Accessories we want but don't seem to exist
 

We know that we're somewhat spoiled in comparison to other vehicles in regards to accessory options....but like anything we still want more. I thought it would be kind of fun/useful to create a post about some of those elusive accessories that even when there are a lot of options, that particular one we're looking for, just doesn't seem to exist.

- Maybe it's based off of an existing product, but the existing product just needs those 1 or 2 additional things that would make it perfect for you.

- Maybe it's a product that doesn't exist but you've seen others cobble parts together and create a solution which is less than an ideal situation.

- Maybe start with someone elses idea and modify it so it would suit you even better.

- Maybe it's a product that exists but when you look at the price, you just shake your head and say, "I like it but for my uses I could never find myself justifying paying that much for it."

Which brings us to an important part, what price range would you be willing to pay for that accessory? Maybe base that price off of something similar where you were willing to settle but it just didn't thrill you since it didn't have everything you wished it had.

Hopefully some of these ideas could spark some innovation into some of the vendors to start creating those options instead of making a different version of an already existing design which checks off the same boxes, but just looks different. Put each of your ideas in a separate post and click on the "like" button for the accessory idea posts from others you wouldn't mind seeing and would have an interest in purchasing for your Jeep...."If" it was available. I have a couple, that I can think of off the top of my head. I'm sure others may follow.

Rock Rail Step
 

The elusive rock rail step:

1. We want something that will protect our rocker panels from getting damaged when off roading and crawling over rocks, trees and other debris. Preferably frame mounted.
2. We want something which has better styling than bent and welded together pipes. Enough with the bent and welded pipe options!
3. We want something which has a step that comes down but can be folded up and away. Think of the amp engineering powered steps, they solved this problem but not so much in regards to #1 and #4.

Folks on these forums lift their Jeeps for adding bigger tires AND for added belly clearance. They'll sweat the details over adding Geo Brackets for caster correction because they reduce the belly clearance by 1.5inch in 2 small locations under their Jeep and spend extra $ on adjustable control arms instead to overcome that problem. Yet we see 20 different step rails which will reduce that same belly clearance in 4 larger locations by 3-6inches without an alternative solution to be able to raise that step up for clearance when we want that clearance.

Think of something that could be folded down far enough to serve as a step that your 80 year old grandmother could get up into your lifted jeep, but folds up and under it, out of the way after she gets in so you can take grandma rock crawling while still protecting your rocker panels from rock damage.

4. We want all of that in something which costs less than $500.

Think of all the options which are out there for rock rails and steps for our Jeeps, but I have yet to find one which hits all 4 of those criteria items.

Someone show me where to get that accessory product!

Winch Cover
 

The elusive winch cover:

1. We want something that will stretch and be form fitting around our 10K-12K winches.
2. We want something that will not easily tear/rip or fly off.
3. We want something that will protect our winch and synthetic rope from dirt, water and sun damage
4. We want something, preferably black which will not fade and dry rot when exposed to UV sunlight
5. We want something which doesn't have branding names/logos all over it, or at least gives the option to easily add/delete those branding logos.
6. We want all of that for less than $40.

Neoprene covers are great, they can be found to meet items 1-3 and 6. Yet, neoprene fades when exposed to the sun and starts looking terrible after 2 months unless you treat it with UV protector spray every 2-3 months and who wants to be spending time maintaining their winch cover throughout the year, especially if you live in Nothern climates and have to try and spray UV protector in the freezing cold?

Sorry if you like splattering your company name on the winch cover, so your brand name/logo can be promoted on the front of our Jeeps. The fact is a lot of us don't have your name brand winch but may have an interest in your cover offering where it just seems silly putting a Superwinch cover on a Smittybuilt, Warn, or any other brand winch. We also don't like putting "Sun Pie", "Sun Room" or whatever brand name you created to be put on your cover for a winch brand that doesn't exist....or maybe I did purchase a Sun Pie winch and I want the world to know I'm proud of my Sun Pie winch. Include an iron on patch with the cover and we can put it on the cover or sew your logo on, where we can easily take out the stitching and remove it if we choose.

Someone show me where to purchase that winch cover!

Water proof weather resistant high air flow air compressor
 

The elusive Water proof weather resistant high air flow 12V air compressor

Why are we mounting our air compressors under the hood where they're being exposed to heat and other nasty elements?
Why are we mounting our air compressors under the seats where they're noisy inside the cabin and the tires we're trying to fill are outside our Jeeps?

1. We want an air compressor which is water proof and can be mounted outside our Jeeps. You mean to tell me that Harbor Freight can make water and fountain pumps which can be submerged under water and contain an electrical motor and nobody can design an air compressor which can do the same? You mean to tell me the starters on our JK are mounted under our vehicles and are a high current draw DC motor which can get exposed and submerged in water but the same can't be done with an air compressor?
2. We want an air compressor which can be mounted outside our Jeeps and resists corrosion.
3. We want that air compressor's attachment hoses and fittings so they are resistant to the outside elements so they don't dry rot, corrode and split apart.
4. We want it to be a high volume compressor which is at least capable of putting out 150 PSI.
5. We want it to be able to run long enough to fill up (4) 37in tires from 5psi to 35psi without having to turn it off and wait for it to cool down.
6. We want all of that for less than $200

Someone show me where to purchase that air compressor!

