· Check your windscreen washer regularly, especially after a long dry period.

· If windscreen wipers have ‘packed up’, wiping the windscreen with a sliced potato will keep the windscreen clear of rain for a while.

· To keep your headlights clean and free from mud, wipe with lemon juice.

· If your car aerial is broken off, a metal coat hanger makes an efficient substitute. Cut off the hook and lodge the cut end firmly into the aerial socket and reshape the triangle into a diamond shape.

· Arrange luggage in a wedge shape when loading a roof rack – small cases in front and larger ones behind; this smoothes out the air stream and helps to give more miles per gallon.

· For a good carwash, use a bucket of hot water laced with paraffin oil and by allowing to dry on its own will result in a polished surface.

· To avoid corrosion and poor contact, clean battery terminals with a strong solution of bicarbonate of soda and water. Dry well and grease with Vaseline.

· Do not sit and ‘rev’ the engine in order to warm up or even allow to idle slowly in the garage, both cause engine wear.