- Prevent corrosion
It’s not unusual for a car’s battery terminals to become so corroded that you can’t get a proper connection to jump-start the car. So take a little preventive action. Occasionally coat the terminals with a bit of petroleum jelly to keep them from corroding. Alternatively, tape a copper coin — if you have one — to the top of the battery so that the corrosion is drawn to the coin and not the battery terminals.
- A cola loosener-upper
If you need to get at the engine of your car but the nuts and bolts under the bonnet refuse to budge, pour a little cola over the connections or loosen them with a few squirts of WD-40. Give either substance 2-3 minutes to penetrate, after which you should be able to loosen the hardware with a wrench. Most jammed metal fixings respond well to the cola trick; if you can soak the seized-up object, so much the better. Sponge off the cola once you’ve loosened the hardware.
- Clean corrosion with bicarbonate of soda
If you don’t keep your battery terminals clean, you will have to deal with corrosion. To clean the terminals, stir 1 tablespoon bicarbonate of soda into 1 cup (250ml) water, then pour the solution over the terminals. Leave for 4-5 minutes, and then rinse with clear water.
- A sporty shock protector
When you are working on your car and have to disconnect the negative battery cable, don’t let the cable come into contact with the car’s metal frame or you may suffer a shock. One safe way of handling the cable is to make a slit in a tennis ball and push the ball over the end of the cable.
- Foot powder leak-spotter
If oil is leaking from your engine and you can’t find the leak’s source, clean the engine with an aerosol degreaser, such as a silicone spray like WD-40, and then spray its sides and bottom with spray-on foot powder. The leak will reveal itself by turning white.
- Dislodge a stubborn oil filter
If you are quite happy to change the oil filter yourself but find that for once it won’t budge, a screwdriver and hammer could do the trick. Hammer the screwdriver right through the filter about 5cm from the engine block. Then take the screwdriver and use it as a lever to turn the filter anticlockwise. Once you get it started, remove the screwdriver and spin the filter off, making sure that there is a tray underneath to catch the leaking oil that inevitably ensues.
- Gum up the works
If the radiator hose in your car springs a leak while you are driving, chew a piece of gum and stick the wad over the leak. Secure it with a bit of strong adhesive tape. It will hold until you can have a proper repair made, but get the car booked in for repair as quickly as possible.
- First aid for a fan belt
If the fan belt in your car becomes dry, lubricate it with a little petroleum jelly. With the engine off, dab the inside edges of the belt with the jelly, then start the engine and let it idle for a couple of minutes. Not only will the petroleum jelly lubricate the belt and keep it from cracking but it will eliminate squealing and slippage.
- Extend a wrench handle with pipe
Some socket wrenches are so short that it takes a muscleman to turn them. If you prefer not to waste a lot of energy when you tighten a bolt under the bonnet, slip a short length of slender metal pipe over the wrench handle and you will get more than enough leverage to use the tool without straining.
- Tape a noisy horn
If your car horn gets stuck and won’t stop bleating, tap the horn button a few times. If that doesn’t stop the din, a piece of tape is the solution. Open the bonnet, disconnect the wire to the horn and tape down the terminal screw. You should enjoy blessed silence until you have the horn repaired.