TorqueCars top tips for drivers.

"Things every driver should know"

Over the years we pick up little gems of information.

The sort of things that are not obvious until they are pointed out to you so here are our top tips.

Those little snippits of information that every driver should know.

They can save time, inconvenience and make interesting conversation point with friends.

Most of these tips were gleaned from our members in our forum, please join - TorqueCars are one of the friendliest and fastest growing car clubs around.

Here are the top 10 tips for drivers.

If you have trouble remembering which side of the car your fuel intake is have a look at the little pump in the fuel gauage. If the nozzle on the pump is on the right, then your fuel intake is on the right.

If you lock your keys in the car just phone home and get somone to press the unlock button on the spare fob against the phone. If your phone is on hands free and close enough to the car your doors will pop open. This should save a long round trip and a long wait for the spare to arrive.

Dipping the clutch as you start the engine means that the starter is not rotating the main gearbox driveshaft. This can help if your battery is low and will avoid causing the car to lurch forward if the last person to use it left it in gear.

Keeping the tire pressures high can save you (depending on your mileage) £100 ($200) per year in lower tire wear and wasted fuel consumption.

Use the airconditioning to warm the car up in winter as this is faster than waiting for the  heat from the engine to kick in. Using the aircon in winter will also help to keep the compressor in good condition and prevent it from siezing up.

If you get white car wax on plastic trim you can remove it using a pencil eraser or peanut butter. Spread on and lick it off or just wipe it off, the TorqueCars member who came up with that little jem suggests that you avoid the cruncy peanut butter.

If your car is stuck in mud remember to keep the speed low. The more your wheels spin the deeper you will get stuck. Ride the clutch and try to rock the car backwards and forwards. The rocking motion will usually be enough to get you free unless you have dug right in. If it is bad get one of your car mats and place this on the ground, rubber side up. Using a very slow engine speed and riding the clutch try to rock the car forwards and backwards. 

If your brakes fail, use a lower gear and engine braking to slow up the car. The as the speed drops pump the hand brake on and off until you reach a stop. On motorways when you are dealing with faster speeds and may not have the distance required use a barrier and push the nose of the car into the barrier at a shallow angle.

If your engine cuts out and you need to move forward, for example you are on railway crossing use the starter motor. Put the car in gear and turn on the starter motor. If your battery is in good condition there should be just enough to get you out of harms way. (Expect to replace the starter motor though!)

If your clutch goes completely you can change gear if you match the engine/gearbox speed carefully. Moving the gearstick to netural and then slipping it into gear will usually work. The higher the gear the easier this is to pull off without crunching the gearbox. This way, as long as you keep the car moving you should be able to get the car to a garage.

These tips were gleaned from our members - to get more tips and keep up to date use our forum - registration is completely free. If you have a tip to pass on please use the feedback form below or better still - drop us a line in the forum!