Did you know? 6 simple car hacks

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Everyday life can pile up in your boot if you're not careful. Photo / Supplied

Everyday life can pile up in your boot if you're not careful. Photo / Supplied

Owning a car can sometimes feel like a love-hate relationship. It gets you where you need to go, carries your toys and can take you on fun drives down twisty backroads; but it can also cause frustration.

Expensive maintenance is one thing, spilled drinks, door dings and parking on the wrong side of the petrol pump are others, which can be just as frustrating.

You can minimise these annoyances by using common household items. These car hacks are cheap and clever solutions for taking the pain out of everyday driving.

1. How to organise your boot
Reusable grocery bags, changes of clothes for the gym, work supplies — the stuff of everyday life can pile up in your boot if you're not careful. Do yourself a favour and buy a few laundry baskets that fit the space. Use each one to organise items that belong together – one basket for gym equipment, one for work and one for grocery shopping. It's a great way to organise your boot and keep everything exactly where it needs to be.

2. How to stop little bumps from happening in your garage
Pool noodles come in handy for more than relaxing in the water. If your garage's parking space is a tad tight, they're a great way to prevent door dings. Affix them horizontally against the wall of your garage and when your doors swing open, they'll provide a soft bumper so you don't bang your doors on the wall.

3. How to know which side your petrol flap is on
Often forget on which side your petrol flap is on? Take a look at the fuel gauge on your dash and usually you’ll find small arrow indicating which side the flap is. If not, a small sticker or pen mark placed discretely near the gauge will suffice.

4. How to clean your headlights
After many miles on the road, your car's polycarbonate headlights can get scuffed up or cloudy. It doesn’t look good and can also reduce their performance. Smear a little bit of toothpaste or light car polish on a clean rag and start scrubbing the headlights. Mild abrasives will remove a thin layer from the headlight housing and fill in any tiny scratches.

5. How to change your bumper sticker
Whether it's for a cause, favourite band or a place you've visited, bumper stickers help you express yourself. But if your tastes change or you decide you don't like the look, peeling off a sticker can leave unsightly residue. The solution? Dampen a sheet of newspaper and lay it over the leftover sticker. After about 15 minutes the residue will soften and be easy to wipe away. You can use the side of a credit card to scrape off extra sticky leftovers, but use a gentle touch so you don't scratch the paint. Avoid using products such as paint thinners or turps that can cause damage to the paint.

6. How to keep your takeaways warm
Opinions are split on whether pizza is better cold or hot, but most of the time it's better if take-away meals stay warm and fresh. If your car has seat warmers, turn them on and place the food on top (in the box of course). They're already great for keeping your buns warm and work just as well if you're bringing home fish and chips.

Conclusion
There are a lot of fun things you can do to make your car more enjoyable.

With these little car hacks you can save time, money and make your car cleaner. It’ll even help keep you safer with those brighter headlights.

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