11 Amazing WD-40 Uses for Your Car, Truck, and Automobile | Auto Simple (2023)

FAQs

Why do people put WD-40 in their gas tank? ›

According to them, it's useful as a fuel, lube, gunk remover, and scratch remover. Okay, maybe not so much as a fuel. After draining a gas tank and filling it with WD40, the engine dies pretty quickly, despite the fact that WD40 is a flammable substance.

Use WD-40 and spray the entire greasy engine compartment with it. Remove the grease and grime with water and rinse it off. Depending on how dirty your engine is, you can also use a small brush to remove the grease for the hard-to-reach parts.

No, it's a bad idea. WD-40 isn't a great lubricant, it's mostly a solvent and it will tend to wash oil off the cylinder walls which is absolutely not what you want to do before starting an engine.

Keep Spiders Away

It has lubricant-like properties that do not come from the substance itself, but rather from dissolving components. Have a fear of spiders? Just spray some WD-40 on places where spiders and other insects can get in, such as windowsills and door frames. It will keep the spiders and other bugs out.

Water in gasoline doesn't just cause issues in the cylinder; it can easily damage injectors if it expands rapidly in the injector tip (due to the inherent heat of the injector). And if it sits in the fuel system for a long period of time, it can even cause rust in your fuel system.

Vinegar is an acid of about 5–15% concentration and rest is water. It will definitely not burn in the engine, so don't expect it to run. It's an acid, hence corrosive. Keeping it in the fuel tank/ running the engine will corode the internals of the engine and everything it passes through.

Spray a generous layer of WD-40 over the headlights and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. While you wait, the specially engineered solution will expertly get under the buildup and muck, making your next step easier. Take a soft, clean loofah and scrub the headlights gently.

Spray WD-40 Multi-use Product on a microfiber cloth and rub over the spark plug. You can even spray WD-40 directly on the spark plug & then wipe it down using a soft, clean cloth. After cleaning the spark plugs, put them back inside and start the car to see the difference.

Certain products can also help to prevent buildup of rust and corrosion on your battery terminals. WD-40_® Multi-Use Product is quite useful in this area, and you can use it not only on flashlight battery connection points but others such as you car battery as well.

Is WD-40 good for arthritis? ›

WD-40 Does Not Help Arthritis

Due to the myth that WD-40 helps arthritis, the WD-40 company website includes the following statement regarding the myth (amongst other cool myths, legends and facts)… Fact: This popular headline, appearing at least once a year in the tabloids, is completely FALSE.

For example, applying white vinegar or lemon juice and scrubbing with a toilet brush typically works on newer stains. You can also try mixing white vinegar and baking soda if you need a stronger scrub. For older stains, using an industrial-strength cleaner like CLR should do the trick.

WD40 is oil, so when you spray it over scratches (especially the very light ones that are only in the top coat of paint) the oil fills in the scratches and leaves a shiny, glossy finish. It looks like the clear coat over the paint. WD40 can clean, too.

Spray any areas where ants are feeding or accessing your house with WD-40. The spray will kill ants and serve as a deterrent from further access as long as residue from the spray remains.

WD-40 also helps keeps these pesky rodents at bay. I usually spray a little inside the bonnet in a few areas and have not had problems till date. Well WD40 says its safe to use on rubber.

Defend Against Insects

A light coating of WD-40 on doorframes, screens, and window sills keeps bugs from crawling into your home. If they find another way in, a quick shot immediately kills most problematic insects.

Skin contact: May cause drying of skin and/or irritation. Eye contact: May cause irritation, tearing and redness. Ingestion (Swallowed): May caused irritation, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. First Aid Emergency Procedures Ingestion (Swallowed): Do not induce vomiting, seek medical attention.

In addition to preventing bugs from hitting your vehicle, WD-40 is also a great option for removing already stuck-on bugs, bird droppings, tree sap, and grime. It won't damage your paint; just remember to rinse it off with soap and water afterwards.

This rust-removal formula has no toxic fumes, does not use acids or caustic chemicals, is non-irritating to skin, and is safe to use on most metals. To remove light rust, leave parts in the solution for 1-3 hours. To remove heavy rust, leave parts in the rust removal solution overnight.

What happens if you put cooking oil in a gas tank? ›

As vegetable oil has a very high viscosity, an engine will find it difficult in atomizing the fuel completely when it is sprayed into the combustion chamber, this will result in a clogged engine.

For a typical 40-gallon fuel tank, one half to one pint of isopropanol will disperse the water and get your engine running satisfactorily.

Iso-HEET®Opens a new window is a fuel additive specifically made to remove water from the gas tank. However, if there is more water in the tank than gas, there's no fuel additive on the market capable of getting the job done because the ratio is off.

Vinegar is a great toilet cleaning solution. Not only is it free of chemicals and naturally antibacterial, it's also an acid, so it will remove minor lime and calcium deposits. All you need to do is pour a couple cups of vinegar in your tank and let it sit for an hour or so, then scrub and flush to rinse.

