7 handy 3D prints for your car to make this weekend (Nov 13 - 15)

Published Nov 13, 2026, 12:00 PM EST Tim has been covering technology for almost 20 years, in that time spanning a broad range of topics from security to product reviews. He is especially focused on the Apple ecosystem, productivity, and consumer advice. Over the years Tim has written thousands of articles, reviews, and round-ups in addition to producing video content and original photography. A graduate of journalism, he found his footing as a freelancer with a laptop and loves how he is able to work from practically anywhere. Now a Senior Editor for iPhone, Mac, and Smart Home at How-To Geek, Tim still loves to write. He can also be found crafting round-ups and productivity posts for the Zapier blog. Earlier in his career Tim spent nearly a decade as a writer and eventually Apple section editor for MakeUseOf. Tim currently lives in Brisbane, Australia. Outside of work he loves to hike and work out, play video games, and spend quality time with his wonderful partner and two cats Inka and Roger. Your 3D printer can enhance all manner of spaces, but the utility isn’t just limited to your home or work. Your car can also benefit from the 3D printing community’s ingenuity, and the prints below prove it. Here we’ve focused on mostly one-size-fits-all or customizable prints, rather than vehicle-specific models and replacement parts (of which many more exist). A quick word about 3D printing objects for your car PLA, the most popular of all the 3D printing filaments, is a poor choice for 3D prints that are designed to live in your car. Cars can get incredibly hot when left in direct sunlight, and PLA starts to warp long before it reaches melting temperature. Objects made from PLA will start to soften around 140ºF (60ºC) and have poor resistance to harsh UV rays. PETG is a better choice as it has a higher glass transition temperature and also offers better resistance to UV. For best results, consider printing with ASA, which has excellent strength, durability, and is highly resistant to both heat and UV radiation. Tire tread depth gauge Keep it in the glove box Credit: Jaldrich2426 / MakerWorld I’ve used the same digital calipers I bought for 3D modeling to measure the depth of the tread on my tires, but I don’t keep this tool in the car (or even the garage). This print-in-place depth gauge requires mere grams of filament and prints quickly, with a remix available for imperial measurements too. There are a lot of these on sites like MakerWorld and Printables, so if you’re not happy with this one, take a look for another. Compact umbrella holder Whatever the weather Credit: Printajmi3d / MakerWorld Many of us throw an umbrella in the trunk just in case we get caught in the rain or need to shield ourselves from harsh sun. This is handy, but these items tend to roll around and get in the way. Thankfully, the compact umbrella holder (now on its second revision) uses the ISOFIX anchor point found in many cars to solve this problem. There are many such similar designs to be found online if you don’t like this particular one (like this, this, or this). Cup holder adapters Fit any drink bottle Credit: Andy Mike / MakerWorld Cup holders are handy, but such a narrow universal design makes it impossible to use anything other than cups that are designed specifically to fit. Thankfully, you can use an adapter like the car cup holder expander (and this locking variant) to greatly increase the range of options you have available to you. Cup holders for the backseats Perfect for packed road trips Credit: TEAWRECKS / MakerWorld You can (probably) never have enough cup holders in your car. The last thing you want is a passenger spilling hot coffee all over themselves (and the upholstery), but many cars lack backseat cupholders altogether. That, or they’re hidden in the middle seat backrest, which can be inaccessible and far from ideal. The road trip cupholder solves this problem by attaching to the headrest anchor (the headrest cup holder is another example of this idea). Headrest hooks For bags and anything else Headrests aren’t just good for neck support or attaching cup holders; they can also be used to add hooks to the back seat. The configurable headrest hook is a parametric model that can be adjusted to fit virtually any vehicle and is perfect for hanging bags, clothing, towels, or anything else. Just measure the headrest pole diameter, the pole distance, and the length that the hook needs to be, then generate the model. Alternatively, the removable headrest hook isn’t customizable, but it can slip on and off easily. Headrest tablet mount Keep your passengers entertained Credit: Palle on MakerWorld Don’t have one of those fancy cars with screens in the back of the headrests? Upgrade your vehicle with the tablet you already own and a headrest mount to keep kids and adults entertained. I’d bet that a cheap Android tablet and a mount is cheaper than paying for the upgrade package from the dealer. Windscreen ice scraper The weather outside is frightful Credit: jjjlee / MakerWorld Windscreen ice scrapers are pretty cheap, but it’s not unreasonable to think that you might have misplaced yours. If that’s the case, the ultimate ice scraper has been revised multiple times to deliver the finest ice scraping experience possible. Probably, I wouldn’t know; it never ices up where I live. Alternatively, the easy grip ice scraper might be of interest to anyone who finds the tried-and-tested design rough on the wrists. Looking for more auto-related weekend projects? Check out last week’s collection of ESP32 builds for your car and driveway.