Car Repairs That Are Just Too Ridiculous To Believe
Although owning a car can be one of the best investments one can make, car repairs can prove to be very costly, and inconvenient. Thousands of dollars are spent on costly vehicle repairs yearly. Many have resorted to various alternatives to taking their car to a repair shop. While some of these ideas are very simple in nature, there are some alternative methods that are so outrageous, they have to be seen to be believed. Actually, there are some car repair ideas that are just too awesome to be wrong!
Dolly Up!
In an emergency, a spare tire is not always readily available. If the tire goes flat, and a spare tire is too costly, a four-wheel dolly will work just as well. The four-wheel dolly should have wheels that are strong enough to hold up a medium to full-size vehicle. The dolly can be secured to the wheel axle with duct tape, or possibly re-bar. It is best to always have two dollies available in case more than one tire goes flat.
Shock-Absorbant Seats
When the front seat becomes damaged beyond repair and needs to be removed permanently, a lawn chair makes for an excellent replacement. The straps that make up the seat back of the lawn chair are great shock absorbers for unusually bumpy rides. A makeshift seat belt can easily be fashioned from two long pieces of duct tape fastened together. For larger drivers, a bungee cord can be added as a seat belt extender. Also, a thick towel can be used as a seat belt cushion for drivers with sensitive skin.
Printable Headlights
When a front headlight needs to be replaced, and there isn't enough money for a real one, printing one out and inserting it in the place of the missing headlight will work just as well. The printed headlight should be roughly the same size as the original. Printing the headlight in full color is best, but great results can also be achieved by printing the headlight in black and white. However, if the headlight is printed in color, caution should be used to make sure that the color of the picture matches the color of the vehicle. When using this particular trick, it is best to only drive during the daytime, and avoid low fog if at all possible.
Secure Door Lock
Sometimes door handles can become loose, making it difficult to lock the door. Luckily, a barrel slide bolt lock comes in very handy in this type of situation. The barrel slide bolt lock should be welded to the side of the door, and never duct taped. While duct tape is very useful in most situations, the lock needs to be secured well enough to the car door so that it does not fly open easily during high wind conditions. Once welded on, the barrel slide bolt lock will work well to keep your car door tightly secured and in place.
Wool And Duct Tape
When the windshield wiper blade is not doing a good enough job, a wool glove can work wonders in making your windshield wiper blade perform even better than before. The wool glove can be secured in place with a few strips of duct tape. After a few months of use, it is best to wash the wool glove in cold water. To keep the wool glove from shrinking, be sure to let the glove air dry instead of placing it in a dryer. The wool glove should be replaced once it obtains three or more holes in it.
Who Says CDs Are A Thing Of The Past?
An old CD collection can be put to good use as a replacement gas cap. The CD can be held securely in place with transparent movers tape using just a few strips. Once the CD has been fastened to the gas cap area, the CD will hold the gas cap securely in place. Even better, the reflective area of the CD will provide a nice decorative touch to almost any vehicle. The CD gas cap cover should be replaced once the finish becomes dull or if the CD ever cracks in half.
Duct Tape Cup Holder
Although most vehicles come with a cup holder, there are a few that do not because there isn't room for one. One of the easiest solutions to this problem is to use duct tape. Fasten a few feet of duct tape to the dashboard, and use the rest to hold the cup in place. Caution should be used when using the duct tape to hold a cup filled with a warm or hot beverage as the heat can cause the glue on the duct tape to come loose or be melted off completely. Ultimately, cold beverages work best with this type of cup holder.
Flashlight Bundle
If the front headlight becomes inoperable, several flashlights can be fastened together with duct tape as a replacement. The flashlights should all be facing the same way to maximize effectiveness. Several strands of duct tape should be used in order to ensure the flashlights do not come loose during rainy or high wind conditions. For simplicity, it is best to use flashlights that all require the same type of battery. Disposable batteries can be used but rechargeable batteries will save you time and money in the long run.
No-Open Aluminum Doors
If a makeshift door is needed to replace a missing car door that does not need to be re-opened in the near future, there are many options to consider. However, of all the possible options, aluminum siding makes for the best car door replacement.Duct tape can be used to secure the aluminum siding to the car frame, however using a blowtorch to weld the aluminum siding to the car would be much more effective. Be sure to keep the blowtorch on the low heat setting due to aluminum having a low melting point. Painting the aluminum siding to match the rest of your car is recommended but not required.
