Do these winter car tips make sense?

[TallPaul]

Came in an email. Some of them sound fishy.

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 - 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 & squeaking wipers change to near perfect silence & clarity.

Ice-proof your windows with vinegar! Frost on its way? Just fill a spray bottle with three parts vinegar to one part water & 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 water from freezing!

Prevent car doors from freezing shut with cooking spray! Spritz cooking oil on the rubber seals around car doors & 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 & 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 & the lock & the problems solved!

 

[javacontour]

Originally Posted By: TallPaul
Came in an email. Some of them sound fishy.

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 - lasts 6 weeks.


It may have some merit. Apply as if you were applying to paint and see if it beads off. Do one side and compare?

Originally Posted By: TallPaul

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 & squeaking wipers change to near perfect silence & clarity.



I think many wiper blades come with a towelette to clean them. I suspect it contains little more than a rubbing alcohol mixture to clean the blade.

Originally Posted By: TallPaul


Ice-proof your windows with vinegar! Frost on its way? Just fill a spray bottle with three parts vinegar to one part water & 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 water from freezing!



What keeps the water from evaporating in the cold, dry air?

Originally Posted By: TallPaul


Prevent car doors from freezing shut with cooking spray! Spritz cooking oil on the rubber seals around car doors & rub it in with a paper towel. The cooking spray prevents water from melting into the rubber



Probably works. Probably doesn't last as long as the specified silicone lube for the weatherstrip.

Originally Posted By: TallPaul


Fog-proof your windshield with shaving cream! Spray some shaving cream on the inside of your windshield & wipe if off with paper towels. Shaving cream has many of the same ingredients found in commercial defoggers.



How does it help if you wipe it off? Does it leave a film? Any cautions about special creams with aloe or moisturizers that may leave a greasy film?

Originally Posted By: TallPaul


De-ice your lock in seconds with hand sanitizer! Just put some hand sanitizer gel on the key & the lock & the problems solved!



I think most hand sanitizer is or contains alcohol so it quickly evaporates, you could probably accomplish the same for less money using your windshield washer fluid. But if you don't have any, this might do the trick.

 

[dparm]

Repeated application of rubbing alcohol will dry out and crack the rubber on wiper blades. I wouldn't make it a habit.

 

[The_Jake]

No especially the stupid one about shaving cream on your windshield.

 

[rjundi]

Park in a garage and no worries.

 

[evanautumn]

I always use wax on my headlights when I wax my cars, keeps them from getting cloudy.

 

[JZiggy]

Car wax could attack polycarbonate headlight lenses. I wouldn't wax them.

 

[Kestas]

Originally Posted By: dparm
Repeated application of rubbing alcohol will dry out and crack the rubber on wiper blades. I wouldn't make it a habit.

I disagree. I don't think anything bad will happen to the blades for the short while you're cleaning them with rubbing alcohol. After all, the wipers are in contact with methanol or ethanol when using washer fluid, which have even more solvent action. Plus, you have rubber hose that is in permanent contact with alcohol in the washer system. So, no, I doubt that cleaning with alcohol will dry out the rubber blades. Skin, yes - blades, no.

 

[Tdbo]

Originally Posted By: TallPaul
Came in an email. Some of them sound fishy.

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 - 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 & squeaking wipers change to near perfect silence & clarity.

Ice-proof your windows with vinegar! Frost on its way? Just fill a spray bottle with three parts vinegar to one part water & 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 water from freezing!

Prevent car doors from freezing shut with cooking spray! Spritz cooking oil on the rubber seals around car doors & 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 & 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 & the lock & the problems solved!



Spraying shaving cream on the inside of your windshield? Seriously?

I'd rather deal with the fog than the mess.

 

[JHZR2]

Ive heard all of them but tried none.

 

[Rick in PA]

I wouldn't spray vinegar on the windshield. Yes it contains acetic acid. Then the acetic acid gets on everything beneath the windshield. Acids, bases and salts accelerate corrosion. It just doesn't sound like a good idea.

 

[Clevy]

Originally Posted By: The_Jake
No especially the stupid one about shaving cream on your windshield.

No especially the stupid one about shaving cream on your windshield.


In my youth I played hockey. I was a goalie. The team in front of me used those plastic itech pieces for their faces. The guys used shampoo or shaving crime to keep the masks from fogging up during play so there is little doubt in my mind that this idea works. It isn't very convenient and would make a mess but I believe the idea is sound.

 

[bigjl]

Originally Posted By: The_Jake
No especially the stupid one about shaving cream on your windshield.


Not correct on this one.

If you shave with hot water and a normal razor you will know this to be true.

I don't know the science behind it but it does indeed work.

Noticed this when wiping the mirror one morning many years ago after a shower.

 

[SLCraig]

I sometimes wax my headlights, that's about it.
I pretty much just keep my car washed frequently in winter and deal with the rest, no tips needed for me, I seem to get on just fine as is.

 

[JC1]

Originally Posted By: The_Jake
No especially the stupid one about shaving cream on your windshield.


This one does work. Treat half of a bathroom mirror with shaving cream. You wipe all the cream off and then buff the mirror to a shine so there is no residue left. Then fire up a hot shower in your bathroom to the point where there is lots of steam. The treated area on the mirror will not fog up. You really should run a fan in your bathroom to avoid mold from developing.

I have not used shaving cream on a windshield, but I know it would work.

Regards, JC.

 

[friendly_jacek]

interesting. never heard those but should work.

 

[dparm]

Originally Posted By: Kestas
Originally Posted By: dparm
Repeated application of rubbing alcohol will dry out and crack the rubber on wiper blades. I wouldn't make it a habit.

I disagree. I don't think anything bad will happen to the blades for the short while you're cleaning them with rubbing alcohol. After all, the wipers are in contact with methanol or ethanol when using washer fluid, which have even more solvent action. Plus, you have rubber hose that is in permanent contact with alcohol in the washer system. So, no, I doubt that cleaning with alcohol will dry out the rubber blades. Skin, yes - blades, no.



Per my father, a former Bosch windshield wiper engineer for over 20 years, yes, alcohol is not good for repeated use.

Windshield washer fluid for a few seconds once a week is no big deal.

 

[itguy08]

The wax trick works. I wax my windows (outside only) and have for years. It helps clear the water quickly when when running down the road.

 

[zerosoma]

I don't know about all of them, but... we put shaving cream under the door handle of a teacher's car on the last day of school - it worked! We got a reaction!