Most people know about WD40 and that it’s good for loosening up things that are stuck. The miracle oil is much more than that though, and here are some handy WD40 tricks to keep your car running smoothly.
Looking after a car can be hard work, especially if you don’t really know what you’re doing. Most of us don’t have the first clue about maintaining a car, and we just cross our fingers that it starts up the next time we need it. There are a few little things we can do that help keep our cars on the roads for longer, and it’s all down to one magic ingredient, WD40.
The everyday oil is perfect for making stuck things unstuck, but it’s not just something every plumber uses, and it’s suitable for everyday life. WD40 claims their product can be used anywhere in the home, yard, garage, at work, and even in many sports to assist people in their lives.
The company claims their product has 2,000 uses, and a large part of that extensive list covers cars and transport. The wonder liquid has been used for many years for common everyday needs, but with these secret tricks, you can make life even easier for yourself.
Cleans and protects chrome
If you’ve got chrome on your car, the worst thing you can do is neglect it. That’s the part of your vehicle that’s supposed to shine the brightest, and blind everyone else on the roads as the sunlight bounces off it. Your chrome won’t be blinding anyone if it’s covered in dirt, or worse, is beginning to rust.
By rubbing WD40 onto your chrome, you can prolong its shiny appearance forever. All you have to do is make sure to apply the oil to your bright car parts, and the chrome will remain the most impressive feature of your car.
Removes road debris from bodywork
You might love keeping your car clean, but the roads you drive it on are rarely ever cleaned, which makes things very difficult. There is no way of preventing road debris from fixing itself to your vehicle, but there is an easy way to remove it from your beloved vehicle.
WD40 is a great cleaning agent and it’s tough on the grit or dust that builds up on your car bodywork. The best thing is that the oil is not harmful to the paintwork, which means you can use it to easily get rid of those tough to remove materials.
Prevents wipers from squeaking
There aren’t many things that are more annoying when driving your car than squeaky windshield wipers. You need them to see, but in some cases, you’d rather drive blind than turn them on and have that squeaking in your ear every other second.
If you apply some WD40 to the hinge of the wipers and then rub it across the blades, you can remove that annoying noise once and for all. It doesn’t take much WD40 to get rid of the squeak, and you can go back to using your wipers without wanting to crash just to stop the squeaking.
Unsticks doors during cold weather
Sometimes in frosty months, it feels as though you’re about to rip the handle of your car door off as you try to unstick it from the frost. Adding water doesn’t always make them unstuck, and if you leave the water there, the doors are only going to get more stuck.
WD40 comes to the rescue once more as it will easily cut through the frost that has jammed your door and allow you entrance into your chariot. The oil makes easy work of the ice, and in a matter of seconds, you’ll be in your car ready to drive.
Protects from rust
Rust is a common problem for vehicle owners, especially those who live in the rainy parts of the world. It can eat away at the bodywork of your car, making it look much older than it actually is. Rust has an added downside, and your vehicle will be much less waterproof once the rust sets in.
Rubbing WD40 on the parts of your car that are susceptible to rust helps protect the bodywork from the rain for much longer. Remembering to rub the oil on the car bodywork is another story though, but it will save your car from rust.
Removes paint rub from other vehicles
One of the worst things that can happen to any proud car owner is getting hit by some careless driver who rubs their paintwork onto your vehicle. This is typical of parking lots where people seem to fail to understand the basics of common decency.
From people taking up more than one space to those who hit your car but leave no note; parking lots are bad places used by bad people. WD40 will make your car seem as though there was no collision in the first place though and it will easily remove the paint rub with a cloth.
Gets rid of the squeaky fan belt
Squeaks in cars are annoying, we’ve already established this. While windshield wiper squeaking is annoying, it doesn’t happen all of the time. The fan belt, however, is another story and it can begin squeaking from the moment you put the key in the ignition to when you take it out.
That fan belt noise is no match for WD40 though, and by spraying a little of the oil onto the dry belt, you’ll notice the sound disappears completely. Your car will be so quiet you’ll think it’s running a little too well and you’ll start listening to a new noise.
