Car Hacks That Every Single Driver Needs To Know

Published on September 27, 2021
Owning a car comes with a lot of responsibilities: from changing tires, making the the wipers have fluid, and keeping everything in working order. Sometimes it might feel like a lot to know, and that things might get too technical for you. That’s why we’ve complied this list of car hacks that are simple yet extremely effective. How many of these do you know, and which are going to change your life?

Fixing a Dent

If you find an unfortunate dent in the side of your car, you might panic immediately. However, we’re here to tell you that you don’t have to worry. Pour some hot water over the dent and use a plunger to pop the dent right out.

Fixing A Dent

Fixing A Dent

Dirty Headlights

If you start to notice that your headlights are foggy, you don’t necessarily need to head to the nearest auto shop. You can try to clean them with toothpaste, as it contains mild abrasives that help out. That way, you can clean your headlights without having to shell out a lot of money on specialty products that will achieve the same results.

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Dirty Headlights

Dirty Headlights

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Opening a Keyring

We’ve all had the frustrating experience of trying to open up a new set of key rings, only to have them stay clamped shut. There’s a really simple solution to this problem: just use a staple remover to open up the two ends so you can easily fit your keys onto the ring without having to break your fingers.

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Opening A Keyring

Opening A Keyring

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Junk in the Trunk

A lot of people like to keep emergency supplies in the trunk of their car, which is always a great idea. Some of these items could include a flashlight, oil, rag, and cleaning supplies. To keep these all organized, you can get a shower caddy to keep everything all together and avoid them rolling around the trunk when you start driving around.

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Junk In The Trunk

Junk In The Trunk

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Using Pool Noodles

If you’re an anxious parker or y0u have an especially small garage, you might be in danger of scratching the sides of the car as you pull into the parking spot or open up the doors. The best way to avoid damage is by taking a pool noodle, cutting it in half, and securing it onto the wall where the door opens up.

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Using Pool Noodles

Using Pool Noodles

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Cereal Bins

Something that gets incredibly frustrating is having trash accumulate around your car. The main problem is that there’s usually never anywhere to put it. So why not get a cereal bin, line it with plastic bag, and use it as a trash bin that also closes? It’s a great solution to keep your car clean.

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Cereal Bins

Cereal Bins

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Reducing Glare

Dealing with glare is not only a frustrating experience while driving, it can also be incredibly dangerous. A lot of times, a visor or sunglasses just aren’t enough. You can get tinted plastic sheets to stick onto your car window in order to help reduce glare and keep your eyes focused on the road.

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Reducing Glare

Reducing Glare

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Reducing Frost

Anyone who lives in a cold climate knows how annoying and time consuming it is to deal with frost and snow on your car in the morning, especially if you need to get to work. A great way to reduce the amount of frost on your car is by parking it facing east. That way, the sun’s morning rays with help defrost your windshield for you.

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Reducing Frost

Reducing Frost

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Extending Your Key’s Range

We know that this might sound a little crazy, but it actually works for most cars. You can try to extend the range of your car keys by placing the keys under your chin and pushing the button once again. Try it out and see if it works for your car.

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Extending Your Key’s Range

Extending Your Key’s Range

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Long Rides

Taking young kids on long car rides certainly poses several challenges. They often get bored, which leads to fussiness. They also get hungry pretty quickly. That’s when you can use a Magna Doodle to keep them from getting board, as well as a convenient surface when they want to eat. Who doesn’t love a two for one win-win?

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Long Rides

Long Rides

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Cleaning Your Wheels

There’s a reason why the expression “use a Coke to clean this” exists. By using Coca Cola and dish detergent, you can easily wipe away the brake dust and grime that accumulate on your tire rims. Once you’re done, you’ll be left with shiny and new looking wheels.

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Cleaning Your Wheels

Cleaning Your Wheels

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Using Pantyhose

If you find yourself in an emergency situation where you need a fan belt, and you know your way around the inside of a car, you can use some pantyhose if you’re in a pinch. However, we must note that this is only for a temporary hack and you should get your car fixed ASAP.

