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To keep car doors from freezing shut, just wipe the inside door weather stripping with furniture polish. I use Pledge. Works great.
By Janette from Parkersburg, WV
Keep your headlights clear with car wax! Just wipe ordinary car wax on your headlights. It contains special water repellents that will prevent that messy mixture from accumulating on your lights. This lasts 6 weeks.
Squeak-proof your wipers with rubbing alcohol. Wipe the wipers with a cloth saturated with rubbing alcohol or ammonia. This one trick can make badly streaking and squeaking wipers change to near perfect silence and clarity.
Ice-proof your windows with vinegar.
Frost on its way? Just fill a spray bottle with three parts vinegar to one part water and spritz it on all your windows at night. In the morning, they'll be clear of icy mess. Vinegar contains acetic acid, which raises the melting point of water, preventing the water from freezing.
Prevent car doors from freezing shut with cooking spray! Spritz cooking oil on the rubber seals around car doors and rub it in with a paper towel. The cooking spray prevents water from melting into the rubber.
Fog-proof your windshield with shaving cream! Spray some shaving cream on the inside of your windshield and wipe if off with paper towels. Shaving cream has many of the same ingredients found in commercial defoggers.
De-ice your lock in seconds with hand sanitizer! Just put some hand sanitizer gel on the key and the lock and the problems solved.
Source: Sent to me by a friend who lives in Michigan
By Bobbie G from Rockwall, TX
Last year we had a lot of snow. I kept a new cheap broom in the car for brushing off the snow before letting it warm up. My hands did not get cold and wet from scraping. I used an old suitcase and put in extra winter clothes that don't normally like to wear, my store bought emergency roadside kit, and rubber dish washing gloves. I cut off the cord from an old electric blanket that no longer worked.
I felt better driving home from my second shift job knowing I was prepared. I ended up using the blanket to cover a woman who had been accident. I'll never see the blanket again, but hopefully it helped her not go into shock before the emergency personnel arrived!
By tnphoenixrising from Clarksville, TN
Spraying the rubber gaskets on your car doors with PAM or similar cooking spray will keep the doors from freezing shut.Just spray and then rub in with paper towel.
Here's a tip to prevent your auto doors from freezing to the door molding. If you park in the driveway during the freezing weather and in the morning you find the door frozen/stuck to the molding, try this.
Ask a QuestionHere are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community or ask a new question.
I drive a 2007 SS Chevy Cobalt and need tires for winter. Any suggestions for winter tires?
N.A. from Canada
I live in Tampa Florida, so my question might seem silly, but are the tires for driving in Canada? (snow,ice, slush), or other parts of the continent? (from the non snow parts of the world)?
redbeard
in tampa florida
Snow tires get switched out to regular driving tires for the rest of the year. Some states allow studded tires, most don't anymore.
Go to a garage which fixes cars and ask. You don't have to buy. DO NOT GO TO A TIRE ONLY STORE, as they will sell you car parts you don't need (they think we are all stupid) and come up with oh, we won't stand by the warrenty if you don't let us fix the tie rods, new brakes, etc. That is bull pucky. Remove yourself quickly. Even my son was told this information--he stood there like WHAT? My kids have gone through automotive technology college--4 years. Mom knows something besides paying bills! I get them car repair magazines, BUT I read them first.
ThriftyFun is one of the longest running frugal living communities on the Internet. These are archives of older discussions.
"Mechanical failure -- an inconvenience any time it occurs -- can be deadly in the winter. Preventive maintenance is a must. Besides, a well maintained vehicle is more enjoyable to drive, will last longer, and could command a higher resale price.
Some of the following tips can be performed by any do-it-yourselfer; others require the skilled hands of an auto technician."