Freedom Top panel screwdriver removal tool
 

The elusive freedom panel screwdriver removal tool.

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/1a0AA...kdB/s-l640.jpg

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/jZQAA...kdA/s-l640.jpg

1. We want a freedom panel removal tool which is like the Mopar one shown above.
2. We want it not only where it can be used by your hand to turn those screws, but we want it to have a hex fit peg sticking out of the bottom as well, so we can put it in a cordless electric screw driver to zip those hold down screws in and out.

It is somewhat awkward reaching back for those freedom panel anchor screws, while pushing our fingers up in there to turn it. Someone started with a pretty neat design idea at Mopar, but then forgot to add the most important piece to make it much more useful, the hex peg so you could put it into a screw driver.

Please someone get me that accessory tool!

Engine Bay Cooling
 

When you go wheeling here in Texas things can heat up quickly. Been wheeling hard all day in a dark colored Jeep and its 110 Degrees outside the engine bay gets pretty steamy. We have hood louvers which help, but why not any fan kits to mount to help draw the hot air away? I have seen people mounting computer fans as a "solution" but they wear out quickly from the heat.

1. Give us a "kit" of fans like this to help cool the engine bays
2. Have the fan able to withstand the heat that it will be trying to remove.
3. Have it strong enough to move air but not consume a lot of power so we can run them off of a switch system like an Spod.
4. Make it where it dosent sound like we have a wanna be jet engine going off under the hood.
5. Not have it cost an arm and a leg.

I think that sound would be the bonus.

Maybe this one exists somewhere, but I've not seen it...

A front bumper that is:
1. Stubby (Or close to it; little to no tire coverage)
2. Includes mounting for factory fog lights.
3. Has a recessed winch-mount
4. Includes D-ring mounts
5. Has a stinger that's big enough people will assume you're compensating for something
6. Doesn't cost a ludicrous amount of money

I can find plenty of examples that meet most of those points, but never seen one that fits them all.

One that is kind of close is the 7 slot customs, basically only thing missing is the stinger, but you can easily fab one up, or a shop can. Im about to order the frame chop bumpers.

I just updated my OP. That's a great example. You find something which is close to what you want but you feel it's missing those 1 or 2 small details where you feel you're having to settle and therefore less than thrilled with your purchase because you felt you had to settle while paying good $ for it.

Reading through your list, I felt the Hard Rock factory bumper is close but you would be giving up on D ring mounts, and over paying for it at the same time.

So, for this I would go to Lowes or Home Depot or Ferguson Plumbing supply and get an expansion plug that would fit inside the freedom panel removal tool. Replace the 1/4'"diameter carriage bolt that it comes with with one that is about 3" long and then put the expansion plug in the removal tool, tighten it down with the wing nut till it grips nice and tight and then put your drill on the extended part if the 1/4" carriage bolt and go to town on those hold down bolts.

The image below is a generic image, I don't know what size expansion plug would work as I haven't measured the I.D. of the removal tool.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jk-...ddb35124db.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jk-...5eb8b45644.jpg

I'm with Rednroll on a danged winch cover that lasts!

A good looking, sturdy full size front bumper that blends with the fenders of the Jeep so it won't get mud, slush, etc., piled up on top of it. Had an ARB on my '08 and it was great, but $900 and have to trim the frame rails? Same idea for a rear bumper that protects the quarter panels, blends with the fenders and has a tire carrier. For under $500 each.

I could probably design and print exactly this without much trouble. Maybe I'll add that to the list.

PVC pipe and a saw.

The idea is to have a hex head to allow for powered screwing/unscrewing.

That's the part I need most. The PVC part is a good idea in place of the Mopar design, but I'm really looking for a way to mount the hex peg onto it since I've got a cordless screwdrivers with the hex head for quick connect. What my thought is that when I remove my top, I typically use my cordless screw driver with a quick swap torque bit to remove the torque screws and I'ld just want to quickly swap in this thing in to do the same for the freedom panel removal.

The issue with a 3D printed version would be if someone hammered on it with a cordless you will strip it out easily. I have thought about printing a few but dont want people to get mad at me when they use them and hammer it with a cordless and it strips out. its just plastic at the end of the day

I deal with this all the time. I use screws to add reinforcement.. The printed hex head by itself would be very weak but a few recessed screws squeezing the hex head layers to the main part would add a lot of strength. I do this whenever I expect the layer bond to fail, it's like adding rebar in concrete. I still wouldn't hit it with an impact, but I'm willing to bet it'd survive running the screw down the threads which is the main purpose here. They could be tightened by hand after powered threading. Maybe I'll take a crack at that today.

This is a great thread by the way. I'm willing to bet some of these wish list items will find solutions just by bringing them to the surface like this.

