50 cool autolife hacks for all occasions

On the road

1. Chew to stay awake

When there is no way to stop and take a nap on long trips, instead of energy drinks and coffee, it is better to chew gum, gnaw seeds or eat an apple. If you have a lemon on hand, you can cut off a wedge and place it under your tongue. A slightly open window will also help to cheer up, especially in the cold season.

2. At intersections, do not turn the steering wheel in advance

When standing at a traffic light and planning to turn left, never turn the steering wheel in advance. If the driver behind for some reason does not have time to brake and knocks you on the bumper, then from the impact the car will be thrown into the oncoming lane and a minor accident will turn into a serious accident.

3. Make a dash cam from a smartphone

You can quickly turn any camera phone into a dashboard camera with a pair of regular rubber bands. You just need to lower the sun visor and, having secured the phone to it, adjust the angle of inclination.

4. Do not guess which side of the gas tank

If you've recently bought or rented a car, it's easy to forget which side the tank is on. To find out, you just need to look at the dashboard and find a gas station icon. A small arrow next to it will indicate which side the gas tank is on.

In emergency situations

5. Use scotch tape or stretch film instead of rope

If there was no towing cable in the trunk, but there was scotch tape or film in the glove compartment, then you can successfully make a rope from them to drag the car to a car service. Wrap the film in several layers between the side mirrors of the cars standing one after another and fix it in the standard eyelets. You will receive a durable tape that will support the weight of a car.

6. Repair the punctured wheel with a screw

On a punctured tubeless tire, it is quite possible to get to the nearest tire fitting when there is no spare tire at hand. You can detect a puncture by pouring water on the wheel from a bottle, and fix it by simply wrapping one of the door sill screws in it.

7. Warm up the battery in severe frost

At negative temperatures, the density of the electrolyte in the battery decreases, and with it the capacity and starting current fall. But if, before starting the engine, turn on the high beam headlights for a couple of minutes, then the temperature of the electrolyte in the pores of the plates will increase and the battery will turn the starter much faster.

8. Use rugs to get out of the snow

Stuck in a deep snowdrift in winter, do not rush to seek help. Try to get out of the trap yourself by placing floor mats under the wheels. They will improve grip and prevent the car from slipping.

In the parking lot

9. Park in reverse

Leaving your car in a parking lot where other cars are parked in a fir-tree or parallel to each other, try to drive into an empty space by reversing. This will make it easier to maneuver, since the front wheels always turn. And then it will be much easier to leave.

10. In the heat of the parking lot, turn the steering wheel half a turn

This simple trick will help protect your hands from burns and eliminate the need to grab a red-hot steering wheel when you return. After all, it is the upper part that is facing the windshield that heats up.

11. Quickly ventilate the passenger compartment by opening and closing the door

If the car does not have air conditioning, then after a long stay in the sun, you can quickly ventilate the interior by lowering the driver's door glass and slamming the rear door several times from the opposite side.

12. When leaving the car in the parking lot in winter, cool the interior

Before going home and leaving the car outside, open all doors for a few minutes to equalize the temperature inside and outside. This will prevent the glass from fogging and frosting from the inside. You can even turn off the heater and open the windows when driving up to the house or parking lot in advance.

13. Park towards the sun

Also, in winter, if possible, you should park towards the east. So in the morning the sun's rays will warm up the windshield - it will be easier to clean it.

14. Use stretch wrap to remove frost

In the off-season, frost always forms on the windshield of a car left on the street, which you have to clean off with a scraper or wait until the glass is warmed up from the inside by the heater. A strip of film thrown over the glass in the evening will help save time. Frost is formed on it. By removing this protection, you get clean glass and excellent visibility.

15. Clean the glass from ice with a washer

Winter washer fluid does an excellent job of dissolving windshield ice. It is most conveniently applied from a small spray bottle.

