When it comes to useful car hacks, there are a lot of ingenius car tips and tricks out there. It seems that we’re all getting behind on new car technology, and these helpful tricks can keep you up-to-date with modern car technology even when your car is years behind. We’ve compiled our list of favorites that will surely get you out of a bind.
30. Put A Sock On Your Wiper And A Bag On Your Mirror So It Won’t Freeze Over
Tired of frozen wipers and side mirrors when it snows? Try these simple car hacks. Just slip some old gym socks over your wipers to keep ice and snow from accumulating on them. It is cheap and inexpensive, plus it will save you from braving the freezing temps to de-ice your wipers. That’s always a pain in the you know what. It always seems to happen at the most inconvenient time too, doesn’t it? Good thing you kept those gym socks from yesteryear around with all of their banded glory. Try it; you will be impressed! For side mirrors, it’s equally easy. Just slip a plastic bag over them and secure with a rubber band. Insulation will do the rest. Its the same reason people put bags over their plants when a frost is predicted. Even just a few degrees difference will keep frost from forming on those delicate geraniums. The bags on your side mirrors will do the same. Pull them off and you have a crystal clear frost free view while you drive.
29. Take A Picture Of Where You Parked In A Huge Lot
How many times have you forgotten where you parked in a hug parking lot? Don’t worry, it happens to all of us. It’s not just those times we dash off to do some last-minute shopping at the mall either. While that is frustrating in and of itself, it’s even more frustrating to fly home after a long week of business and forget where you parked in that gigantic airport parking lot. It’s enough to make a grown man cry (I’m not saying whether or not I have). So what do you do? Well, the fix is easy. No matter whether you are parking in a lot during a two hour mall shopping trip, or can’t find your car for the life of you at Disney World, it can all be remedied with one simple trick. Simply take a picture of where you parked with your cell phone. Then, when trying to retrieve your car later, pull up the picture and walk right to it… every time.
28. Use Hand Sanitizer For Freezing Key Hole
What do cocktail drinks and frozen car door handle locks have in common? Well, nothing unless you happen to have some hand sanitizer lying around. It’s the easiest way to gain access to the frozen lock on your car door handle. Just pump a couple of squirts into your key, or into your hand, and try to put it in the lock. The idea is to put as much of the sanitizer in the lock as you can. The alcohol in the hand sanitizer will melt the ice in short order, allowing you to gain access and drive away. It’s the same reason you’re bar drink gets watered down if you wait too long to drink it. The alcohol in your cocktail melts the ice. A little bit gives it flavor, too much makes it watery. What you’re hoping for with your car lock is a total meltdown event. Just make sure you don’t try the same with your cocktail. It’s not the same, I promise.
27. Use A Coin To Measure If You Need New Tires
So the guy at the tire shop says you need new tires, but I bet he says that to everybody. That’s the way he makes a living after all, and I’m sure he likes to eat. So what do you do? Blindly trust him, or figure out a way to tell for yourself whether or not those tires are still good? If you have some loose change in your pocket, you have all the tools you need at your disposal. Simply remove the penny and stick it in your tire tread, head down. That’s right, we want Lincoln fully immersed in the experience. He needs to be head over tread. If the tire tread does not touch the top of his head, your tire guy is an honest Abe. If it sinks down past his forehead, your tires are good for a bit longer. Tell your tire salesman to hit the road. Better yet, get in your car and do it yourself. You have many miles to tread!
26. Place A Cloth Bag Of Rice On Your Dash To Absorb Excess Moisture
Condensation in your vehicle can be a real pain. Not only do you have to wait for the exterior to thaw, you also have to wait for that thin sheet of ice inside your window to dissipate at times. In the summer, it’s no better. After a heavy rain the fog can take over the inside windows rather quickly. It seems like you’re constantly in a struggle with interior condensation. There’s a simple car hack for this, though. All you have to do is pour some rice into an old T-shirt or pillowcase and set it on your dash. The rice will absorb the moisture and keep the inside of your vehicle free of water. Check the rice every few weeks to make sure it is still active. You can try heating it up in the microwave from time to time to refresh it, but eventually you will need to replace the old rice with new. Good thing rice is cheap!