Cleans the steering wheel
The steering wheel is one of the dirtiest places in your car because that’s what people touch the most. Unless you are washing your hands before you start driving it’s going to be covered in germs and eventually there’ll be a layer of grime.
It’s not pretty and it’s persistent, so you'll need something special to get rid of it. If you haven’t guessed by now, the secret cleaning agent is WD40, and it works wonders. You can say goodbye to the grime and enjoy what driving with a clean wheel feels like once you’ve rubbed some WD40 on it.
Removes bumper stickers
Bumper stickers on vehicles are a fun way to express your personality or a red flag for everyone else to avoid that person as much as possible. Sometimes people end up buying a used car, and it comes with the dreaded bumper sticker that needs removing as quickly as possible.
They are the first thing to go when you get the keys, but they are pretty persistent and want to stick around as much as possible. WD40 is perfect for removing the tough stickers and you can scrub them off with relative ease, removing evidence that they were ever there.
Dissolves grease
Grease comes with the territory of having a car, but you’re only really exposed to it when you go poking around the engine. It’s needed to make the car run as smoothly as possible, but sometimes there’s just too much. Even if you’re just trying to do some basic repair work, it becomes impossible because your tools keep sliding on the grease.
WD40 is perfect for degreasing your engine and allowing you to work on it as easily as possible. The grease will dissolve as it comes into contact with the oil and you’ll just have to wipe it away.
Stops car jack from rusting
Your car jack doesn’t get used all that often, but when the time comes for you to use it, you don’t want it to be rusted so badly it won’t work. Rust is a common problem for many car jacks and applying some WD40 to it occasionally will help prevent it from jamming at an important time.
Most of the time it just sits in your garage or trunk and doesn’t go anywhere, but if you get a flat, you’re going to need it. It’s best to make sure you apply WD40 to your jack every once in a while.
Buffs out fender scratches
Car bodywork tends to bear the brunt of anything our cars come into contact with. Sometimes that’s poles in the ground, fences, signposts, or even long bush branches. They all leave their mark on our fenders, and some WD40 can help buff them out to make sure your car still remains to look its best.
The oil is perfect for getting rid of the annoying little scratches that make your car look old and tired. Applying some WD40 to the fenders will help to buff out the imperfections and keep your vehicle looking like one of the best-kept on the roads.
Cleans tire sidewalls
The sidewalls on our tires are what keeps the rims from rubbing along the ground. They are an important part of our tires, and so it’s vital that we look after them if we don’t want to change our tires too often. WD40 is great at removing any dirt that settles on the walls of your tires, and it prevents anything staying there for too long.
If tires fall into disrepair, they can become cracked and essentially useless at protecting our cars from the roads. WD40 helps extend the lifetime of our tires by keeping them clean and dirt free.
Protects the rubber
Rubber seals on cars are susceptible to damage. They can become cracked when wet and eventually stop doing the protective job they were put there for. Also if the rubber gets too dry, it’s likely to crack so help it last longer by treating it with some WD40.
All it needs is a spray of oil onto a cloth and then going around all parts of your vehicle to rub it into the rubber. Sunroofs are very prone to leaking so using WD40 on their rubber seals can prevent you from getting a wet lap every time it starts raining.
Removes brake dust
Braking is essential, and there is no way to stop the brake dust from covering your wheels. Well, there is a way to prevent brake dust forming, but it tends to end in a crash as you stop hitting the brake pedal. It can make them look rusted and dirty, so getting rid of the dust is important.
It couldn't be easier with a spritz of WD40 and a cloth as it gathers up without much elbow grease. Applying the oil to your wheels will instantly make them look much cleaner, and it will take years off your car.
Keeps motorcycle chains slippery
One thing motorcyclists always need to check before they set off on any journey is the condition of their chain. It is the thing that drives their bike, and without it, the rider will be going nowhere fast.
Checking it is pretty simple, all you have to do is look at it, and if you think it’s looking a little bit dry, then it’s time to get out your can of WD40. Just make sure to coat the chain with the oil, and it will keep you on the road until you get some proper motorcycle grease for the chain.
