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Top 50 Car Tips - Part I

You've just purchased a car and have already started dreaming of keeping it for long. However, you never know what difficulties you may have to face during its lifetime. So, to help you enjoy safe and pleasant journeys today and every day, we have this article comprising of some of the best advice; advice that will come to your rescue before and after your car purchase. Read on to discover the top 50 car tips; surprising tricks, car buying advice, driver advice, car maintenance tips and more that are sure gonna help you and your beloved car! We have given the 50 tips in five parts for your convenience.

1. Is Your Windshield Rainproof?

Does your owner manual recommend replacing the wiper blades every three months? It probably will. Well, it is good to have a spare set in the trunk. However, these days, there are certain products that when sprayed help minimize the work of your wipers. They are so effective that, when it's just a drizzle, you may not even need the wipers.

2. Do You Wash the Car Yourself?

Washing the car at home can indeed be a great job. However, research says that do-it-yourself car washes use 5 to 20 times more water than professional car washes. Moreover, there is a higher possibility of hurting your car. Studies have proved that a single DIY wash can leave scratches on your car that are as deep as a tenth of the car's paint's total thickness.

3. Drive with Your Body, Mind and Soul

Do not get distracted while driving. Your hands tend to follow where your eyes are looking. The 5 seconds when your eyes look or hands operate the radio, you aren't really driving. Dialling a phone triples your risk of a crash. Reaching for a moving object increases it nine times and texting makes you 23 times more likely to crash. Multi-tasking while driving should strictly be prohibited and the cell phone should never be taken out of the glove box until the destination is reached.

4. Lower Your Seat

Sitting higher makes the driver feel he/she is driving slower. That's the reason why the monstrous SUVs, that already look like they rule the road, drive even faster. They feel they're creeping along. So, lower your seat to get the feel of greater speed.

5. Adjusting the Mirrors

We have already carried an article on Carazoo on adjusting car mirrors. Here's the crash course: For the driver's side mirror, place the side of your head against the window and adjust the mirror until the side of your vehicle comes into view. For the passenger's side mirror, while sitting in the driver's seat, lean to the left so that your head is in the car's centre-line and adjust the mirror until the side of your car comes into view.

6. Save Your Clutch

Don't ride your clutch in anticipation of shifts. You are likely to accelerate quicker and your clutch will last longer if you use it sparingly only when needed, something like an expensive perfume!

7. How Should Your Hands Be Positioned?

Drivers in India usually hold the steering with just one hand at 12 o'clock or both hands resting at the bottom of the steering wheel. Drive with your hands in the 9 and 3 o'clock position to have maximum control of your car in case you're required to make a quick move in order to avoid a potential accident. And remember not to grip the wheel with your thumbs wrapped around so that they connect in back with your fingers. Leave your thumbs on top of the wheel, so that, even in case of a collision, the wheel doesn't whip back around and snap your thumbs.

8. The Wallet in the Pocket

On an average, a person who uses the car every day spends at least an hour and a half in the car daily. A thick wallet in the back pocket can raise one hip above the other, thus twisting your spine and straining your lower back. Having the wallet in the pocket also puts pressure on your sciatic nerve which is a common source of lower-back pain.

9. Look Left, Then Right

This is one of the most basic rules, yet 40 per cent of car crashes and 22 per cent of all fatal crashes occur at intersections. Never disobey this rule of thumb: Look left, then right. Always look both ways before you enter an intersection.

10. When Someone or Something Suddenly Blocks Your Path

In order to avoid a collision, don't move the steering in a way as to cause more harm than help. If there's a child or an animal in front, it may be very difficult to decide the direction of movement. Flash your headlights if there's time, and if your senses warn you of a collision that's about to happen, brake with your steering wheel straight. It is only at the last possible second that you need to steer away to avoid the collision.

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