25. Use Toothpaste to Clear Foggy Headlights
Foggy headlights can be a bummer when you drive, especially at night. Is that a deer in the road, a serial killer, or your cousin waiting on you to pick him up? With your foggy headlights, you never know, and your headlights are foggy for good reason. Who wants to pay $20 or $30 to have their headlights restored while getting an oil change? That can easily turn a $30 oil change into a $60 or $70 experience real quick. And those headlight restoration kits? Give it up. With all of the different steps and time required, it can be frustrating. There is a much easier solution. Simply take some toothpaste and apply it to your headlight. Then, take a clean, lint free cloth, like a hand towel or old T-shirt, and rub like crazy. Sooner or later, the fog will lift, and… your life will be spared. Turns out that was a serial killer in the road after all, not your cousin. You better buy some toothpaste and get to work!
24. Clean The Interior With A Coffee Filter
It’s a little-known fact, but coffee filters make excellent interior cleaners for your vehicle. They actually attract lint and dust, so they make great shop towel replacements. Plus, they are cheap and disposable. That’s always a good thing. So rather than buy a ton of shop towels or terrycloth rags, go to the supermarket and spend a couple of bucks on coffee filters. You will have at least a couple hundred, so they should last for a while even of you decide to use most of them for making coffee. Keep several in a slide lock plastic bag stored in your glove compartment or console for easy access, and use them as needed. You will be amazed at how well they work! You might keep a small bottle of interior cleaner in there as well. They work well dry or wet, and are one of the best uses for coffee filters, besides making coffee, of course.
23. Use A Staple Remover To Put Keys On A Key Ring
Remember that time you got your new car and tried to slip the new key on your key ring? Remember all the cursing and swearing that ensued because the key ring slipped and slid underneath your finger nail making it bleed? Yep, I’ve been there a few times myself. It hurts like a few words I can’t say on the internet. Thankfully, there is a clever hack for this situation. All you need is a basic, run of the mill staple remover. That’s it. Simply slip the staple remover in between the grooves on your key ring and squeeze. The ring will pop open allowing you to add or subtract keys from the ring. You can even slide the ring around the staple remover as you go to make adding keys even easier. At the end of the experience, you will have all of your fingers in good working order and your mom will be proud, too. She won’t have to wash your mouth out with soap!
22. Did You Know Your Keyhole Is Covered Until You Need It?
Electronic locks are great, but what if they fail? You could be locked out of your vehicle for quite some time if you don’t have Onstar or AAA. Chances are you know someone who has had this very thing happen to them. Well, you might be surprised to learn that your vehicle still has a manual lock on the vehicle; you just can’t see it. Look at your door handle and you will notice a smaller section of plastic that appears to just be sitting there for aesthetic purposes. Well my friends, that is anything but the case. It’s actually a cover design to hide your lock until you actually need it, like say in the instance that your electronic locks fail. Simply slide your key underneath that little piece and pop it off, revealing your car door handle lock. It’s been there the whole time, hiding in plain sight. Now you know how to access your vehicle when your electronic locks fail.
21. Use A Hair Dryer To Take Off Stickers
Relettering a car is always fun. Sometimes you just want to mix it up and personalize it a bit. Sometimes the old decals break and you need to replace them with something new, but getting a body shop to do it can be expensive, so how do you get the old ones off to replace them with new? Is there a special tool you need, or some advanced knowledge required? Not really, if that were the case all car mechanics would hold doctorate degrees. As it happens, it’s quite easy. Just run inside and grab your hair dryer. Turn it on and aim it at the decal going back and forth for about five minutes or so. That should loosen it up enough to be easily removed. Then, use some Goof Off to clean up the rest. You can reapply whatever your heart desires to completely customize your car!
