If you want to save time, money and effort this winter then follow these amazing winter car hacks to ensure trouble free motoring on the cheap.
Winter Car Hacks That Actually Work!
Adding Weight
Forget about weight reduction. If you’re driving a rear wheel drive car then you’ll likely experience a lot of wheel spin on icy roads this winter. You can increase traction to your rear wheels by adding weight to your boot. This puts more pressure on the driving wheels making it easier to control and reduces the amount of wheel spin you’ll experience.
Most cars produced by BMW, Mercedes, Jaguar & Audi are rear wheel drive. So if you own one of these you may want to put keep something heavy in your boot over winter.
Fog-Proof Your Windscreen
Commercial demisters and shaving foam have a surprising amount of ingredients in common. You can save money buy applying a layer of shaving foam to your windscreen and then wiping it off.
If this doesn’t work, or doesn’t appeal to you, you can fill a couple of old socks with some cat litter, tie the ends and leave them on your car dash.
“Cat Litter”, I hear you shout. Yes!
Cat litter draws in moisture and helps to avoid your windscreen becoming fogged up. Strange, but true.
Winter Socks For Traction
Keep a pair of winter socks in your car at all times. Why? Because when you get stuck they’ll give your passenger extra traction to help push you free. Simply slide the socks over your shoes and you get extra traction.
Alternatively you could spend some money on proper snow socks for your car. But wheres the fun in that!?!
Start Lifting
To avoid your wiper blades freezing to your windscreen, start lifting them after parking your car. If you’ve still got those winter socks handy (from the previous winter car hacks) then you can slide them over the wiper blades to keep them from freezing over night.
Vaseline and Cooking Spray
Ever found it hard to get into your car because the doors are frozen shut or the key lock is iced up? These two winter car hacks are for you!
Thinly apply some vaseline or cooking spray (preferably using a micro-fibre cloth) to the rubber seals around your car door. This will prevent any moisture freezing and will make your car door easy to open on a frosty morning.
If you have an older car with key entry then dip your key into a pot of vaseline, wipe off the excess and put the key into the lock a few times. This lines the inside of the lock and prevents any moisture freezing. For best results do this during the day before your car has a chance to freeze up.
More Cat Litter
If you find your car is failing to wheel spin its way free out of a parking spot and you’re alone, then you need more cat litter. Sprinkling some cat litter in front of your driving wheels will provide enough traction to get you moving again.
If you don’t have a cat then a small piece of old carpet placed under the wheels will also do the trick. If you don’t have some old carpet lying around you can always use your car mats. Any of these will give you enough traction to free your car from this slippery predicament.
Save Your Battery
If you’re swapping your pride and joy for a winter driver, ensure you send it to sleep properly with the battery disconnected or on a trickle charge. The cold weather can quickly drain your battery if the car isn’t being used or charged on a weekly basis. This means that you’ll likely have to jump start your car when you come back to it after winter.
Don’t Let Your Car Idle For Ages
After waiting 30 seconds for your engine oil to warm up and circulate your should drive away moderately until your car warms up. Leaving your car to idle for ages will make your car reach its optimum operating temperature more slowly. This wastes unnecessary fuel!
Park East
To avoid frosty windscreens park your car facing East wherever you can. If your lucky the rising sun will melt the ice, making it easier to clear off in the morning.
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