16. Remove fogging with an air conditioner

If the windows are fogged up from the inside, which often happens in the off-season, you can quickly dry them by simply turning on the air conditioner. It will help remove excess moisture in the cabin, which is the reason for fogging.

17. Lubricate the door seal with silicone grease

And then it will not freeze to the door and will not come off when you open it in the morning after parking on the street.

For repair and maintenance

18. Automate the jack

If you change tires yourself in the garage, it is convenient to raise and lower the jack using a screwdriver. It can also be used to remove loose wheel bolts. This trick will greatly speed up the replacement process.

19. Mark the desired end of the wheel wrench

You can quickly find the right size on a cross-type balloon wrench by simply winding a few turns of electrical tape around it or making a notch with a file.

20. Simplify Oil Change

If you change the oil yourself, you can do without basins and make your task great. To do this, you need to make a drain from the sewer pipe to the height of the pit, through which the oil will drain from the pallet directly into the canister standing on the floor.

21. Do not spill oil when filling

And in order not to spill new oil when filling, when there is no watering can of a suitable size at hand, you can use a regular screwdriver. Place in the filler neck and pour the oil so that it flows down the screwdriver.

22. Unscrew the plugs on the battery with a coin

When charging the battery, it is necessary to unscrew its plugs, but this is not always easy to do. In this case, it is more convenient to use a regular coin. It fits much better than even the largest screwdriver, which will twist and ruin the plug slot.

23. Mask the scratches on the body

You can easily remove a small scratch with a similar color nail polish. Gently paint over it, applying a couple of coats, then let the varnish dry and wipe this area with polish.

24. Stop cracks on the windshield

Also, with the help of varnish, but already colorless, it is possible to prevent the spread of the crack on the windshield. To do this, you need to clean it well and apply two or three coats of varnish as soon as you notice a crack. And it is better to use a special one for restoration, which will help completely hide the defect.

In the garage

25. Use a tennis ball as a beacon

Novice drivers and owners of cramped garages will find it much easier to drive in if you hang a tennis ball from the ceiling so that it touches the windshield when the car is in the correct position. Those who drive into the garage backwards should use a board nailed to the floor instead of a ball.

26. Install the damper for the door

Another trick for owners of cramped garages is a soft tube damper that will protect the door from hitting the wall. You just need to glue or otherwise fix a strip of insulation at the level of the door.

To save

27. Do not overpay for spare parts in car services

If you want to save money, then never buy parts and consumables for repair or maintenance from car service technicians. It is much more profitable to order them on the Internet, independently choosing the spare parts that are optimal in terms of price and quality.

28. Use analogs of parts

The price of original spare parts bites, and they are almost never out of stock. Therefore, it is more profitable to install high-quality analogues, recommendations for the selection of which can be found on the thematic forums of car owners of your car brand.

29. Reduce fuel consumption by clearing the trunk

By removing everything unnecessary from the trunk, you can reduce consumption by a few percent. There is no need to carry bottles with a washer, a brazier, a large box with tools and other unnecessary things there all year round.

To maintain cleanliness and order

30. Polish the headlights

When the glasses of the head optics become dull, it is not necessary to replace them. You can restore their former transparency in a few minutes with the help of ordinary toothpaste. To do this, you need to apply a paste to the washed headlights, having previously glued their contours with masking tape to protect the body from abrasives. Then it remains only to vigorously rub the paste with a napkin or a piece of felt and rinse off the remnants with water.

31. Clean alloy wheels

Disks of complex shape are difficult to clean during washing, and polishing to a high shine is even more difficult. Soda can help in this situation. Dilute it with water and make a thick paste, which then apply to the surface of the discs and leave for half an hour. Then you just need to rinse the gruel with water, and the discs will be like new.

32. Polish the dashboard

You can rub the front panel to a shine without any chemicals. For this, the most common olive oil is suitable, which must be well rubbed into the surface of the panel with a fleecy napkin.