Well if you get bored and wanna send me what you come up with my MK3 has been just sitting around alot lately :rotflmao2: @icrashbikes

I'm simple. I was an auto up/down switch for all 4 windows.

Add a cap and a bolt for a spindle.

That misses the point of the tool. The older I get, the more I prefer to work smarter instead of harder. The tool I suggested is intended just to achieve just that. It isn't because I'm unable to unscrew the panel anchor screws with my hand, it's because I'ld like to work smarter, and quicker.

So I'm removing my hard top, and doors using this cordless screw driver which has a torque bit which is attached to a quick connect/disconnect hex adapter held on by the chuck of the screw driver..
https://drive.google.com/uc?id=11c76...4GEvbD3hPxjIuw

I want to remove my front freedom panels, I pull that torque bit out using the quick connect/disconnect and go to grab my tool to remove the freedom panels and now that same screw driver is there like this.
https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1zLTc...yjy6D24FdaSN_r

Oh where's that tool that's suppose to make my life easier? Oh shucks, it has a spindle end instead of a hex end, so now I need to remove my quick connect/disconnect from the chuck of my screw driver so I can use it. That tool which was suppose to make things faster and more convenient, now just defeated the purpose of even having a hex quick connect/disconnect. I'm not buying that tool with the spindle end, I want the one with a hex head.

These little inconveniences matter to me. Let me show you further what I'm talking about.
Here's a couple of my cordless tools hanging up.
https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1fYoX...o1mWxKGjNAr5Oy
When I'm working on a project, I'm often drilling holes and then putting in screws or bolts into those holes. I could do all of that with a single cordless screw driver by constantly switching back and forth between a drill bit and a screw driver bit by constantly loosening and tightening the chuck to switch out the drills and bits. To me, that's too much of a PIA. Instead I have 2 of the same cordless screw drivers, the top one I use for swapping in screw driver bits where it has one of those same quick connect/disconnect hex adapters, and the bottom one I use for my drill bits.

The same thing for those 2 angle grinders. I don't feel like constantly switching the types of disks in the angle grinder. I'm consistently using the cutting wheel and the wire brush...I just switch the tool for the one I need instead of spending more time swapping the attachment on a single tool.

LOL! I actually own 8 corded angle grinders and 8 vibrating multi-tools....each one has a different attachment mounted on them from cut-off disks, grinding disks, scrapper blades, various saw blades, sanding flap disks, various wire brushes, etc, etc. The damn things are only $10 each at Harbor Freight so I figure what the heck, for that price buy an angle grinder and vibrating mult-tool for each attachment I own and just grab the tool I need which already has the attachment on it, when I need it.

No impact driver?! With the 1/4" quick release??

I just want some 285 70 17 tires that aren't E rated. I don't drive a 3/4 or 1 ton, I don't haul 2000 lbs in the back, and I don't tow 20,000 pounds. Come on, there are millions of JKs and soon to be JLs out there and we need some options!

To piggyback on this- 35's with a decent tread pattern and tread depth without the weight. They offer 33's and 35's in not load range E, but they start out at 10/32" or are just generic highway tires (Passenger vs LT) �� I know the 315/70-17 is out there for the Raptor in a C load range but I've put my miles on these tires, I want to try something new.

It's in the picture to the right of that screw driver....but yeah, that demonstrates another reason I definitely prefer the hex connection. I actually use a smaller cordless driver not shown, since a smaller driver is preferred for the door hinge torque head screws.

I stumbled across these on Quadratec while mindlessly browsing a little while ago, I think i it what you are looking for?

https://www.quadratec.com/p/k-dax/ea...ep-wrangler-jk

It's ALIVE! Thank You!

It's funny to me, the thing I wanted the least of the items I listed, has gotten the most responses for solutions....and now you found it actually exists. :2thumbs:

https://www.quadratec.com/sites/defa...el-Tool-10.jpg
Brilliant! :D

Klein air horns makes a kit that sits next to the drive shaft. I have it on mine. I just ran the air filter up through a drain plug under my rear seat.

I want FCA to offer a Hemi $3000 factory upgrade like they do on the Grand Cherokee, just like everyone else wants, so what does FCA do they create a 2.0L turbo instead. Booooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo o. Hissssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ssssssssssssssss

Beggers can't be choosers. :rotflmao:

When you figure this out, let me in on it. Makes no sense to me either. FCA makes a HEMI and sometimes even a Hellcat on many vehicles except for the one that is on their most popular brand, and on the vehicle that is most unique and representative of that brand, and sells the most for that brand. Maybe when we stop buying it, they'll stop trying to make it into a Prius, or maybe we'll stop buying it once they make it into a Prius.

Word is they can't put a hellcat engine in the Wrangler because it won't meet crash standards. Something about no crumple zones left with everything stuffed in. The thing fits like a glove, there's just not enough fluff around it.

Where are the JK crumple zones? I know about the first 4 inches of the front frame are... thats why i cut it off for my front bumper and am about to take 2 inches off he rear for that bumper. :rotflmao2:

I'd like to know myself! Maybe the hellcat soaks up those two precious inches of air space between the rad and engine...