If you clicked on this article, you probably spend a lot of time on the road, going to and from school or work everyday, countless hours spent driving. But while you drive, you may not be unlocking your car’s full potential. And maybe you’re even doing things wrong. Oh no!
Today I’m going to tell you some driving hacks that will not only make you a better driver, but might also save you money, or your life! Now, grab your pens and notebooks, or iPads and laptops, or whatever kids are using these days, and let’s go!
Driving Position
One thing that seems super intuitive but a lot of people miss is the driving position. To some people this is a no-brainer. But getting this right is one of the most important things you can do to be a safer driver.
What I see a lot of my friends do is put their seat way back so they look like they’re laying down when they’re driving. And they barely touch the pedals, let alone the wheel. While it maybe be comfy, it’s unsafe and wrong.
Driving is supposed to be engaging, not lazy. What you want to do is push down the brake all the way and move the seat forward so that your leg is only angled a little bit. Not straight, but a little kinked. Also, make sure that your backrest and headrest are straight, with your wrists laying over the top of the steering wheel.
And for extra points, move your seat lower to the floor for better handling, because with a lower center of gravity, you’ll have less swaying, and way less of a chance to rollover.
Setting the right seat position makes sure you’re in control of your car, but sometimes other people aren’t in control of theirs. When that happens, you’re going to wish you had a dash cam!
Dash Cam
Dash cams have saved my butt so many times after an accident! In most cases, if you bump into the back of someone in a fender bender, you’ll be in the wrong, and your rates will go up. And what’s stopping the person driving that car from claiming it’s your fault? You have no proof! Unless you have a dash cam, that is!
My favorite dash cam for under $45 is the APEMAN! It films in 1080p, has a super wide angle view, and it even has a G-meter.
See, with a dash cam, you have an extra layer of protection from incidents where you might get wrongly blamed. Or if you’re hitting the track or even taking your car out on a curvy road, having a dash cam will allow you to record whatever you want. And trust me, this can save you a ton of embarrassment with your insurance company.
You want to know what else is embarrassing? Going to the gas station and parking on the wrong side of the pump! Dang it! I wish I knew this one earlier. It happens all the time with rental cars, or when you’re borrowing a car. Did you know your car tells you where your gas door is?
Gas Cap Indicator
That’s right! And it’s always been right in front of your face! Next time you pull up to the pump and don’t know which side to go on, look down at your fuel gauge. See that little picture of the gas pump? Next to it will always be an arrow indicating where your gas cap is. Pretty useful, right?
But, if you want to quickly guess where it is, you can just use the car’s nationality. For Japanese and Korean cars, most of the time it will be on the left. For German and some American cars, it will be on the right. Great information!
Now, back when the world wasn’t closed down, I would go shopping at the mall. A common problem I would always run into would be remembering where the hell I parked my car! With so many parking spaces, it’s like a maze out there. So, if you want to find your car more quickly, use your head!
Use Your Head!
Literally. Use your head. So, some science for you. Keys use a short range radio transmitter that usually only works when you’re not that far away. However, if you need to find your car in a far away spot, hold the key up to your chin and the fluid in your brain will help amplify the radio waves to better reach your car!
So, keep pressing that lock button and you’ll hear that familiar beep eventually. This also works when you’re walking away from your car and forget to lock it. Just go ahead and put it up to your head and press the lock button, and 8 out of 10 times it should work.
Now, imagine this: you go out and get some McDonalds, 10-piece McNugget and a large fry. Damn, now I’m hungry. Anyway, as you make your way home, that bag of tasty deliciousness is getting colder by the second! And you know I like my nuggies hot! Well, if you’re balling enough to have a modern luxury car, like Squidd’s Lexus GX470, this trick will help you keep your food nice and toasty. Use the seat warmers!
Seat Heater Oven
Yeah! It’s as simple as that! Just turn on your seat warmers and place that bag of food on the seat! This will help heat the food and keep it from going cold, kind of like cooking it on a stove. And another tip, make sure to keep the top of the bag closed so the food can stay warm.
Save the fries for when you get home! Take it from me, eating in your car and finding a 4-year-old french fry between your seats is not fun.
So, another tip I would give is to keep your car clean!
Keep Your Car Clean
Nothing’s worse than a dirty car. And you love your car, right? Then you’ve got to keep your car looking new and fresh!
It doesn’t even take that long. If you have access to a hose, you need to get the Griot’s Garage starter car care kit! It has everything you need to make your car look as clean as your driving record! It also works great if you go to a self-serve car wash!
Also, take out the trash and items that you barely use out of the interior, and vacuum the floors and seats. Once your done, you should have a car that looks like it’s fresh off the showroom floor!
Another great tip to make your car look new is to clean those foggy headlights, which you can do with toothpaste, as I explain in one of our Ideal videos.
Fortunately for me, I don’t have to date anymore. But for you singles reading this article, nothing says “no second date” like having trash all over your car! Keeping it clean is key.
So, getting pulled over is really not fun. I don’t recommend it! And to avoid having a one-on-one with Johnny Law, we recommend two things: a little app called Waze and a radar detector.
Po Po No Mo
Waze is the best map app, in my opinion. It works like any normal map; however, it has one specific tool which is super useful for staying safe on the highway: its crowdsourcing. When someone sees a cop, they place a pin, and that alerts other drivers to be aware of a cop there.
This has saved my ass more times than I can count! So, get the app, and be a good samaritan! If you see a hidden cop, report him on Waze so people can see.
Now, if you want an extra layer of protection, get yourself a radar detector. These can help you spot more than just cops. Speed traps, red light cameras, and radar speed signs, just to name a few. Radar detectors intercept different frequencies and work to help you from getting a ticket.
Prices for these range from the low hundreds to nearly $1,000! I know that may be steep, but trust me, having a radar detector will save you enough money in tickets that it will pretty much pay for itself! That’s money well spent.
You know where other people waste money? At the mechanic. Seriously, I’ve been overcharged hundreds just to check what the check engine light means, when it may be as simple as the gas cap not being closed. So, to save yourself a trip to the dealership, get a code reader.
Code Reader
Modern engines are really smart, smarter than me for sure. Thanks to hundreds of little sensors, they know if something’s wrong and report it to you by lighting up that check engine light. But you’ll never know exactly what’s causing that light to turn on unless you get a code reader.
The BlueDriver Bluetooth Pro OBDII is the best reader under $100. Plug it in to your OBD port, which is usually located under the steering wheel, and it will scan your car for any problems, even ones that the dashboard won’t tell you.
Code readers are usually pretty cheap, but if you want full usability, get one that you can use with your phone. They’re actually pretty cheap now too! A lot cheaper than a visit to the stealership.
And getting a code reader is well worth it. In fact, there are some that even give you apps that unlock features in your car. These are super useful and have saved me hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on finding issues with my car.
Speaking of issues, one that I have is that, when my girlfriend drives, I get easily carsick.
Carsick Fix
Sorry, babe! She’s actually a pretty good driver. Anyway, I got some tips for you if you get easily carsick like me.
One tip that really helped me out was, if I was feeling queasy, I would look at the farthest point I could, like a mountain or a far away tree. Choose something far and focus on it.
That will help, but if you still feel carsick, tilt your head 45 degrees to the side. This will help you feel better in a matter of no time.
And you shouldn’t, but if you still feel queasy, ask to stop and take over driving in order to regain a feeling of control. And stop the sickness!
You must be logged in to post a comment.