Smart Car Hacks That You Must Know

‘Common sense isn’t all that common’ goes a particular saying; mostly because it varies from person to person depending on their knowledge and experiences. Similarly, when it comes to cars, while you may know how to drive, you might not always know how to react to certain driving situations or manage specific car troubles if you haven’t faced them before.

So, as the world celebrates Common Sense Day on November 4th to focus on the importance of using common-sense in everyday life, we thought it would be beneficial to present you with a few ways to deal with common car issues. This way, you never have to wonder if the way you are handling a situation is sensible or have anyone else questioning you either.

Make Windshields Fog-Proof

A common problem that many drivers face, especially during the monsoon and winter is the fogging up of the windshield due to excessive condensation. At such times, you can either increase or decrease the AC temperature in the car cabin to match the temperature outside, which can reduce fogging. However, this might not be very effective if there is excessive fogging. Additionally, changing in the cabin temperature could leave you feeling uncomfortable.

So, here’s a pro tip – apply shaving cream on a dry towel, rub the cream on the inside of the car windshield and wipe it clean with another dry towel. This will prevent the glass from fogging up as easily as before.

And if you find it difficult to drive at night due to smudges on the windshield, wipe them off with newspaper. Newspapers can easily absorb oils and remove smudges.

DIY Headlight Cleaning

Every inch of your car may come out sparkling clean each time you get it serviced. However, there are certain car parts – like the headlamps – that need regular attention and cleaning, especially if you drive frequently. For instance, due to oxidation, headlamp lenses can turn yellow quickly. Apart from affecting the aesthetic appearance of your car, yellowed headlamps may withhold light emitted from the bulbs.

A smart way to clean headlamps, in such instances, is with some whitening toothpaste. Put it on a towel or your fingers and then apply it to the headlamp lenses. Rub the toothpaste in circular motions to spread it evenly either with a paper towel or any soft cloth. Leave it on the headlamp for 10-15 minutes, and then wipe it off with a wet cloth or paper towel. And voila! Your car headlamps will look as good as new.

Easy Way to Check Tyre Tread

Car tyres have a designated tread depth, after which, they are not safe to use in extreme weather conditions. While there are specialised instruments that measure tread depth, did you know that it can also be assessed with just a coin? Insert a coin into the tread groove with the Lion capital upside down. If the Lion’s head gets hidden in the grooves, it means that the tyres have enough depth and are safe to continue using.

On certain tyres, you will find tread wear indicators – look for a piece of rubber that connects two tread blocks. If your tread blocks have worn down to the level of these indicators, your tyres need replacing. This is a simple check that you can do by yourself and without “professional” supervision.

Keeping Your Car Safe When Lending It To others

It’s common to feel wary when handing over your car keys to a friend or neighbour if they need your car in an emergency. You don’t want them to break traffic rules or risk your car, as you will be the one who ends up facing the repercussions.

With Ford’s MyKey technology, you can bid adieu to such worries. This technology lets you set restrictions on various capabilities of your car, such as a maximum speed limit, seatbelt reminder and even control the volume of the audio system. This will give you peace of mind that your car is being handled correctly when you lend your car to others.

Jump-Starting Your Car

If you go on long-distance drives for days together, a flat battery is not uncommon to experience. And finding a mechanic may not always be feasible. However, knowing how to jump-start your car battery can help you. Therefore, it is advisable to carry a jumper cable on long trips especially. Apart from the cable, you’ll need a donor car whose battery is running fine to jumpstart your car.

• Park both cars close to each other and turn off the engines. Attach one end of the red cable to the positive terminal of the good battery and the other end to the positive terminal of the dead battery.
• Attach one end of the black jumper cable to the negative terminal of the good battery and the other end to a clean, unpainted metal surface of the car, far from the dead battery.
• Now start the car with the good battery and let it run for a few minutes. After a while, try starting the car with the dead battery. If it doesn’t start up, do not try again immediately. Wait another few minutes to let the good battery provide more charge to it and then try.

An important point to consider is the size of the battery doing the helping – choose a car that is at least as powerful as the car that needs reviving. This will ensure the battery is powerful enough to help jump the dead car.

We hope that these tips will be of use to you and will help you #GoFurther if you ever find yourself in a sticky situation while travelling. Besides, knowing these common-sense car tactics will elevate you from a mere driver to a smart one.