can-vaseline-really-stop-your-tires-from-losing-air-pressure?
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Can Vaseline Really Stop Your Tires From Losing Air Pressure?

ByBob Lacivita

With almost 60 years of experience in the automobile repair world, including 46 as an ASE Master Technician and 25 years in vocational education, and a vehicle owner since before I had an official driver’s license, I have seen a lot of so-called car “hacks.” While some actually work, many are not worth the time or effort. Time-tested hacks that work include polishing your dashboard with olive oil or a maintaining the proper amount of air pressure keeps tires at optimum operating temperatures. What Is the Vaseline Tire Hack? The Vaseline tire hack involves taking a fingertip full of Vaseline, filling the tire valve core cavity, and coating the valve stem threads with it before reinstalling the valve cap. The idea behind the hack is that Vaseline will create a seal between the valve stem and valve cap threads, keeping air from leaking out through the valve core. Does Vaseline on Tires Really Keep Tires From Losing Air Pressure? In theory, yes, Vaseline can work to limit air pressure loss. Anything that can form a seal or bond between two parts (a gasket, O-ring, or chemical sealant) can keep something from leaking out from between the parts. Also, in this case, keeping water, mud, road slats and debris from entering and corroding the valve stem and valve core is just as critical. However, this hack may only work for a while. Vaseline is a semi-solid petroleum-based product that begins to melt and become watery when it becomes warm or hot. Tires and wheels, even in winter, do warm up. This will cause the Vaseline to become more fluid and eventually drip out from between the valve stem and valve cap threads, undoing any seal that may have been formed. Are There Any Drawbacks to the Vaseline Tire Hack? There are possible drawbacks. The centrifugal force of a spinning wheel can coat your wheels with the Vaseline once it becomes fluid. Since Vaseline doesn’t contain any dye, it won’t stain or discolor painted surfaces. However, Vaseline is a dirt magnet. Chemicals and microplastics found in road dirt and debris, when trapped in Vaseline, can damage or stain finished or painted surfaces if not removed. Is the Vaseline Tire Hack Safe for You and Your Car? The safety of this hack depends. Over time, Vaseline can cause rubber (tire valve stems, valve cap O-rings and even the valve core seal can be made from rubber) to swell and degrade, causing a tire to lose air pressure. Even though you’re supposed to use less than a fingertip full of Vaseline to coat the valve core, once the Vaseline becomes watery, it could make its way to the brake rotors. Any petroleum-based products that make their way onto the brakes’ rotors will reduce braking effectiveness. Although the chances of that are small, why tempt fate? Alternatives to the Vaseline Tire Hack If your valve stems are dry rotted, leaking or corroded, replace them. Ensure replacement valve stems do not come out past the edge of the wheel. It may be easier to add air to your tires with longer valve stems, but it makes it easier to rip them off if you brush up against a curb. If you are determined to try this Vaseline tire hack, use silicone gel or dielectric grease instead. Silicon will not cause the rubber to decay and helps prevent the rubber from drying out. Replacing valve cores is an easy DIY project. Just make sure you have access to an air compressor to refill the tires. Be aware, I found it is very easy to ruin a tire-pressure monitoring system (TPMS) valve stem by overtightening the valve core. Dorman Products makes an inexpensive valve stem torque wrench that prevents damaging a TPMS valve stem. Replace valve caps with ones with O-rings. Check your owner’s manual to verify whether the valve cap should be made of metal or plastic. To prevent corrosion, place a light coat of dielectric grease on the threads of metal valve caps before installing them, and don’t use metal caps on aluminum valve stems. Of course, during the cold winter months, it’s wise to check tire pressure often. Resources Consumer Reports, “Why Tires Go Flat in Cold Temperature” (Nov 18, 2023) The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, “Tire Dry Rot” (Nov 15, 2024) Dave Hogg, Service Manager, O’Neil Buick GMC, Warminster, PA (Nov 11, 2024)

do-you-know-why-cars-have-a-glow-in-the-dark-handle-inside-the-trunk?
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Do You Know Why Cars Have a Glow in the Dark Handle Inside the Trunk?