33. Make your own freshener

You can do without chemistry when it comes to fresheners. Instead of buying a new bottle or pendant, you can take your favorite essential oil, soak a wooden clothespin with it, and attach it to the ventilation grill.

34. Clean the cupholders

At the bottom of the cup holders, dust and other small debris are constantly accumulating, which is not easy to clean. If you put a paper or silicone muffin mold in there, it will be much easier to clean. In addition, with such a stand, the glass will stand much more securely.

35. Start a small trash can

A box for napkins or a can of chips with a bag inside makes an excellent trash can for candy wrappers, napkins and other small debris that usually settles in ashtrays and door pockets. You can even buy a small-sized ready-made waste bin and find a place for it in the salon.

36. Clean rugs with snow

In winter, rugs can be very easily cleaned by simply rubbing them against clean snow. With heavy dirt, it is better to do this: pour some snow on the rugs and grind it with a glass brush.

37. Secure the contents of the trunk

If you still have to constantly carry some things with you in the trunk, then you can easily fix them by wrapping them with stretch film or luggage elastic bands.

For comfort in the cabin

38. Make a glasses holder

In the absence of a standard glasses holder, you can replace it with a homemade one. To do this, simply take a stationery clip, attach it to the ventilation grill, and then thread one of the temples of the glasses into the clip ears. You can also attach the accessory to the sun visor using a clothespin.

39. Make a tablet holder

On a long trip for children in the back seat, you can arrange a video room by attaching a tablet to the headrest of the front seats with a few rubber bands.

40. Mark the position of the driver's seat

If several family members drive the car, and the seat has no memory of settings, then it is convenient to stick pieces of electrical tape on the threshold and the side of the chair, which will help you quickly set it in the desired position.

41. Close the gap between the chairs

The treacherous space between the driver's and passenger's seats, like a black hole, swallows keys, coins and other little things that fall there at the most inopportune moment. You can avoid such problems by closing it with the already familiar pipe insulation.

42. Hide the radio under the cover

In some cars, the radio is automatically hidden when it is turned off into the dashboard. It is rather difficult to implement such a system on your own. But you can make a simpler and at the same time no less effective analogue by cutting out a hinged cover from a piece of an old DVD box to cover the radio in the parking lot with it.

43. Prevent windscreen fogging

You can solve the problem of fogging glasses by rubbing them from the inside with toothpaste or shaving foam. After processing, it remains to clean the glass with a dry cloth. They won't sweat anymore.

44. Remove excess moisture with silica gel

Another way to combat wet weather fogging is with silica gel cat litter. Pour it into a sock and place it on the back shelf. It absorbs moisture from the air in the passenger compartment and prevents condensation from forming on the windows.

Miscellaneous

45. Turn on the heated seats to keep food warm

When buying pizza or other food home, you can bring it warm if you use the heated seats. Optionally, cover the box with a jacket or sweater.

46. Hold on to the roof to avoid static discharge

When leaving the car, touch the roof or door with your hand before placing your foot on the ground. Then you will definitely not be hit by static electricity.

47. Increase the range of the alarm key fob

When the key fob does not work, and you cannot get closer, you can use your body as an antenna for it. Just touch the keyring to your neck or chin and press the button.

48. Arrange a disco by synchronizing music on several cars

To have a party somewhere in nature, when the power of one car radio is not enough, you can use an FM transmitter and catch its wave with the radio tape recorders of other cars, making the sound much louder.

49. Make the charging cable more convenient

If the charging wire is not spring-loaded and constantly gets confused, then it can be easily curled by yourself. To do this, simply wrap the cable around a pencil, warm it up a little with a hairdryer and let it cool to fix this shape.

50. Take care of the ignition switch

Give up the habit of hanging other bunches of keys from the garage, home, work on the car keys. The ignition lock of modern cars is a rather delicate detail that is not cheap. Therefore, it is not worthwhile to once again load it with a heap of keys constantly dangling back and forth.