Top 15 Car Cleaning Hacks That Every Car Owner Should Know By Now

1. Re purpose Your Old Toothbrush

When you’re done with it, you can still use it to scrub off dirt in your vinyl as well as get crumbs out of the seams of your seat cushions.

2. Clean AC Vents Using Foam Brush

You can make a DIY AC vent cleaner from a cheap foam brush glued to a stick. 

3. Toothpaste Your Way To Brand New Looking Headlights

When spread on a grimy headlights and left there for a few minutes, toothpaste can make it look brand new! 

4. Magic Eraser Is Your New Best Friend

Gently rubbing a magic eraser can magically remove gross sticky things off your vinyl and leather like it’s never been there.

5. Olive Oil Isn’t Just For Cooking

Moderate amount of olive oil rubbed onto leather seat and dashboard, occasionally, can give your vehicle extra gleam.

6. Banish Animal Hair

Spray water using a spray bottle on surfaces with animal hair then wipe it with a squeegee. Vacuum the clumps after.

7. Dryer Sheets Can Wipe Off Dried Up Bugs 

Wipe off the bugs on your grille without breaking a sweat! Just wet a dryer sheet and use that to clean those areas. 

8. Peel Off Stubborn Stickers With The Help Of Goo Gone

Eliminate stickers in your bumper and make it smooth again using Goo Gone.

9. Make Your Wipers Run Smoother On Windshield Using Rubbing Alcohol

A small amount of rubbing alcohol can do wonders. Wipe it on the rubber part of the wiper blades and it’ll surely run smoother next time and prevent smearing.

10. Baking Soda As Air Freshener

Baking soda is great when eliminating bad smell. You can make your own car air fresher by putting a jar, covered with breathable fabric, full of baking soda and an essential oil of your choice mixture. Put it where the stink is. 

11. Don’t Forget The Top Of The Window

The very top of the window can get really gross. Roll it down, start cleaning from there and work your way down.

12. Include Clay Bar In Your Car Cleaning Supplies

Clay bars are great for picking up bits of grime that water can’t rinse off.

13. Take On The Nooks And Crannies

A piece of cloth over the top of a screw driver is the trick to clean those nooks and crannies in your ride.

14. Coffee Filters Have Numerous Uses

Put a little oil in it and it can make your car shine, while a little vinegar and water in it can wipe stains out.
  
15. Conditioner For A Shinier Car

Look for one that has lanolin in the ingredients. Put some on a cloth that you use for wiping to give your car a shiny finish. 

Real Deal: How Much Does It Really Cost To Own A Car In Singapore?

Do you live in Singapore and planning to buy a car? Before anything else, answer this question. Do you know the real price of owning one? If you don’t, here’s a rough estimation, get you calculator and compute all the expenses that comes with having a ride.

Down Payment

Open market value or OMV of the car is an essential factor when calculating how much the down payment will be if you’re applying for a car loan. You’d be eligible for the maximum Loan-to-Value of 60% of the vehicle’s price tag if your OMV is S$20,000 or less. This means DP will be 40%.
But if OMV is more than S$20,000, DP will be 50%, because you’ll be entitled for a maximum LTV of 50%.

Total Car Loan Cost

Monetary Authority of Singapore or MAS implemented 5-year tenure in car loans. So, to abide that restriction you will have to increase your monthly amortization. 
So, subtract the down payment from your car’s purchase price. With the difference you get add the 2.28% interest, and then the result will be the total of your car loan cost. Just divide that to 60 mos. (5 years) to know your monthly amortization.

Car Insurance

If you happen to be a safe driver with a 10% No-Claim Discount (NCD) if you don’t get into any trouble every year (up to the maximum 50%) and given the S$3,600 initial car insurance annual premium with excess S$1,000 for comprehensive policy that’s S$24,520 (factoring NCD) in 10 years.

Road Tax

Your dealer might be paying a year worth of your road tax but you still have to brace yourself. Land Transportation Authority factors the road tax in Singapore by:
S$950 + 1.5 (1,911 – 1,600) X 0.782 = a road tax of S$1,108 (In case it’s a Mercedes-Benz E-200 AVANTGARDE with 1991cc engine capacity) because road tax is calculated based on your car’s engine capacity. So that’s S$9,972 as your overall cost of paying the road tax.