ByHarrison Kral

Family Handyman Family Handyman Published on Nov. 15, 2024 Your car has plenty of safety features you may not even realize are there… but this one is sure to catch your eye. Now Trending Ever go to grab something out of the back of your car and get distracted by something glimmering in the dark? You might not even realize it, but many modern vehicles have a glow-in-the-dark handle built into the trunk. Here’s what it’s for and why this safety feature is now commonplace. Glow in the Dark Trunk Handles The reason for these illuminating handles is grim but practical: they’re an emergency release designed to open the trunk if someone is stuck or trapped inside.  Typically, these handles are made out of a glow-in-the-dark material so they can be easily spotted when the trunk is closed. The idea for a technology like this can be traced back to the 1980s when a man named William Proehl requested the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) make emergency trunk handles required by law. Proehl’s idea did not gain much momentum at the time due to a lack of safety data around the topic. But as time went on, more and more cases of kidnappings, trapped children and heat stroke stacked up. By 2002, a law was passed requiring auto manufacturers to include emergency trunk releases in all vehicles. Proehl was named as the petitioner in the NHTSA’s official ruling, which read: “The petitioner stated that persons such as alarm and stereo installers, mechanics, playful children, pranksters, and crime victims may be trapped in the trunk. The petitioner also believed that an elderly person might fall into the trunk and thereby become entrapped. Mr. Proehl asked NHTSA to require an inside trunk release in all new cars to facilitate the release of these victims.” How Do You Use An Emergency Trunk Release? Emergency trunk releases are designed to be as simple to use as possible. Just find the glowing handle and pull; the trunk latch will release, freeing whoever is stuck inside. Next time you open your trunk, take a second to locate your emergency trunk release. You never know when you’ll need it. Source Federal Register, “Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Interior Trunk Release“, 2000

icbc-taken-to-court-by-driver-who-says-he-was-wrongly-blamed
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ICBC taken to court by driver who says he was wrongly blamed

ByBeth Rochester

Determining who is at fault when a traffic accident happens is part of the usual investigation process for ICBC insurance claims. One incident took things a step further when a driver claimed ICBC had incorrectly found him at fault and decided to escalate the situation in court. Kuldeep Gill filed a claim with the BC Civil Resolution Tribunal against ICBC for a review of ICBC’s liability finding and a refund of $3,190.93 in premiums he paid after he was involved in a motor vehicle accident in October 2021. In Gill’s version of events, he was driving westbound on Lougheed Highway when a vehicle hit the side of his truck as he was stopped in heavy traffic. Fortunately, neither his truck nor his empty trailer was damaged. When ICBC conducted its usual investigation protocol for the accident, it found a different account of events. The other driver involved in the accident told the insurance company that Gill had instead merged into the other vehicle’s lane and hit the vehicle. They said that due to the construction, Gill’s lane eventually needed to merge into theirs, but not at the point where the accident happened. ICBC also interviewed an independent party that had witnessed the accident. They said they “were driving behind Mr. Gill in the right lane when Mr. Gill tried to merge into the left lane and hit the other car.” They also told the insurance company that “there was nothing the other vehicle could have done to avoid being hit.” In addition to these statements, ICBC found that the damage was consistent with the account that Gill had turned into the other vehicle. Gill tried to argue his account of events by claiming that the other driver’s side mirror being flipped was evidence that they must have hit him. This argument did not hold up in court. The tribunal decided that Gill failed to prove that ICBC acted “unreasonably or improperly in investigating the accident and assigning fault.” It was also found that the $3,190.03 Gill claimed he paid in insurance premiums was the amount ICBC paid to repair the other vehicle in the accident. As such, the court dismissed Gill’s claims, and ICBC was not ordered to reimburse him.