Alternatively, driving a car with bleach in the gas tank has a disastrous effect. If the bleach keeps staying for a long time inside the engine parts and fuel system, it will have enough time to corrode and destroy the metal and rubber parts. The effect of bleach manifests faster than a normal corrosion.

When you put hydrogen peroxide into a car's gas tank, it comes into contact with the engine's metal parts. What is this? The breakdown of these metal molecules caused by hydrogen peroxide can cause the engine to seize up and fail. In some cases, the damage caused by hydrogen peroxide may be irreparable.

Toothpaste and baking soda can be effective cleansers for cleaning headlights. Both products are abrasive enough to take off the fog without scratching or damaging the headlights. Polishing compounds such as Rain-X might also be effective enough to remedy UV damage.

While using a Magic Eraser on a vehicle's paint has become somewhat of a cautionary tale, it's completely safe to clean cloudy headlights. A bonus? The cleaning tool even gets rid of the gross yellow coloring that develops over time. Buff each one with a wet Magic Eraser, then wipe with a paper towel as they dry.

The phosphoric acid in Coca-Cola can help remove oxidation from your headlights, and gives it a decent clean. As it could potentially damage or stain paintwork, it's best not to pour it on, but decant into a spray bottle and spray directly on the headlights.

Car Repair – WD-40 Lubricates Spark Plugs & Other Parts

Dirt and Dust can build up around your spark plugs over time, this can affect their performance. For part of your car repair and maintenance, you can use WD-40 to remove carbon residue, and keep moisture away from spark plugs and spark plug wires.

What is the best thing to clean spark plugs with? ›

You can use a wire brush to remove debris from its threads. Pro tip - You can also use a carb cleaner to clean the spark plug if required!

A brake cleaner can clean many car parts — including spark plugs. Spray the brake cleaner on the plug, including threads and spark plug holes. Then wipe it off with a clean cloth to remove any remaining gunk. If need be, you can use the brake cleaner and wire brush collectively to deal with stubborn filth.

One common use for WD40 is to remove car scratches. Given that it is designed to dissolve water, WD40 can help break down the pathways that scratch create on clear coat finishes. This makes it easier to buff out the scratch with a polishing compound.

For a final touch and polish, spray some WD-40 onto the cloth and give the dashboard and console a once over. This will act as a sealant and protect your dashboard from accumulating dust in the future; it also helps to add a little bit of “new car” shine to your dashboard.

It will not improve mpg.

It is always recommended to use 'whitening' toothpaste to remove scratches from your car. 'Whitening' toothpaste works best because it contains small, barely perceptible abrasives.

Car detailers will start by thoroughly cleaning your vehicle. This is done to keep loose dirt from getting caught in the buffer and scratching your car. Following the washing, the detailer will use their rotary buffer to buff off the scratches with a cutting compound.

Most light scratches can be fixed by polishing the clear coat with a rubbing compound. It will remove the damaged layer and leave your paint looking good as new. If the scratch is deep, you may need to sand the area before polishing it. It will remove any rough edges and make it easier to apply the compound evenly.

Secondly, apply the WD-40 Multi-Use Product onto a Cleaning Cloth. Begin to rub the entire surface of the alloy wheel, focus on the areas with remaining stubborn grime or brake dust. Please be advised this should be applied using a cloth to avoid getting any on the wheel or brake pads.

No, you should not. If you think about what dish soap like Dawn or Dial is made for like removing grease and caked-on food, then you'll understand why it's not good for your car. While it does a good job, it's good because it's considered an abrasive soap.

Can I use Windex to clean the dashboard of my car? ›

ammonia – the glass on your car's dashboard, windows, and mirrors aren't pure glass, but plastic. Household cleaners like Windex use ammonia, which can discolor the material and even cause it to crack.

It's safe! But just because it won't dissolve your car's clear coat doesn't mean that using it on paintwork is a good idea. We already mentioned the smell and the greasy appearance that WD-40 leaves behind. But maybe the worst part is that WD-40 attracts dirt like a magnet.

For cleaning a gasoline or diesel fuel system, it's safe to add more Sea Foam to fuel. In fact, the more Sea Foam you add to fuel, the better it cleans! Pour Sea Foam in your fuel tank to clean and lubricate your entire fuel system.

While vehicles reach optimal fuel economy at different speeds, gas mileage usually decreases rapidly at speeds above 50 miles per hour (mph). For light-duty vehicles, for example, every 5 mph you drive over 50 mph is like paying $0.18 more per gallon of gas (based on the price of gas at $2.63 per gallon).

It's best to drive the speed limit and use cruise control when possible. Rapid acceleration and hard braking quickly eat up fuel, so avoid those actions whenever possible. When your tires are underinflated, fuel consumption can increase by as much as 3%.