20. Use Cupcake Holders To Line Your Cup Holders
So what about all of that stuff that collects in the cup holders of your car? Change, keys, dirt, etc. It really starts to stack up after a while and can get really messy. The simplest solution is to not put anything in there, but since nobody in the world does that we are thankful for this car hack. Go buy a sleeve of cupcake holders from your local supermarket and put one in each cup holder. You can use the rest as an excuse to make cupcakes and eat them. They are perfect for catching change, dirt and all sorts of other things. They are really easy to clean up too. Simply take the cupcake holder out, dump the change into your change jar, and replace with some fresh new ones. The time it will save you from scrubbing dirt and grime out of your cup holders alone is worth a try. The fact that it will be much easier to retrieve your change is an added bonus for this hack. Move over Martha Stewart, there might be a new sheriff in town when it comes to clever household hacks for your everyday life.
19. Use Your Seat Warmer To Keep Pizza Warm
Sometimes you have to grab dinner on the run. However, sometimes that dinner is cold by the time you get home, especially if that dinner is carryout pizza. How many times have you grabbed a pizza, then run by the hardware store or supermarket to grab a few other things only to get home 30 minutes later and find your pizza cold? That is no fun at all. In fact, as far as your family is concerned, it’s a complete let down. You might as well not have ordered any pizza at all. If only there were a way to keep it warm until you got home, irregardless of how many stops you made along the way. There is a hack for that. Here it is. If you have a seat warmer in your vehicle, turn it on. It will keep your pizza nice and toasty the whole ride home, so your family can savor each delicious bite. Pure genius.
18. Add A Garage Door Opener To Your Console
Sometimes it can be a pain searching for your garage door remote while trying to pull into your driveway. If only there was a way to push a simple button instead of having to flip the visor down or reach for your garage door opener. Well, as it happens, you can install one in your car quite easily. You can add the button on the driver side door console like you see here, or on the dash. It’s totally up to you. All you need is a basic push button switch, and enough wire to connect the switch to your garage door opener. Take a drill and drill through your door console, making sure you have just enough room for the button to pop through. Install the switch on the console, and attach the wires to your garage door opener. Presto, you have a door opener at your fingertips, easily within reach. This makes it possible for anyone who owns a vehicle that may not be equipped with modern-day garage door opening features to have one anyway. It’s very simple to do, and will definitely be at the top of your list of clever car hacks.
17. Get More Gas And Less Air When You Pump Slower
No one wants to spend more time than they have to at a gas pump, but we’ve been told that holding trigger on the gas pump at 50% allows more gas and less air to enter your gas tank. That means more miles in your tank and more money in your wallet. So next time you set that little automatic lever to fill your tank as quickly as possible, notice there are a few more notches that allow you to fill your tank slower without you having to manually hold the nozzle. Set the automatic lever at 50% and take a short walk to bide the time. It will be well worth it in the end.
16. Use Nail Polish To Cover Up Scratches
That moment when you buy a nice $40,000 sports car in candy apple red only to be rewarded with paint dings by a wayward grocery cart, or careless toddler opening their car door, in a parking lot. You know, those types of moments. Nothing is more frustrating than that, and it can be really tempting to go off the rails and let your emotions get the best of you. Or, perhaps you could try getting in touch with your feminine side and using a bit of nail polish. That’s right, nail polish. Find a color that matches closely and use it to repair minor dings and scratches where other people have not been so careful around your car. It’s a great way to protect the metal, and it works surprisingly well for covering up the imperfection two. Give it a try and see for yourself. It will save you thousands of dollars at the body shop in the long run.
15. Use A Rubber Band To Remove Air Vent Dust
Get a pen or a screwdriver, a rubber band and your dirty, dusty air vents. Assemble the pen and vents just like this and swipe the rubber back and forth in order to break all that hard-to-reach dust free!
14. Use Hot Water To Pop Out Dents
Every once in a while, you have an accident that doesn’t require involving your insurance. Usually, it’s the type of thing where you hit an inanimate object and have minor damage, something like a dented bumper. Well, the next time you do that, and want to save yourself a trip to the body shop, try this hack. This only works on plastic bumpers mind you, but it does work. If you have a small dent from striking an object, take a pan of boiling hot water and pour it on the dent. The temperature differential will cause the dent to pull out by expanding the plastic back to its original shape. It really is like watching your own private magic show! It works so well that it is one of the traits body shops often use for minor repairs themselves. It’s a great way to save money and time, and you won’t believe how easy it really is.