Gasoline

With the gasoline, your expenses may differ depending on changes of your yearly mileage. But let’s say you drive about 19,000km a year and your car has 16.7km per liter of petrol as average fuel consumption rate, then that’s S$26,213 for the cost of petrol in total. Considering 3% yearly price hike on gas, on the S$1.95 cost per liter of 98UL petrol, due to inflation.

Maintenance

Car servicing in Singapore could easily exceed S$300 per trip and you have to do it every 6 months to ensure your vehicles’ good condition for 10 years. You also have to keep in mind that rising cost of services and mechanical reliability of your car play a huge part on your car maintenance expenses.

So, with your car’s price tag and all the computations above from all the requirement of owning a vehicle, you probably have a pretty good idea on how much does it really cost to own a ride in Singapore. I say think about it a million time before you decide. 

Facts About Cars That You Probably Don’t Know But Should

You’re a car enthusiast; you think you know everything about cars? Wait till’ you read about these facts.

The Mystery To The “Secret Triangle”

In case you’ve been wondering about that triangle or arrow next to the fuel pump icon that can be seen in newer cars, it’s actually to indicate your fuel tank’s location. Clever huh?

One Man Was Fined USD 1 Million For Speeding

If you’re driving in Switzerland, don’t step on the gas too much. They calculate fines according to the speed of the car and the driver's income over there. Doesn’t seem like much? Tell that to that Swedish guy who happened to be driving at 180 mph one day and got fined USD 1 million for speeding.

The Dashboard Was Originally Made From Wood

If you lived way back in the day, horse drawn carriages were the cars and a piece of wood served as a dashboard to keep mud from splattering on the carriage driver. So yes, no need for wipers back then.
  
Motor Car Is The Most Recycled Product

You may think you’re driving a brand new car with all new parts but you might not. 95% of retired vehicles are recycled yearly wherein the parts are used in new cars or other products. So even if you did bought a brand new car, that doesn’t mean you won’t be needing car repair at some point.

The Longest Duration Anyone Has Owned And Driven A Car Is 82 Years

For most of us, our first car was probably been long gone, either sitting idly at our parents’ house or replaced for a newer model when we finally saved enough from our paycheck. But a man named Allen Swift kept his throughout his life. Either he’s being sentimental since it’s a gorgeous Rolls-Royce Piccadilly-P1 Roadster from his father as a graduation gift in 1928 or just can’t afford to trade it up since it cost USD 10,900 at the time which is USD 141,700 in 2010 money.

Ways To Tell If You’re Dealing With A Good Mechanic

Looking for car servicing in Singapore? I’m sure you’ll already come across a lot of different service provider. However, the question is, how will you know which among them is actually worth your time and their price? If you’re seriously stump, dig in and learn how to spot the best.

Have A Good Look At Their Workshop

When you’re canvasing for a mechanic don’t just look at the person, extend your eyesight to his shop as well. Scan the place and ask yourself these: Does it look like the mechanic is organized? Are the tools and parts grouped according to sizes and types? Can you see calendars, planners, or whiteboard schedules in there? If you answered yes to all of those questions then there’s a possibility that you’re in good hands. A mechanic’s workshop may not be spotless but it should be organized. 

Don’t Overlook The Receipt

Don’t just shove the receipt in your pocket and assume he’s good for providing one. Spend a time to see if the receipt is unreadable and if the mechanic won’t be bothered to explain the breakdown of your receipt. If that’s the case then you’re looking at someone who doesn’t expect you to be a regular client.

Check The Toolbox

A mechanic’s tools are the next best thing to his skills. Pay attention to whether he doesn’t have much and some haven’t been used by the looks of them. Or he has piles of them that are obviously spent. The latter are signs of experienced mechanic.

See How He Works With Minor Repair First

If you have a couple of car repair works, test the guy out with the minor ones first. If he does it well, gives a proper receipt without trying to convince you to get other parts of your car fixed or improved, he’s a catch.

  

Find Out What Brand Or Service He’s Good At

It’s best for your vehicle if the mechanic that will handle is someone whose specialty is your rides (service that you need). Dig through car forums so fellow car owners can give you recommendations.

Pay Attention To Your Car Parts

There are instances where dubious mechanics will tell customers that they have replaced the car part/s already, when in fact they didn’t. So, the client having no idea that he’s been trick and for sure ends up paying for the service. Don’t let it happen to you; ask to see the original part. But if you’re with a good mechanic you won’t even have to ask, he’ll show you right away and ask if you still want it.

Now that you know how to look for a good mechanic, time to get your car over there and have it done!