4 Car Products You Probably Didn’t Know You Could Buy at Costco – Jalopnik

Maybe you’ve done the math, and now you’re not sure if the savings you get from buying tater tots in bulk will pay for your Costco membership. But we say if you’re not saving enough at Costco to justify your membership, you should broaden your horizons and look at everything Costco has to offer. We’re not trying to promote the place, but Costco offers pretty much every type of merchandise under the sun. Sure, you can buy a giant bag of popcorn, but the store has everything from laptops and garden hoses to comfy memory foam mattresses. You can even buy a car at Costco.

But we’re not here to talk about that. No, we want to draw your attention to the automotive part. There you will find products you didn’t even know Costco sells. For example, did you know that you can get a wall charger for your electric car at Costco? Well, you can, along with portable jump starters, dashcams, and even custom wheels for your vehicle. And of course there are ties. You already knew that Costco sells tires, but you might be surprised at how easy it is to buy the right ones and have them installed.

Sure, you might think that you’ll get all your steps in for the week when you go to Costco, and you’ll be reluctant to walk around looking for other products. Luckily, Costco has a website like any other major retailer, and there are even more products on the site than you can find in-store, since some products are only available online.

Maybe you already knew about jump starters and even wanted to get one. We’re not sure what you’re waiting for. There are several jump starters on Costco’s website.

Some of the jump starters listed on the Costco website are also available in-store. Others are only available online. They range in price from about $50 to about $130. Most offer ports to charge your phone or tablet, as well as a flashlight. The one that impresses us the most is the UltraPro Elite 1200A portable jump starter. Not only is a flashlight included, but also an air pump for inflating tires. You’ll definitely be someone’s hero when you pull this bad boy out of your glove compartment.

Some EV manufacturers, such as Tesla, sell home chargers. But if you prefer to go the third-party aftermarket route, you might want to check out Costco. We’re not saying they have a particularly wide selection. In fact, four of their five chargers are only available online, and Costco EV chargers aren’t top of the line. But still, you might find one that suits your needs. The one that can be found in stores is the Wallbox Pulsar Plus Lv 2 EV smart charger. It claims to be the only charger that intelligently monitors the total power of your home. It has mostly good reviews, with 4.3 out of 5 stars. Even the reviewers who don’t like it talk about how easy it is to install. It might be worth checking out.

Only one of Costco’s electric vehicle chargers scores better than the Wallbox Pulsar Plus Lv 2, and that’s the Battery tender 32 Ampbut it is portable. Still, he says he’s capable of charging at level 2, with a charging speed of 28 miles per hour. That’s not the fastest charging, but it’s still better than getting up early on the weekend to sit in front of a charging station.

What does Costco have in stock in terms of dashcams? It appears the retailer mainly sells Nextbase dashcams, as all but two of the dashcams found are from that brand. One of the models is the Nextbase IQ 2K smart dashcamwhich is more than just a camera. You are supposed to download the corresponding app. With the app you can remotely activate the alarm that is integrated into the system. The dashcam will also call emergency services when it detects a crash. It also includes ‘Smart Sense Parking’, which alerts you if you bump into something. Many of the features are only available via subscription, which is a bit annoying considering the dashcam itself costs $239.99. Should you get it? Well, the reviews are mediocre. The most common complaint seemed to be about the $20 monthly subscription required to access the product’s core features.

There are Nextbase dash cams that are more affordably priced and rated higher. The Nextbase 422GW 1440p dashcam bundle is currently on sale for $159.99 and has a 3.9/5 star rating. There are also two other dashcams that are not from Nextgen. Both are priced even more affordably than the Nextbase 422GW, but were rated less than 4/5 stars.

The wheels themselves are not unattractive, but in our opinion they will not exactly attract attention. They look better than most factory rims, but they aren’t particularly special as far as aftermarket wheels go. We played with the tool and checked the available tires for different vehicles. All the wheels we encountered were spiral forged aluminum or cast aluminum. They are available in silver and black, with a matte or glossy surface. Prices we found range from about $200 to $300.

We’ve really only just scratched the surface when it comes to automotive products you can buy at Costco. So next time you’re there, check out the automotive section. You’ll probably find something to throw in your cart. Of course, you may have to move that 5-gallon bag of pork rinds to make room for it.