13. Use A Noodle To Protect Your Car Door
This next car hack object has been one of the most successful hack items in recent years. It always makes top 10 hack lists for something that can be used for one purpose or another. I am talking about the common pool noodle. It is one versatile, fun pool toy. As far as car hacks are concerned, this one is a winner. You can use the pool noodle to protect your car doors in the garage. Simply cut the pool noodle in half and glue each length to one side of your garage where your car door would normally hit if fully opened. Instead, it will now strike the pool noodle, saving your door from damage and prolonging the life of your paint job. Who knew such a cheap pool toy could come in so handy? They are so much more than just a silly pool toy. They are one of the world’s best car door protectors!
12. Make A Vinegar Solution To Melt Windshield Ice
One of those pesky problems that will suddenly put a frown on your face when you’re late for work in the morning – coming outside to see a heavy icy layer on your windshield. Heating up your car and getting the defroster to take care of the problem takes time, if that even works at all. Running inside and back out with buckets of hot water is messy; I’ve never been able to stay completely dry through this process. Thank goodness we found this little car trick. Add 2/3 parts vinegar and 1/3 parts water to a spray bottle and mist away. You’ll see that ice defrost in no time. Depending on where you live it may be a good idea to keep this bottle readily available in your car, so that you’re never caught off guard in an icy situation.
11. Use Auto-Detailing Goo to Remove Dust
It seems like a toy you buy near the checkout line at the grocery store, but it’s actually a real product and it actually works. This malleable goo can be inserted into almost any nook or cranny to pull off that hard-to-reach dust from fan vents, window controls and everywhere in between.
10. Only Roll Down The Front Windows For Best Air Circulation
If you’re AC goes out in the middle of the summer, don’t worry. You aren’t completely doomed if you follow this helpful car hack. You may be tempted to roll down every window possible to get as much fresh air in the car as you can. However, the breeze will be a lot stronger if you only roll down the driver and passenger windows and keep the back windows closed. This will force the air to circulate rather than go in one window and right back out of the other. So drive fast and avoid stopping to keep your car cooled under these less than pleasant conditions.
9. Park Your Car Facing East To Melt The Morning Ice On Your Windshield
We love mother nature, even though she brings frost and snow in the winter time that makes it hard for us to get around. Luckily, we can use good ole’ mother nature to our advantage with this next clever car trick. Tired of dealing with defrosting your car in the mornings just to make it to work on time? We given you several clever tricks already to deal with the frost and ice, but if you’re still not satisfied, just park your car facing east so that when you wake up in the morning the rising sun has had its best opportunity to do all the defrosting for you.
8. Do You Know What Side Your Gas Tank Is On?
How many times have you been driving your friend’s car and pull up to the gas pump only to realize the gas tank is located on the other side of the vehicle? I know I have done that myself plenty of times, at least until someone showed me this neat little hack. It comes courtesy of the car manufacturer, and is quite handy. In order to locate on which side of the car your gas tank is located, simply look at the gas gauge. There is an arrow beside the fuel icon. It is pointing to the side of the car where the gas tank can be found. It’s the little things like this that dealerships should tell us when we purchase a new vehicle. When I was shown, I felt it was one of the most revolutionary epiphanies/discoveries that have been shown to me regarding the modern-day vehicle. It made all of the other bells and whistles like heated seating, dual climate control, and automatic headlights seem like nothing more than eccentric commentary.
7. Do This To Cool A Hot Car In Seconds
No one wants to get in a car that’s been baking in the sun on a hot summer day, especially if you’ve got black leather seats. Ouch! The backs of my legs are tingling just thinking about it. Well, we’ve got a helpful car trick to the rescue that will cool your car in seconds. Roll down the window on one side of the car. Then walk around to the other side and open and close the door a few times. Voila! The combination of the open window and the door opening creates a draft that gets the hot air moving out and the cooler air moving in a whole lot quicker. So think of us the next time you don’t have sweat stains on a hot summer day when you’re able to put this trick to good use.