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Using Pantyhose

Using Pantyhose

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Using Nail Polish

If you find a small scratch or chip in your car, often it’s not worth getting a professional paint job to get it fixed. If you have a car whose color is pretty common, you can use nail polish to touch up small scuffs and scrapes. It will save you a boatload of money and most likely nobody will ever notice.

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Using Nail Polish

Using Nail Polish

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Using Hand Sanitizer

It can get quite difficult to defrost a car door’s lock, especially when it is still below zero outside. A great hack is to use some hand sanitizer to help you out. The alcohol contained in the sanitizer will help melt away the ice, allowing you to easily defrost and use your car door lock properly.

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Using Hand Sanitizer

Using Hand Sanitizer

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Keeping Your Seats Buckled

Have you ever tried to buckle your seatbelt in the summer only to find the handle boiling hot, or worse, melting in your hand? This can be quite dangerous and painful. Exposed metal can reach very high temperatures, but you can prevent this by keeping the seatbelts buckled even when you’re not in the car. That way, the metal is not sitting in the sun while your car is parked outside.

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Keeping Your Seats Buckled

Keeping Your Seats Buckled

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Backseat Organizers

This one is great for everyone, but especially if you’ve got kids. If you want to keep some supplies on hand in the car but want to make sure they stay organized, you can use an over the door shoe rack to keep everything in place and easy to reach.

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Backseat Organizers

Backseat Organizers

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Window Chips

If you find yourself in a situation where your car window if cracked or chipped, you can use some clear nail polish to help prevent the crack from spreading. This is helpful if you can’t immediately take your car to get fixed. You only need a few drops of the polish to help you out.

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Window Chips

Window Chips

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Using Rubber Bands

Have you ever tried to balance your phone on your lap or your dashboard while using the GPS, only to find that it’s very precarious and dangerous? You can use a rubber band to hold your phone in the air vents. That way you can keep your phone secure and you won’t need to hold it at all.

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Using Rubber Bands

Using Rubber Bands

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Cooling Down Your Car

If you ever felt like your car is so hot that you needed to wait outside, you can help fan out the car by rolling down the passenger window and close the driver’s door. This will help the air circulate and help cool down your car more quickly.

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Cooling Down Your Car

Cooling Down Your Car

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Using Dryer Sheets

There’s no reason to spend a huge amount of money on car air fresheners, which usually only last a few days anyway. Instead, you can use dryer sheets, which will last much longer, absorb any unpleasant odors, and can be tucked away out of sight easily. They are also inexpensive and come both scented and unsceneted.

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Using Dryer Sheets

Using Dryer Sheets

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Car Scratches

This product is an absolute must-have because it can absolutely save the day. The Multipurpose Scratch Remover Cloth has nanotechnology that helps remove car stains and scratches while also restoring the car’s color. They are amazing to have on hand.

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Car Scratches

Car Scratches

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Using Scented Wax Cubes

If you want another idea for keeping your car smelling fresh, you can use some scented wax cutes. Place them in a mason jar with holes poked into the lid, then keep them in your car. As the wax melts, it will emit a lovely scent into the car.

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Using Scented Wax Cubes

Using Scented Wax Cubes

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Checking Your Tires

If you want an amazing hack, this one is it. You can use an upside down penny and position it into your tire treads. If Lincoln’s head fits halfway into the fire, you’re good to go. If not, you need to get new tires, since the tread is not high up enough. This could save your life!

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Checking Your Tires

Checking Your Tires

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Cup Holders

If you want to maximize your cup holders, you can buy some silicone cupcake molds that fit right into them. These will help any loose items stay organized in one spot and can help keep your car clean, since they’re easy to remove and wipe down.

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Cup Holders

Cup Holders

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Saving Space

You can use a carabiner hook attached to the headrest in order to help maximize space and keep things organized in the car. You can hang your bags, umbrellas, jackets, and more. This also frees up space under the car seats.

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Saving Space

Saving Space

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Using Muffin Pans

If you’re picking up multiple drinks while on the go, you might realize that you don’t have enough cupholders to keep them all upright. You can keep a muffin tin and a basket in the car to keep the drinks from spilling all over the place.

