4 Quirky Cost Saving Hacks

So some of us constantly look for ways to save money, especially on our cars which are themselves probably the costliest thing we own, abode aside.

Things like constantly looking for free parking, squeezing every last drop of fuel in during discount seasons like Formula One weekends and going across the border to do everything from car washes to servicing.

But this time we’re not going to cover these common practices.

Instead, here’s a compilation of some of the least expected ways some people go to save on spending money on their cars.

Okay this sounds impossible, but trust me it can be done.

How?

Many people have heard of Rain-X or other similar products. For those that have not, what they are is essentially a water repellent coating that can be applied to the glass surfaces of your car.

Essentially, this creates a hydrophobic layer on the windscreen and windows that when you drive quickly enough the air will push the water upwards (or backwards for windows) and clear the surface so you don’t actually need to use your wipers.

Now I’m not recommending you try and drive in pouring rain without the use of your wipers – that would just be reckless and irresponsible (even though it’s what I do but hey, who’s judging?), but that’s one heck of a way not to ever have to use your wipers in the rain.

This in turn prevents your wipers from wearing down from use, so you never have to replace them.

And even as they do wear out from the heat and general weather degradation of the rubber blades, you’ll never know because you never use them.

Just be sure to reapply the coating every now and then so that the windshield stays slick.

Oh and drive quickly; the harder it rains the faster you go, so get good tyres too.

Everybody is always talking about upsizing and upgrading their stock rims to something larger and more attractive, because well bigger is better isn't it?

Well no, if you consider it from a fuel economy perspective.

Larger wheels require larger tyres which equals larger rolling resistance due to the larger surface area in contact with the road so therefore more friction, or as some like to call it – grip.

So if your car comes with the promotional upgraded M-Sport wheels, maybe ask your sales guy to give you a little discount instead and stick with the smaller wheels, because in the long run you’ll save yourself some money on fuel.

And if you think the difference is marginal, try saving say five to ten percent on fuel for the next ten years and it’ll add up to something rather sizeable wont it?

A what?

If you haven’t heard, there are car wash shampoos that require no rinsing, provided the car is not too dirty, in which case you really ought to be spanked for not cleaning your car regularly.

How do these systems work?

Typically what you need are two buckets, a good mitt or microfiber towel and the cleaning agent.

Depending on which specific product you use, dilute some of the solution into a clean bucket of water according to the proportions given, and this forms your wash bucket. The other bucket you fill with clean water to rinse your mitt when it gets dirty.

And then you simply proceed to use your mitt or microfiber towel to wipe down the car, rinsing the mitt in the water bucket when it gets dirty.

It’s really easy as you can tell, and if you use a reliable brand of no-rinse wash, the shampoo actually contains polymers or waxes to help clean and lift off dirt rather than rub it around so you minimise damage to your paint work.

This will save you bucket loads of water and therefore money.

And the government will probably send you a thank you note for not wasting water on washing your car.

So while you’re off downsizing your rims unlike everybody else who are upsizing, there are plenty of tyres and rims that are traded in to tyre purveyors which are still pretty fresh.

Some people actually go immediately from car collection centre to tyre shop to swap out their wheels, so there’s a pretty good chance that these tyres are still very new and really don’t have much of a downside if they fit your car.

And because they’re not new and were traded in by a customer, tyre shops can’t sell these tyres to you at the same price as a properly new one, which means you get a good discount for new tyres which you never knew you could.

The same goes with rims – sometimes one person’s stock rims could be another’s mod rims, so if they fit and don’t cost a bomb and you actually like them, why not?

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