Top 10 Do It Yourself Car Tips
By Marc Howe on Aug 03, 2010 with Comments 0
Car tweaks are sometimes the favorite past time for people. This not only keeps them busy but also gives their cars the necessary repair work or maintenance it requires. Maintaining your vehicle and getting maximum performance from it is not a tough task. There are many simple and easy to do task that keep your vehicle in good working conditions and make you feel satisfied and proud while driving. The DIY tasks do not need much money to spend on. They are economical and within the reach of every driver. These minor tweaks can be helpful to get the required performance from your vehicle.
1. Create your own Storage Place
Frustration arises at times when you found that the storage place is not enough to accommodate items or different devices within the arm’s reach. Nothing to worry about, you can extend the storage place inside the car within arm’s reach with the help of common household things. For instance, you can use empty yogurt cups, duct tape and many other such things to build your own car console. A sticky pad on the dashboard can also be of great advantage.
2. Inspecting you Engine and its Different Components
To avoid the long term panic and frustration and heavy repair costs, you have to inspect your engine and its different components regularly. Cleaning the excessive oil or grease from the surface of different components, inspecting leaks or damages lines or hoses, checking the oil levels and the coolant level in the cooling system are all the maintenances work which not only help you to keep your vehicle in best working condition, but also help reduces your repair costs.
3. Locate the Position of your Car
If you have parked your car in a large parking lot crowded with vehicles and you have forgot the location of your car, then finding a car will not be an easy task for you. However, there are some ways through which you can save your precious time. You can take a photo of your car and its surroundings to get back to your car immediately after you come back. In case you forgot to take the snap, then the other way is to raise your fob up and raise your car alarm signal. This will make things easier for you to find your car.
4. Fuel Efficiency (Hypermile)
Fuel efficient vehicles are nowadays much in demand as the fuel prices are getting higher and higher. Many car owners use the technique of hypermiling to maximize the fuel economy. Following are the tips given to hypermile or maximize the fuel efficiency of your vehicle.
- Always keep track of your gas mileage. This will help you to maximize the fuel economy of your vehicle.
- Always keep a good distance from your from, this will help you to control the speed of the car more properly and is also fuel efficient in some way. Applying sudden brakes results in the lost of momentum and needs more fuel to regain the momentum of the car.
- Moderate speed helps to save the fuel. So make it a habit and avoid lead footed acceleration. This will not only ensure your safety, but also help to control the fuel consumption.
5. Keep your windshield Clean
Keeping your windshield clean is of great importance. Good visibility is always necessary for your as well as other drivers on the road. Dirt and other pollutants with time settle on the surface of the windshield and reduce the visibility. They need to be clean daily. Many window cleaners and other products are available, but you can clean it with water and squeegee. For hard elements, you can use razor blade to scrub them off the surface carefully.
6. Use Hand Sanitizer to De-ice a Lock
A tiny tube of hand sanitizer not only keeps the germs away, but it is also good to break the ice down. It contains heavy amount of alcohol which helps to treat the ice. Put some hand sanitizer in a lock and it will serve the purpose.
7. Remove Coffee and other Tough Stains
Often you spill some coffee or tea into the interior of the car. This leaves a stain on the carpet. You need to remove them to keep the looks of your interior. Clean and well maintained interior definitely makes you feel comfortable during driving. So, you can use dish detergent, dryer lint or other available products to remove the stains.
8. Fix Cracks and Scratches with Nail Polish
Clear nail polish can be of great help if used properly. Clear nail can be used to repair or fix the glass or windshield temporarily. Other than that, you can use it on the surface which you want to keep safe from rust.
Color shades of nail polish can also be of great help to temporarily finish the paint jobs. And scratch or stain can be removed by applying the nail polish of exactly the same color as that of your car exterior.
9. Connect MP3 player
Using iPhone or iPod in your car is not a difficult task. There are many ways available to install or put together the portable devices to your vehicle’s stereo system. You just need to adopt the best suitable way to integrate them into your dashboard along with other devices without much struggle.
10. Fix a dent yourself
Dents are almost unstoppable. Your car receive dent in some way or another. Sometimes a car hits you and sometimes a heavy push on the surface unknowingly can cause a dent to your car. What you need is to have a hair dryer, dry ice and a can of compressed air. These things might not work with hard dents, but for small dents they can best serve the purpose.
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