There are plenty of rumors out there when it comes to car maintenance. Some are good attempts at fixing everyday car problems, and others are intentional attempts to make you ruin your vehicle. To keep you and your car safe, we’ve got three home-remedy car maintenance tips that actually get the job done – no boiling water required.

1. Toothpaste on the Headlights 

Are your headlights fogged up? We could fix that for you, but if you want to handle it yourself, here’s what you’ll need:

Materials needed: Old rags, any toothpaste, water for rinsing, and your foggy headlights.

1. Take your toothpaste and squeeze a half-dollar sized dollop into the rag
2. Scrub your headlight vigorously with the rag and toothpaste
3. Rinse with water

You may have to repeat this process multiple times to get the exact look you want, but with some work you’ll start to remove that foggy buildup on your headlights.

2. Removing Tree Sap with Sanitizer 

If you live in North Carolina, you’re no stranger to pine tree sap. That’s why this is such a great tip. When pine sap gets on your car, just knock it out with some sanitizer.

Materials needed: Hand sanitizer, an old rag, and water for rinsing.

1. Apply hand sanitizer to the affected area (tree sap on your car)
2. Rub the sanitizer into the sap with your finger
3. Dry it off with a paper towel
4. Rinse with water, and dry again

If you follow these four steps, there should be no trace of tree sap left on your vehicle, just a pristine paint job.

3. Cleaning up oil spills or leaks 

Spill some oil? Does your car have a leak? No problem. Toss a scoop of cat litter on it, wait for it to dry, and then sweep it up! And if you need some help with that leak, be sure to come see us.

Bonus: removing bumper stickers with vinegar

Growing tired of that coexist bumper sticker? Maybe you don’t want to outwardly support that politician from 2004. Whatever the case, we’ve got a solution (chemistry jokes).

Materials needed: Undiluted distilled vinegar, an old rag, and an expired credit card.

1. Pour vinegar onto your rag
2. Using the rag, saturate the bumper sticker in vinegar for 10 to 15 minutes
3. Scrape the bumper sticker off using your expired credit card

Voila. Take that, bumper sticker.

Of course, you could just come into one of our service departments and let us handle all your car-related problems. Need your car fixed? No problem. Need a new car? We’ve got you covered. Come see us today.

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