Car repairs can be a downright pain, especially if you have to shell out hundreds of dollars to your local mechanic. However, there are some car hacks floating around on the Internet that claim to repair your car for free. But these aren’t just any car hacks from a how-to page, these are old-school farmer hacks that were invented years ago. But do they actually work?

Donut Media debunks farmer car repair hacks

To find out whether or not some of these old farmer car repair hacks work, the folk at Donut Media put them to the test. The hacks included using an egg to stop a radiator leak, using Redneck Rain-X to waterproof a windshield, using old oil and Coca-Cola to clean rusty car parts, using pantyhose in place of a serpentine belt, and using bread on a pilot bearing.   

Do these hacks sound absurd? Yes, they do, and here is what they found out.

Hack No. 1: Using an egg to stop a radiator leak

Has your car’s radiator sprung a nasty leak and you don’t have any tools to fix it? If so, then an old farmer trick states that you only need a case of eggs. To be specific, the trick states that cracking a raw egg into the radiator could potentially stop the leak. The thought is that the heat from the radiator will cook the egg and the high pressure of the system will seal up the hole so that you can get to a repair shop.

Does it work? According to the video, no, it doesn’t. The Donut Media boys found that the leak in their test radiator still remained and even started spewing out bits of cooked egg. Well, that’s one way to poach an egg in the morning.

Hack No. 2: Using “Redneck Rain-X” to waterproof a windshield

If you live in an area that gets a lot of rain, then it’s a good idea to treat your car’s windshield with Rain-X. This stuff makes the glass somewhat water repellant so that you can see better during a downpour. However, if you don’t have access to the miracle solution, then you can always go the “Redneck Rain-X” route.

This method involves putting chewing tobacco into a sock and then soaking it in water. You then wring out the sock and then apply it to a windshield with the tobacco still inside. The disgusting solution is supposed to coat the windshield and make it repel water.

Did it work? Kind of. Donut Media’s testing showed that it kind of worked, but it also left a film on the windshield afterward. In that case, they called it a fail.

Hack No. 3: Using at-home methods to clean rusty car parts

Car parts and tools have the tendency to rust over time. And while there are plenty of high-tech methods to get the nasty brown stuff off of them, one farmer’s trick is to use old oil. To put it to the test, Donut Media soaked a couple of rusty tools in a bucket of used oil for three weeks. Fortunately, it worked well enough to get a pass.

The next at-home rust removal method involves using Coca-Cola. For this method, you just soak the tools or car parts in a bin filled with Coca-Cola. Surprisingly, the high-fructose solution went to work quickly and removed rust from the manifold that the Donut Media boys put in it. So it got a pass.

Lastly, another farmer’s trick involves rubbing a potato on the rusty tool or part. The acidity of the potato and the friction that you create while rubbing should get the rust off. In the experiment, it worked, but it would take a lot of elbow grease.

Hack No. 4: Using pantyhose in place of a serpentine belt

In case you’re ever stuck on the side of the road because your car’s serpentine belt broke, we hope that you have some pantyhose handy. This hack states that you can simply slide on the pantyhose in place of the belt to get you back on the road.

Does it work? Of course not, the pantyhose is way too loose and weak to take the place of a rubber belt.

Hack No. 5: Using bread to take out a pilot bearing

If you’re putting a new transmission in and don’t have a pilot-bearing puller, then don’t worry, a piece of bread will do. This hack involves stuffing bread into the pilot-bearing hole and then shoving a bolt that’s slightly smaller than the hole. The bread should effectively wedge the bolt in enough to pull the bearing out.

Does it work? Surprisingly, yes! The boys at Donut Media were able to pull out a pilot bearing by using bread and bolt.

Use these hacks at your own risk

If you try any of these hacks at home, then do so at your own risk. Technically, you don’t need to try the ones that clearly don’t work. But we will say that the rust removal hacks do look interesting.