11 Most Useful Tricks On Car Care, According To Experienced Drivers

by IndianAuto Team | 24/10/2018
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Good drivers are not only good at driving, but they also know how to take care of their cars. Here are some useful tips shared by the senior drivers that you should know.

Driving is a skill that every driver gets better at through time and experience. The more you drive, the more competent of a driver you become. And of course, some tricky tips are indispensable for a proficient driver. Let’s spend some time to discuss these tips which not only help you stay safe and sound on the road but also guide you on how to deal with common car problems.

1. Hide small scratches with nail polish.

It may be unbelievable, but a simple nail polish totally can make a miracle. Do not be stressful just only because of some minor scratches on your car’s body. And do not be hasty to substitute any parts that have scratches on. It is time- and money-saving for you to cover the scratches by nail polish. There is a compound in nail polish that can prevent oxidation, so it is very effective for covering small scratches.

The biggest challenge is perhaps finding the colour of a nail polish that matches the colour of your car; however, it is not sheer difficult to find out one since the nail polish market nowadays is thriving with various choice. Rub the scratches a little bit after the nail polish dries, so that the scratches can be smooth and shiny.

Nail polish cover stretches

Nail polish can recover the scratches on car’s body

2. Stop windshield from a crack with nail polish.

In additional to hiding scratches, nail polish also helps us to prevent the glass crack on the windshield. You only need to paint two or three layers of varnish, which helps prevent the crack from spreading larger.

3. Avoid “hot” steering wheel.

There is such situation like you go out and have to park your car right under the sun, so what should you do in order not to be scalded when touching the wheel? If you do not want your wheel to enjoy too much the heat of the sun, just simply steer it upside down before you leave the car. That will be much better for your hands when you come back to your car.

parling car under the sun

The wheel should be turned at an angle of about 180 degrees before parked under the sun

4. Lessen the sun’s brightness.

It is unavoidable to be dazzled by the sunshine, so an acrylic sheet is essential. The acrylic sheet has static electricity itself which allows it to easily stick on the glass of the car, and you will appreciate it a lot. It could protect your eyes from ultraviolet light and the harm that you can get from the harsh heat of the sun.

The acrylic sheet is sticked on the front glasses of the car

The acrylic sheet has static electricity to stick easily on the glass surface

5. Prevent car sickness with a bay leaf.

Bay leaf contains a chemical compound that is effective in relaxing the nervous system and the stomach. If you or someone in your family or your group of friends are always suffering from car sickness, especially when traversing a winding road, biting a bay leaf or putting it under the tongue will be an easy but workable solution.

bay leaves

A bay leaf can defeat car sickness

6. Take advantage of the sun visor for a smart sunglass placement.

The sun visor of the car is an ideal place to design accommodation for stashing your sunglasses. If you are afraid that it will fall, use a small clip to hold this in place. Besides, it also is a good place to keep parking tickets.

keep sunglasses on the car’s visor

It is convenient to keep sunglasses on the car’s visor

7. Prevent drowsiness with lemon

If you often feel drowsy when you are driving, it will be good to bring a lemon along when you hit the road. Place a lemon wedge in your tongue. Eating the entire fruit can also help. It could do the job of a coffee cup, which will provide an instant boost of energy to keep you awake. When you are tired, nonetheless, you should be better stay away from driving instead of trying to drive insecurely.

Lemon

Lemon is a good way to get rid of drowsiness

8. Advance cupholder

A cup holder is available for most cars. Designed to comfortably keep your cup, but sometimes, cup holder can bring you a frustrating experience because it is too small for your cup to fit in. In this situation, an easy solution is to put a silicone cupcake holder inside, which not only helps the cup more secured but also make it easier for you to clean the cupholder.

Extra cupholders in car

Extra cupholders might come handy for you sometimes

9. Stop when the ball hits

This tip is rather tricky, but it can be very useful for all drivers, especially for beginners. A tennis ball should be hung in the garage, which provides an indication if it is already time to put the car into a stop since it is going to hit the wall. Sitting in the car, and you can feel the ball touching the windshield, it is a sign that you should stop by now.

10. Check the quality of the oil

The oil is one of the most important fluids that will ensure the peak performance of your car, and you totally can check it by yourself. Firstly, operating the car’s engine for at least 5 minutes and cut the ignition. Then, open the hood, take a couple of oil drops and put it in a piece of clean paper. Wait for about two hours or until the oil dries. How the oil drop turns out could indicate the quality of the oil:

Gasoline Engine Oil Test

These are different outcomes after 2 hours

  • If the edges of the oil spots are smooth, the oil quality is good because there is no water in the oil.

  • If there are some metal dot in the surface of the spot, the oil is low quality due to the damage of some internal parts of the car.

  • If the centre of the spot is darker grey, it is time for you to change the oil because it is too dirty.

  • If the centre of the spot is light grey or brown, it means that some particles in the oil do not dissolve. Consequently, you should change the oil immediately.

11. Check the quality of the gas

Checking the gas quality is nearly similar to checking the oil. However, there are two different ways to check the gas after having the gas out of the car.

  • The first one is dropping it in a white sheet of paper, then blowing on the paper and waiting until the gas evaporates. If the sheet of paper is still white, the gas is good. If it is greasy, this means that kerosene mixed with the gas.
  • The other is using fire. You should observe the glass’s circles after putting a drop of gas in it and setting it on fire. If it becomes brown, there is resin in your gas, which soon damages your car’s engine. On the contrary, no resin will be found out if the circle is perfectly white.

If you want to check whether there is any water in the gas, you have to use a transparent gas, then add some gas and a little manganese into it. If a reaction of dissolving the manganese crystals and transferring the colour of the gas into pink or purple happens, it is confirmed that water is added into the gas.

Indeed, driving is never easy. It provides you with complete control of your life, but the lives of others as well, especially your passengers. I hope that some techniques above can provide you with valuable insights. Keep these things in mind, and you will be more confident and comfortable whenever you hit the road.

Read more tips and guides from IndianAuto

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