Automotive Advice, Tips, and Tricks

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With a member base as knowledgable and diverse as GTP, I wanted to make a thread where members can post questions about their cars they may need help with or post any automotive tips or ticks they've come across.

I'll go first,
Foggy headlights? Don't waste money at the parts store. Any toothpaste with baking soda will do a surprisingly great job at restoring those old foggy headlights to a like-new glory. Just remember to scrub inside (if possible) and out to remove as much oxidation as possible.
If anyone needs tips on polishing aluminum car parts to a nice shine, feel free to pm me.
 
The only way to effectively restore yellowed headlights for the long-term is to remove the faded material by sanding it off, repolishing the lens and keeping a coat of wax on it. 3M makes a really simple sanding kit that attaches to a cordless drill and works great. Keep wax on it and it should last for years.
 
I wonder how abrasive that is? With my plastic headlights the reason why toothpaste with baking soda works so well is because it's abrasive enough to remove the oxidation but not scratch the plastic. I've seen folks who've tried polishing compound and that was too abrasive and etched into the plastic. Never tried the 3M product though, so I'm curious. But yes, to keep the headlight lenses looking nice and clean for longer use wax, thank you for pointing that out. Without wax you have to redo them once or twice a year.
 
Pretty sure just about everyone knows this, but you can start an older Ford (some other brands as well) with a screwdriver. Take the screwdriver and touch it to the 2 large terminals on the solenoid (on the passenger side inner fender). It will spark like mad so watch out. You don't need a key to get it to run contrary to popular belief. This is good for starting the vehicle in an emergency (though if you intend to drive it you need the key). It can also tell you if the solenoid is bad if it doesn't start with a key but starts with this method (since your bypassing it). Other things it can tell you is if your battery is really, really dead (no click when turning the key), if you have a bad starter to starter cable etc. Make sure it's in neutral with parking brake on. If it's not in neutral you'll run into issues with the neutral safety switch (not introduced until 1981 with Ford) where it won't let it start unless it's in park or in neutral.
 
Does anybody know of a good way to get a smell out of a car? A while back a pickle jar broke in my car on a grocery run. Unfortunately it was a very hot day and by the time I got home and used my upholstery scrubber it was too late. So now, seven months later, when it's warm outside my car has a mild odor of vinegar and pickles. I've tried what I've found on google; from pouring baking soda on the carpets and seats then using the upholstery scrubber, to buying a "smokers spray" which is supposed to neutralize intense odors and so far nothing has worked. One suggestion was to place a dish of vinegar overnight in the car, which doesn't make sense to me because that's the smell I'm trying to get rid of, but people swear by it. So any help would be greatly appreciated!
 
7 months? Putting up with a smell like that would drive me bonkers in 7 days flat! If the google tricks aren't cutting the mustard pickle, you could always try having a chat to your local automotive detailer. I'm sure he would've dealt with similar situations before. 👍
 
It's not too bad, just when it's fairly warm outside do you notice it. Luckily others have told me that they haven't smelled it, or they're being nice lol. Yeah, a professional detailing in the spring is my next stop if I can't get it to go away before then.
 

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