gang stickers?
Tell me what you think I need to know for my fist car!
Another good thing to have is a 12v air pump. They run like crap, get hot too fast, and take forever to do what they do. BUT. When you’re on the side of the road and you need to air your tires, it’s WAY better than nothing. This is best to keep when you have some kind of emergency tire patch stuff ( like Fix-A-Flat, which is a US product, but maybe you’ve seen something like it ).
Crank-powered flashlight and radio is a good call if you’re worried about things. Relatively cheap. Some of them even have USB ports so you can recharge your phone, lol.
Sound: One of the best modifications I’ve made to my car’s audio systems is to add an auxiliary port. From there, you can use things like a Bluetooth → 3.5mm to make any radio deck a speaker for your Spotify from your phone or the like. How this is achieved is going to be specific to whatever sound system you have, but guaranteed someone on the internet has figured it out for your given deck. Also, it’s my understanding that most sound systems in cars follow a kind of sizing standard. It’s very likely that there are plenty of modern replacements. I just like the cheap BT solution because it’s cheap.
Sticker placement can be literally anywhere as long as it doesn’t obscure view. I like to put my stickers in the top corners of the back window. Make sure to use a nice outdoor quality vinyl for best longevity.
I avoid putting them on the body of the car because sometimes the adhesives are a real pain to remove without damaging the paint. It can also cause slight discolorations if stickers are on the paint while the car is in the sun over the course of a few years; the underlying paint won’t fade at the same rate as the rest, which can give a blotchy look.
There’s SO MUCH to learn with cars. There’s tons of YouTube resources for learning how to do anything you can think of.
a tire pump + run-flat tire filler (my car doesn’t have a spare tire)
a jack
various high-visibility vinyl banners that I can stick in the windows to indicate I need help (if I have to leave my car for some reason)
some sort of sweatshirt or jacket (weight depends on the season)
You might also consider road flares (traditional or electronic) in case you get stranded by the side of the road (or in the line of traffic).
And, depending on how technical you really want to get, maybe one of those cool diagnostic chip readers that you can use to see the fault codes in case something goes wrong with your car. This is also (I think) how you’d tune it (assuming that it’s not too old to be almost fully controlled by microcomputers).
As for aesthetics, I’ll echo what @TraceLines said on placement. However, if you’re not planning to remove the stickers or sell the car (e.g. care about it’s aesthetic value), then I’ve seen people put stickers under the front door windows like fighter pilots, on the bumper or rear of the car, and then of course in the corners of windows. You just don’t want to put stickers on windows anywhere that obscures your vision to where you can’t see other cars.
I’ve seen banner stickers across the front windshield at the very top (usually where the tinting is), and in extreme cases, small and wire-frame or see-through stickers down either side of the windshield (again, without obscuring the view out of the glass or being distracting). Here in the US, usually any sort of stickers on the windshield besides those top banners and government-required stickers (like registration) are no-no’s and you can get tickets for having them.
And if you really wanna go “cyber”, there’s always the underbody LED colored lighting if you don’t mind lookin’ like a yobbo or a street racer. You can also add LED lighting inside the cabin as well, if you want, around the headliner or something like that.
And as far as tech goes, I agree with @TraceLines once again - get something that will give you Bluetooth connectivity if you don’t have it, and bonus ways to charge your devices from the cigarette lighter/power outlets will be a good bonus to have. The Bluetooth allows your phone or other device to become the “brains” of your car and gives you a lot of flexibility.
@TraceLines
It currently does have a spare tire, so making sure I have a jack sounds helpful (if I googled that correctly). I’m not into the audio sector enough to replace it with another boombox yet, but I might get there. Getting aux for music seems unreasonable complicated this days, cheap Bluetooth is something I already got but it’s currently not using the sound system of the car and sounds, very, very cheap (and I did enjoy that on my first trip)
The mylar blanket should be included in the first aid kit that’s required for a german car.
I’ll probably add duct tape for possible repairs or anything (kidnapping CEOs is another possible use)
Led underfloor lights are only allowed while the door is open here as far as I’m informed, not the cool japanese kinds. Sooo probably no cause no one will see it anyway.
Did anyone get a really big sticker? Like on the whole hood or both doors? Am thinking about a cyberpunk 2077 gang sticker there. Would love the moxes, but I feel like no mox could afford such a big sticker
If you’re considering a sticker the size of a door or the like, you might want to consider what’s called ‘wrapping’ the car. There are places that can apply whole-body vinyl to the car that almost looks like a paint job.
There’s no requirement that you have this professionally done, but I can attest to how difficult it is to properly align a large applique ( in this case, the SCCA RallyCross across the front windshield ):
It took some planning and careful help to get it placed correctly, but it’s definitely doable. I haven’t done one the size of a car door, but I’d -love- to see a Mox-themed car!
Stickers are very cool on the trunk panel, and near the gaz pipe i’d say. Those are places where people (and yourself) could easily check them up.
Sound system are a true pleasure to tinker, and also a rabbit hole because the configs and optimization are crazy. Also, good speakers you mount yourself can be inexpensive, because there hasn’t been ground breaking advancement in sound quality in ages, you can have great quality for cheap. If you go there, things like a bluetooth module and a 3.5 entry are true luxury in old cars, to pair with a custom ouput !
A tent is never too much neither is every accessory that makes it cool / comfortable as a tent. The nomad way ! I like myself some pouches you can hang in there, that double as kits for the car you can always pull out when needed. Spare batteries for all the electrical gear is also good comfort.
I’ve always thought that those dog cages that you can put in the trunk/ back of the car have a cyberpunk/nomad vibe (Ok, maybe a little expensive if you don’t even own a pet). Also cargo nets/straps and ribbons for securing cargo/luggage. Another necessity that I have in my car is a pair of good rugged gloves. Used to have a few light sticks in the trunk which can be really handy, but the kids found them.
On the topic of stickers, maybe you want to invest in a custom rear window sticker. There’s a couple of print services that make those from a file you need to provide. (For example this one https://aufkleberdrucker24.de/heckscheibenaufkleber.htm ) So if you can find a Moxes logo in vector-graphic format, it should be no problem. And it’s not very expensive. I used to have our band logo on my old car and can confirm it to be quite a cool touch. It’s a good idea to have them make it mirrored, btw, so you can apply it on the inside of the window. Much better for protection!
I believe everything important has already been said, but if for some inexplicable reason you need a “CORTEX IMPLANT” front or rear window sticker, let me know
I have mostly the same but instead of the jumper wires i have a jumper battery (think: powerbank with special jumper cables). It doubles as powerbank and flash light and actually works really well.
• Ice Scraper (climate dependent)
• Window screen for sun
• umbrella
• a good cardboard cup holder in case the one they give you disintegrates.
• Some cash for a fillup
• pen
• candy that can withstand heat
• 40 year old maps that your dad gave you.
• Multiple crystals and bells to hang around
• cigarette lighter to USB adapter with cable to your phone.
!