Fits Perfectly Plexiglass
When a car window needs to be replaced, a low-cost alternative to using one made of regular glass is to use a rectangular shaped piece of plexiglass. A transparent piece of plexiglass can easily cover the opening where the missing side window use to be. Although choosing a piece of plexiglass that fits exactly over the hole in the window would be best, one that does not fit exactly would still work in most cases. A completely transparent piece of plexiglass is much better than using one that is translucent. However, if a translucent piece plexiglass is the only thing that is available, it should be as see-thru as possible.
At Least It's Red?
A simple fix for a broken tail light cover that will save both time and money is to use a slightly modified medium-sized water bottle. Take a medium sized water bottle and cut it in half, cover the outside of the halved water bottle with transparent red tape, and attach the halved water bottle to the area where the tail light cover used to be with packaging tape. Several strips of packaging tape should be used to ensure that the halved water bottle holds securely to the frame of the car. Duct tape can also be used, however, the color of the duct tape used should match the vehicle to which it is applied.
Zip Tie Car Stitches
Not only are zip ties great for keeping loose wires together, they also work great for keeping a car's side paneling together. Drill a few holes in the side paneling to accommodate as many zip ties as possible. Thread several zip ties through the holes to ensure a secure and tight fit. A little caulk may be used to improve the adhesiveness of the side panel. Clear zip ties are best since it is very difficult to find zip ties that will match the color of the paneling to which the zip ties are being applied.
Bungee Safety
Broken seat belts can be both difficult and expensive to replace. Fortunately, there are many cost-effective solutions to this common problem. One easy solution is to use a luggage tie down to hold the seat belt in place. The two ends of the luggage tie down can be securely hooked together. When using the luggage tie down, it is best to avoid a head on collision since the jostling of the tie down can cause it to come loose.
Cost-Effective Tail Light
If the red tail light cover on a vehicle gets broken off, finding a replacement cover can be quite a hassle. A really smart and inexpensive replacement is an empty Doritos bag. The Doritos bag can easily be seen from a distance due to its bright red color. For optimum results, the bag should be large enough to cover the entire missing back tail light area. Also, the Doritos bag should be washed thoroughly before securing in place.
Duct-Tape Paint Job
A very cost-effective alternative to getting a new paint job is to use duct tape. The duct tape will keep out moisture and give a matte like finish to the vehicle. Each strip of duct tape should be lined up perfectly with the one beside it to make the overall appear smooth and very natural looking. The areas around the wheel wells should be smoothed down in order to better blend in with the rest of the car. Different colors of duct tape can be used depending on what color looks best on the vehicle in question.
Water Hose Tire Replacement
Having a spare tire on hand can be quite useful and a life saver. Unfortunately, getting an actual tire for an empty tire rim may not be within the budget. When getting another tire for an empty tire rim proves to be too cumbersome or expensive, a simple trick that can be used is to wrap a water hose several times around the rim. The water hose should be very thick and be several feet in length to ensure proper coverage of the tire rim. Caution should be exercised as being able to stop the vehicle may prove futile when using this replacement method.
Comforts Of Home On The Road
Another idea for a replacement car window is to use a small window from a regular house. The window from the house will help to bring a small comfort of home wherever the vehicle may travel. The window should be small enough to fit in the normal size opening in the car door. Construction foam can easily be used to hold the window securely in place. It is best to choose a window with a latch to allow for air from the outside of the car. Matching drapes can be added to improve the overall quality and appearance of the window.
Leather Muffler
The muffler on a large vehicle can sometimes come loose and start dragging on the ground. The right kind of replacement bracket for a particular vehicle can be very costly and difficult to find. Fortunately, a large man's leather belt can be used to keep the muffler of a vehicle from dragging on the ground. The belt should be wrapped around several times, and latched before being secured again with duct tape. Although any color belt can be used, it is usually best to choose a belt that matches the color of the muffler being held in place.
Handle Replacement
While the buttons on a car's A/C panel usually hold firm, they can sometimes come loose and break off. The dials on the A/C panel are also subject to the same kind of wear and tear. When the A/C control dial within a vehicle needs to be replaced, a garden hose handle can serve as a great replacement. Garden handles tend to be very sturdy, and very easy to grip. Plus, the garden hose handle adds a sense of style and sophistication to the general look of the A/C control panel.
My Car Has A Boo Boo
Finding something to adequately cover up a dent in the side of a car can prove to be somewhat difficult. There are few things on the market that can effectively get the job done. One of the best things to use is a giant band-aid. The band-aid will securely cover the dent while providing extra added protection to that particular area of the vehicle. If possible, finding a band-aid that matches the color of the vehicle is best, however, a normal colored band-aid will work just as well.