Driving is an act most of us take for granted. Car care can be expensive and timely if you are not careful. Here are some simple tricks to keep you on the road while spending less money at the auto parts store or garage.

• Sunrise Melt

  Insuring that your car is parked facing east will allow the sun to help with defrosting the windshield on cold mornings. Avoid the scrape by parking smarter.

 

• Brush Your Lights

You can clean your headlights with a little bit of toothpaste and a lot of elbow grease. This will drastically improve the clarity of your lights and is MUCH cheaper than the kits they sell at the store that provide the same service.

Pesky Adhesives

If you need to remove an old registration sticker from your windshield, place a newspaper page in warm water and press it against the sticker. The water from the newspaper will be absorbed by the sticker and release the glue in about 10 minutes.

Razor's Edge

If you have bugs all over the windshield and no cleaning solutions handy, you can use a straight edged razor to scrape off any debris, then wipe with a clean cloth. Don't try this on the paint as it will OBVIOUSLY scratch the car.

Small Dents

Small dents can be fixed with a plunger by placing it directly over the dent and popping them out. Make sure the plunger is clean or something else may just pop out as well.

Touch Ups

Scratches that are too minor to send to the body shop can be fixed by applying nail polish of a similar color. Emphasis is on SIMILAR color, or you will be sporting a two-toned look that you weren't desiring.

Power Wash

You can remove gunk from your engine with a pressure washer and some dish soap. Remember to cover all electrical devises like the battery, distributor, and wires before beginning to avoid shorting anything out. Just make sure to reconnect them again once everything is dry.

Lighten the Load

Removing excess weight from the car will improve your gas mileage. The lighter the vehicle, the less energy your car is going to need to move; so keep your rock collection at home.

Candle Warmers

Place a scented candle inside of a container in your cup holder. On a hot day, the candle will begin to melt and release the fragrance as the car warms in the sun.

Vent Sheets

If you want that fresh clean smell but don't want a visible air freshener, place fabric dryer sheets in your vents, under your seats and in your trunk to keep your car laundry fresh.

Trunk Caddy

Is your trunk cluttered? Organize your trunk by placing extra fluids in a show caddy.

Parking Ace

Hanging a tennis ball on a string in the garage can help guide you when parking. Make sure that when you hang it, the ball is resting on the windshield in the perfect parking position top avoid running into the far wall.

Use Your Noodle

Another garage tip, avoid banging your car doors on the garage wall by mounting foam pool noodles at the location of impact.

Use Your Head

Use your head to increase your key fob's range. Literally, you can place the remote under your chin and your head will act as a conductor for the signal if it is becoming weak. There is no need to open your mouth however.

Bulky Keys

Too many keys can be causing undo stress to your ignition and starter. Remove some of those unnecessary keys and accessories from your key chain to keep your ignition in good working order. Another option is to use a carabiner or other removable device to allow your car key to easily detach and be used apart from the rest of your keys.

Key Ring Help

Save your fingers some pain; use a staple remover to pull apart key rings to make adding and removing keys much simpler.

Stepping It Up With Shoelaces

If you lock yourself out of your car, you can get in with the help of a shoe lace. Your locks must be located on the top. Loop one end of a shoe lace and lower it down in the space between the door and car. Once the loop is around the lock, pull it up like a lasso.

Food Warmer

If you are worried about your food cooling off before you get home, turn on your seat warmer to keep it warm. If you don't have seat warmers, drive faster.

Car Litter

If you are tired of your floorboards filling with trash, pick up a plastic cereal storage container. They generally come with a hinge lid, so you can use it as a trash bin until you can get to a dumpster.

Pantyhose Belt

Broken fan belt? Use a pair of pantyhose as a temporary fix until you can replace the belt more completely.

Source: odometer.com