6. Hold Your Key Fob To Your Chin To Increase Its Range
We’ve all gotten spoiled by modern technology in our cars. Gone are the days when we actually had to stand beside our vehicle to unlock it. Sometimes even with all of our new technology we find that it’s still not enough. Have you ever needed to lock or unlock your car, but it’s just out of range? Well, next time that happens try holding the fob up to your chin and try pressing the buttons again. Apparently we have a lot of fluids in our brain that help the fob conduct to extend its range. You may get some weird looks in public when you try this clever car hack, but rest assured knowing that you’re using science to your advantage.
5. Driving The Speed Limit Can Get You Somewhere Faster
When you’re in a hurry and it seems like all the stoplights are working against you, it’s probably because they are. Civil engineers typically try to time stoplights to work together, so that drivers who are driving the speed limit should hit green lights as they go. Instead of putting the extra wear and tear on your car from constant braking and accelerating when you’re in a hurry, just take a deep breath, drive exactly the speed limit, and trust that the guy who engineered the traffic lights on this particular street did a good job and has you cruising through greens all the way!
4. Use A Cereal Tupperware Container As A Trashcan
Every time I get a new car I vow to keep it clean forever. I tell myself that I’m never going to junk it up with candy wrappers or receipts, I’ll never spill coffee in the small crevices around the cupholders, I’ll never load up the back seat with junk and forget to take it out, etc. But alas, it happens to all of us. Sooner or later, one fast food cup gets left in the cupholder, and then another and another. Sooner or later we have to face the inevitable – we need to keep a trash can in our cars to keep them from becoming one giant trash can. A simple cereal container works great, and it’s sealable so that you don’t have the aroma of yesterday’s drive-thru trash wafting throughout the car.
3. Put Dryer Sheets Under Your Seats For A Fresher Smelling Car
This is our second clever car hack involving dryer sheets, so keeping a small box of them wouldn’t be a bad idea. If you’re like me, and you’re constantly driving kids or grandkids to and from soccer practice, baseball practice, swimming lessons, etc. Dirty sweaty socks get taken off in the car, cheetos bags are opened, you get the idea. It’s hard to keep that new car smell in a world like this. Our last helpful car hack simply keeps your car smelling fresh, even if it isn’t. Place a dryer sheet under EVERY seat in the car, and soon enough the smell will penetrate and overcome the less appealing odors that have made their way in. If you liked this list, don’t worry. We have plenty more where this came from. Just hit the NEXT button below for more awesome mentertainment.
2. Rubberband Cell Phone Holder
So you’re not up to speed with the modern driver. You have no cell phone dock for your car, no Bluetooth capability and it drives you up the wall sometimes. I understand; the struggle is real. Couple your situation with all of the new driving laws enacted on a whim, and it can be hard to keep your phone handy when you need it. All you want to do is have access to GPS, and stay legal, but no cell phone holder seems to work well, and they are all too expensive anyway. Well, why not invent your own cell phone holder with a rubber band? It’s easy. Simply slip a rubber band through your air conditioning vent and secure it to the phone as you see in the picture. Your cell phone will stay nice and secure, and you can see the screen while you drive. Eat your heart out Tom Tom and Garmon – rubber bands to the rescue!
14. Use A Tennis Ball To Keep You From Hitting Your Back Wall In The Garage
Rather than ask the question, I will just state the obvious. There is not one person on the planet that has not run into their garage wall when pulling their car into the garage at one time or another. It’s one of those universal Murphy’s laws that applies to everyone. What if there was a clever way to keep you from ramming your car into the wall when you pull into the garage? Well, if you’re reading this list then you know there is. Simply tie a tennis ball to a long string and position it such that when it touches your front windshield, you are signaled to stop. That will keep you from hitting the wall every time, and really perplex your cat the next time they get locked in there for a while with that tantalizing tennis ball out of reach. That’s okay, it’s allowable. Don’t feel bad. If it were a dog, it would be another thing entirely. Anyway, go buy some tennis balls and thank me for saving you money on your homeowners policy later.