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Ever feel like your mechanic is smiling
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a bit too much when you pull into the
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shop? It's because they know something
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you don't. They see you worrying about a
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major repair while they know it's a
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5-minute fix you could have done in your
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driveway for the price of a cup of
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coffee. Most of the scary problems that
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end up costing you a [music] week's
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paycheck are actually tiny issues you
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can solve with things already sitting in
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your kitchen or junk drawer. [music]
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Today, I'm pulling back the curtain on
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the secrets the pros hope you never find
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out. If you stay with me until the end,
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you're going to be the one laughing at
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the repair bill. Let's start with a
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problem that looks like a total
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nightmare. Imagine you get into your car
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and find a puddle of water on the
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passenger [music] floor. Most people
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panic and think the windshield is
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leaking or the heater is broken. [music]
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A shop will easily quote you $500 for a
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heater core replacement. But here is the
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truth. Most of the time, it's just a
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tiny piece of dirt clogging your AC
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Your [snorts] air conditioner creates
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water as it runs, and that water is
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supposed to drip out of a little rubber
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hose under the car. If that tube gets
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plugged, the water [music] backs up and
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pours onto your carpet. Most shops will
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charge you hundreds for this, but you
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can fix it in 30 seconds for free. Just
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find that little hose under the car and
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poke a pipe cleaner or a thin wire into
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it. You'll see a gallon of water pour
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out, and just like that, your major leak
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is gone. [music] This next one feels
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like it should be illegal because it's
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so simple. Have you ever had a power
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window just quit on you? Or maybe it
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won't roll up all the way with the
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automatic button. Mechanics love to tell
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you the motor is dead, which is a $300
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job. But usually, the window just needs
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a brain reset. All you do is hold the
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window button down until it's fully
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open, and keep holding it for 5 seconds.
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Then, pull the button up until it's
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fully closed and hold it for another 5
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>> This recalibrates the computer. It's one
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of those secret car maintenance tips
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mechanics [music] don't want you to see
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because it fixes a broken window in 10
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seconds for $0. Now, this next one is
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crazy, but it can save your car from
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>> Rats and mice [snorts] love to crawl
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into warm engines and chew on wires.
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I've seen a single mouse cause [music]
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$5,000 in damage in one night. To stop
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them, don't buy traps or chemicals.
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[music] Just grab some peppermint
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essential oil from the store, put a few
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drops on some cotton balls, and tuck
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them into [music] the corners of your
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engine bay. Rodents absolutely hate the
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smell and won't go near it. It's a $10
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fix for a $5,000 problem. Mechanics hate
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this one because it makes their body
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shop look like a scam. If you have a
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dent in your plastic bumper, don't pay a
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pro to pull it out. Plastic has
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something called shape memory.
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If you pour a pot of boiling hot water
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over the dent, it softens the material.
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While it's still hot, take a common
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bathroom plunger, stick it on the dent,
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[music] and pull. The bumper will pop
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right back into its original shape like
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nothing [music] ever happens. Splash
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some cold water on it to lock it in
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place, and you just saved yourself a
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massive body shop [music] bill.
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Now, let's talk about those foggy yellow
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headlights. When they get cloudy, you
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can't see at night, and your [music] car
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looks 10 years older than it is. Those
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[snorts] restoration kits at the store
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cost [music] 20 bucks and take an hour
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to use. Instead, just grab your
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toothpaste, the plain white kind, not
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the gel. Rub it on the headlight with a
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damp cloth for a few minutes. [music]
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The tiny bits of grit in the toothpaste
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polish away the yellow gunk perfectly.
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Rinse it off, and they'll look brand
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new. I'm telling you, mechanics really
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hate this next one [music] because it
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prevents the biggest money maker they
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have, rust. If you live where they salt
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the roads, your [music] car's frame is
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slowly rotting. Instead of paying for an
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expensive undercoating [music] that
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actually traps moisture, buy a can of
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lanolin spray. It's a natural wax made
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from sheep's wool. Spray it on the metal
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parts under your car. It sticks [music]
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to everything, repels water like crazy,
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and stops rust in its tracks. It's the
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best $15 you'll ever spend on your car.
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Wait until you hear how much you're
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being overcharged for [music] this next
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simple task. Every year, a shop will
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tell you that you need a new cabin air
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filter and try to charge [music] you $70
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for it. The truth? The filter costs 10
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bucks online and it's usually sitting
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right behind your glove box. [music] You
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can pop the old one out and slide the
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new one in faster than you can find your
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credit card. While you're at it, if your
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AC smells musty, turn it to the [music]
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fresh air mode and spray some
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disinfectant spray into the vents at the
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base of your windshield on the outside.
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It kills the mold in the pipes and makes
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your [music] car smell like new. This
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next tip is for anyone who hates how
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their tires look gray and old. Don't buy
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those greasy tire sprays. They just
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attract dust and wash off in the rain.
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Instead, use black shoe polish.
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Use the paste that comes in the little
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tin. Rub it into the [music] tire
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sidewalls with an old rag. It gives the
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rubber a deep, matte black look that
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lasts for weeks and doesn't [music] rub
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It's a classic trick from the world of
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12 genius car hacks that will save you
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thousands in repairs. Finally, check the
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top of your trunk. Most cars have hidden
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hooks up there that nobody ever uses.
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They're built specifically to hold your
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grocery bags so they don't tip over.
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>> You don't need to buy organizers, you
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already have them. And if you ever get
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bird poop or tree sap on your paint,
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[music] don't scrub it. Make [snorts] a
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paste of baking soda and water, let it
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sit on the spot for a minute and it will
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neutralize the acid and lift the gunk
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right off without scratching your
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[music] paint. If you ignore these tips,
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you're literally throwing money away.
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Most people are too afraid to touch
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their own cars, [music] but as you can
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see, you don't need to be a genius to
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save a fortune. Watch this before your
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next mechanic visit [music] so you don't
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get taken for a ride. If these hacks
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helped you out, hit that like button and
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subscribe to the [music] channel. I'm
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here to make sure you keep your money
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where it belongs, in your pocket. I'll
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see you in the next one.