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Using Muffin Pans

Using Muffin Pans

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Laundry Baskets

If you’re sick and tired of your groceries from moving all around the trunk while you’re driving, then you can consider putting some laundry baskets in the trunk to help keep everything in place. Best of all, you can use them to carry more of your groceries inside all at once.

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Laundry Baskets

Laundry Baskets

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Using Kitty Litter

Even if you’re not a cat owner, you might want to keep some kitty litter in the trunk of your car during the snowy season. You can use it to sprinkle onto the ground in order to melt the snow and make sure you have traction on an especially icy road.

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Using Kitty Litter

Using Kitty Litter

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More Kitty Litter

Another great use for kitty litter in the car is to place some in an old sock and keeping it on the dashboard. This will help prevent fogginess on your dashboard and will help you be able to see no matter what the weather conditions are.

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More Kitty Litter

More Kitty Litter

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Using Command Hooks

Command hooks are fantastic to have around the car. You can use them to hang your face mask, purse, bags, or anything else you might need. These are great to keep things organized and readily available in your car.

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Using Command Hooks

Using Command Hooks

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Using a Tennis Ball

If you have a small garage that’s tough to navigate, you can use a tennis ball tied to a string to help you gauge how far forward you’ve gone while driving into the garage. The tennis ball will help you keep track of where you are and keep you and your car safe from damage.

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Using A Tennis Ball

Using A Tennis Ball

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Parking App

Like many of us, you might forget when you parked your car from time to time. It’s really okay, it can happen to anyone. If this keeps happening to you, you can download a parking app that will keep track of where you’ve parked your car. That way, when you’re ready to get back to your car, you can easily find it on the app.

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Parking App

Parking App

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Warming Your Windshield Wipers

This is great during the winter months. If you don’t want to spend precious time in the morning thawing windshield wipers, then this is for you. Place an old pair of socks on the windshield wipers in the evening in order to prevent any buildup overnight.

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Warming Your Windshield Wipers

Warming Your Windshield Wipers

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Towel Holder

Anyone who is messy or has kids knows how useful it is to have paper towels on hand in the car. You can even attach a paper towel holder to your car using a bungee rope. You can then easily access your paper towels without any fuss, even while you’re on the road.

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Towel Holder

Towel Holder

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Defrosting

If it gets really cold overnight during the winter, you will definitely appreciate this one. Defrosting a car windshield is no easy task, which is why you can use a mixture of water and vinegar to help defrost your windshield quickly and easily. You’ll thank us next winter.

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Defrosting

Defrosting

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Getting More Gas

If you want to get the most out of the gas nozzle, you should avoid creating bubbles which form when you press the gas pump all the way down into your car. Instead, hold the pump halfway, which will help get more gas to come out of the nozzle.

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Getting More Gas

Getting More Gas

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Removing Bumper Stickers

If you have any old bumper stickers you’re tired of and want to easily remove from your car, you can do this with this quick trick. Peeling them off isn’t as easy as you’d think, so take a hairdryer in order to help loosen up the bumper sticker so you can easily remove it.

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Removing Bumper Stickers

Removing Bumper Stickers

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Using Slime

If you have kids, then you certainly have some slime around the house, as this is one of the most popular kids toys out there. But did you know that you yourself could use this stuff to help keep your car clean? Use the slime to pick up hard to reach dirt and dust like the air vents and the sides of the car.

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Using Slime

Using Slime

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Don’t Brake

You should always remember not to brake if you are on an open road and one of your tires blows out. If you brake, there’s a chance you will fishtail and might even lose control of your car. Try to slow down to a stop instead of slamming on the brakes.

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Clean Brake Dust From Wheels

Don’t Brake

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Weighing Down Your Key

If you have a ton of charms and keys on your keychain, you can actually be weighing it down and might even damage the car’s key ignition switch. That will mean your car won’t start as easily, and cause other problems as well. Try to keep the keychains to a minimum.

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Weighing Down Your Key

Weighing Down Your Key

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