Unsticks electric seats
If you have electric seats in your car, you better hope they stick in a position where your legs can reach the pedals. The seats are an amazing convenience while they work, but they don’t always like to play ball. If your electric seats get stuck on their track, then WD40 can come to the rescue once more.
Spray the oil on the tracks, and the seat should slide back and forth along like there was never a problem at all. Keeping the oil in the trunk can be a lifesaver someday as it has so many different uses.
Removes melted gum
Chewing gum is both one of the greatest inventions and one of the worst. It’s great while you’re chewing it, but what do you do with it once you’re done? If there isn’t a trash can to throw it into you’ve got three options; keep it in your mouth, throw it in a food wrapper, or stick it to something.
When chewing gum in the car, it’s easy to throw it in a wrapper and forget about it until your seats are covered in gum. WD40 can remove that gum quite quickly so you can chew until your heart’s content.
Loosens bolts
There are plenty of bolts to be found in your car, and not all of them are easy to remove. In a way that’s a good thing, because it means the bolts won’t just rattle out as you drive along a bumpy road.
It can be a problem though when you come to do some maintenance work on your car. The problem with trying to pry open a difficult bolt is that it can damage your tools, making them useless. Applying some WD40 along the thread of the bolt will coax it out of its place once and for all.
Restores shine on classic cars
If you see a classic car, then most of the time they are looking as clean and shiny as possible. That’s because their owners take good care of them and if you’ve just got yourself a classic car there is a helpful secret.
Yep, it’s WD40, and by rubbing it on your vintage bodywork, you can keep your old machine looking as shiny as possible. The oil won’t harm the paintwork, but it will have it shining bright as you wheel it into the car show. Using WD40 ensures all eyes are on your vintage machine and not anyone else’s.
Cleans bull bars
Bullbars get put through their paces on many all-terrain vehicles, especially if the drivers actually take their trucks off the road. They’re great for protecting your vehicle from any damaging obstacles in your way, but they tend to get covered in mud and dirt.
Even if you don’t take your vehicle with bull bars off the road, you'll still want to clean them as best as possible. WD40 cuts through any dirt and grime on your bull bars. Applying the oil on a rag to your bull bars will have them looking like they’ve never been off-road before.
Removes bugs from the grill
One of the most annoying things about living somewhere that has a lot of bugs is the amount of them that end up squished on your windshield. Trying to get them off can be damaging to your paintwork but so can leaving them there.
WD40 can safely remove those squished bugs from the front grill of your car effortlessly, and for a while, you can have the cleanest car in town. Then when you take your car out for a drive again, you’ll have to clean it all over again as you inevitably squish even more bugs on your grill.
Cleans wipers
Windshield wipers are there to make seeing out the front of your vehicle easier. Sometimes they end up being pretty dirty, and all they seem to do is smear the dirt across the window even more. After just a few minutes, your windshield is impossible to see out of and you’ve become a danger on the road.
By rubbing WD40 on your wipers, you can reduce the amount of dirt that forms on them and protect the rubber in the process. Now you won’t have to worry about the rain because your wipers are going to be in top shape.
Prevents locks from freezing during winter
As if the doors freezing wasn’t a big enough problem in the winter, there is also the added challenge of the frozen locks. Most of our cars are opened remotely, but not everyone’s car does. For those who still use the old lock and key method, this tip will get you into your car quicker than ever.
That means you won’t have to stand around freezing while you desperately try to thaw out the frozen water in your lock. Now you can get into your car as soon as possible and freeze on the inside until the heaters warm up.
Removes fingerprints and smudges
Fingerprints and smudges can be particularly annoying on things like car windows and mirrors. You’re meant to be looking at other things, but all you can see is the big mark that someone left, and it’s very distracting. WD40 will make light work of those stains so you can go back to driving safely without any distractions.
Keeping a clean car isn’t easy, especially if other people travel with you, so WD40 is going to come to the rescue quite a lot. The miracle oil not only cleans the outside of your car, but it’s great on the inside too.
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