Category: Car Dashboard

  • How to Turn On Car Headlights

    Learning how to turn on car headlights is an unavoidable step when you learn to drive a car. Although it is a simple thing, you still need to know how and when to turn the lights on. For example, during night time, dark days, heavy snow days, raining days or whenever visibility is low It is safer to drive with headlights on because other vehicle can notice your car. Follow the 4 easy steps below to turn on car parking lights and headlights.

    4 Steps to Turn on Car Parking lights and Headlights

    Generally, there is only 1 switch or control arm or button to turn on parking lights (also called running lights) and headlights. It takes you less than 3 seconds to turn on the lights.

    Step 1: In order to switch on car lights, you need to locate the headlight controls. Most cars come with a control arm located near to the steering wheel. For most Mercedes-Benz models, it usually has a headlight control panels on the dashboard. Look for the headlight indicator symbol and you will be able to locate the control.

    how to turn on car headlights

    Step 2: A headlight control usually has three position: off, parking light and headlight. It should be off when the car is not in use. Leaving your car headlights on for a few hours will drain your car battery if the car is not in use. Therefore, always make sure you OFF it before you turn off the ignition.

    car headlights symbol

    Step 3: To turn on car headlight, switch the headlight control to parking light and then headlight according to the symbol near to the switch. Parking light is the second position and headlight is usually at the third position.

    how to turn on car headlights

    Step 4: If this is the first time you are driving the car, switch the headlight control to “Parking light” and get down from your car to check it. Do the same for headlight so that you know how your car’s headlight works.

    car headlights on

    Tips:

    • A vehicle headlights and tail lights work together when you turn on the headlight switch. It is important to check your vehicle lights from time to time to make sure all the lights are working. Signal lights and brake lights are vital too.
    • Vehicles with headlight warning will beep or notify driver the headlights are on when they remove the key from the ignition. Thus, check your car headlights if you hear some sound after the key is removed from the ignition.
    • Certain cars come with an indicator on the dashboard telling the driver the headlights is on, off or faulty.

    See other driving related articles: Learning to Drive an Automatic car (Full tutorial with pictures), Learning to Drive a Manual Car (Best guide with pictures and videos), and How to parallel park a car (The best parallel park guide you ever need).

    How to Turn On Car Headlights Video Guide

    It might be a stupid question to ask an experience driver how to turn on car headlights but it is a vital question for beginners who just get their hand on driving a car.

    Last but not least: How to Make an Automatic Car Tires Spin

  • How to Get Cigarette Smell out of a Car

    Do you know how to get cigarette smell out of a car without spending any money? It is important to know this if you are a used car dealer. Nobody wants to buy a car with cigarette smell or tobacco odors. It is vital to get rid of it before a potential buyer view the car. It is also important to know this tip if you hate the cigarette smell in your car or you have just quit smoking. Whether you are a smoker or non-smoker, it has nothing to lose learn these ways to get the smell of smoke out of your car. Most of these are cheap ways to get rid of cigarette smell in your car. You can Do-It-Yourself (DIY) easily. So, get rid of that smell today!

    10 Ways to Completely Get Cigarette Smell out of Your Car

    cigarette smoke

    1. Throw away the source of cigarette smell

    If there are tobacco odors, cigarette butts or cigarette ashes left on your car seat or carpet, cigarette smell will stay in your car regardless of how many times you clean your car. Throw all the unwanted rubbish and never leave an ashtray in your car. Vacuum your carpet and entire interior include underneath of both front car seat. Make sure there is no cigarette ashes left.

    2. Wipe your dashboard

    Smoke is easy to settle on your dashboard. Use shampoo with wet towel to wipe your dashboard. Apply dashboard dresser once the dashboard is completely clean. Do not forget about washing the door panels, air-conditioning vents and all buttons on your car. Alternatively, you can wipe your dashboard with vinegar and water if you like the natural way.
    car dashboard

    3. Brush your seats and carpets

    Remove the carpets out of your car and brush them with shampoo. Put it back to your car when you make sure there is no cigarette odor left on it. As for the seats, it will be perfect if you can remove it and wash them completely. See also: Types of car windows tinting.

    4. Clean the seat with baking soda

    Baking soda is a very useful thing when it comes to cleaning the fabric interiors. It is cheap to buy and available almost everywhere. You can use it with rag or toothbrush to clean your seat, door panels, or carpets.
    baking soda

    5. Leave your car under sun for a day

    Once you have cleaned up everything inside your car. Leave all the car doors open and park the car under hot sun for a day. Alternatively, leave the window open and let the air circulate inside your car.
    Car under hot sun to get rid of cigarette smell

    6. Buy a new air freshener

    Air fresheners definitely help to get rid of cigarette smell from your car. Once everything is cleaned, place an air freshener near to your A/C vents. See also: Where can I virtually customize my car.

    7. Use Charcoal

    If you don’t like the word “Buy”, get a few pieces of charcoal and place them under your seats. Charcoal absorbs unpleasant odors and moisture naturally. It is very good to place one or two at places that don’t get much air circulation and car is one to be mentioned. They are cheap and can be found almost everywhere.

    8. Use natural flowers, leaves or coffee bean

    Place an adequate amount of coffee grounds inside your car for a few days and the cigarette smell will definitely gone. Try natural flowers or leaves if you don’t like the smell of ground coffee. Pandan leaves, Lavender, lemongrass, Buddleia and Daphne are few great example of natural way to get cigarette smell out of a car.
    Panda Leaves eliminate cigarette smell out of car

    9. Replace cabin air filter

    It is recommended to replace the cabin air filter every 12,000-15,000 miles (19,000-24,000km). Replace a new one and you will smell the difference. There are many aftermarket manufacturer offers charcoal cabin air filter, you can consider changing it.

    10. Replace your carpet or floor mat

    It will be good to replace your car mats if they are too old. A set or brand new car mats will not have any tobacco smells. Last but not least, not to forget to see what your car says about you.

    Although there are many ready-made products to eliminate cigarette smell out of a car, we still support the natural ways. Natural ways are cheap (or even free) and available almost everywhere. That’s how to get cigarette smell out of a car for free.