Your car’s blinkers work entirely with electricity. You must have figured it out by now. No, blinker fluid is not a real thing; it’s a prank! Here’s the history behind this prank and what it means. According to the gag, blinker fluid is supposed to be poured into your blinker housing. It will maintain the temperature of the blinker housing, lengthen the bulb’s life, protect the casing from damage, and lubricate the flash synchros (if that makes any sense).
The blinker fluid prank has been popular for years and has even made its way to social media. If you don’t know much about it, here’s a quick summary. For the prank, you have to get someone to go to the store and buy “blinker fluid” for their car. When someone goes to an auto parts store or auto repair shop and asks for blinker fluid, they usually get a lot of laughs right away. They might get a strange look or some follow-up questions, but this prank is so common that store owners are almost used to it by now. Either way, the joke is funny for everyone except those stupid enough to fall for it.
When did it all Start?
“Blinker fluid” has been a term for a long time. In 2004, we started coming across the term when we searched Google. When the younger crowd came across the term, they began to look for answers online.
The origin of this prank is unknown, although it is classified as a “Fool’s Errand,” a subgenre of practical jokes.
These kinds of jokes happen when someone who knows a lot about a subject sends someone who doesn’t know much about the topic on an impossible errand. Therefore, leading to wasted time as well as confusion and embarrassment. Even though this prank has been around for a long time, it has only been popular a few times. May 2017 and December 2020 were the most notable peaks.
The joke about the blinker fluid has also gone viral on social media sites like TikTok. Men are convincing their naive female partners that they must bring their cars in to have the blinker fluid refilled, while fathers send their daughters to the auto parts store to get the fluid. Here is the viral video of the blinker fluid prank by a Youtube channel that usually makes videos of ‘car fix .’After getting so many views, this video started another wave of this prank.
Also, watch these hilarious viral videos of the blinker fluid prank.
Where Can You Find Blinker Fluid?
People have gone so far with this joke that empty bottles labeled “blinker fluid” are being sold on popular online stores like Amazon to trick other people. These gag gifts sometimes come in an empty bottle or a bottle with water in it.
It can be fun to look at the online listings for blinker fluid to see how much work goes into pulling off this prank. Most of the time, the Q&A sections are full of prank questions and fake answers. The same is valid for product reviews. Here are some of the hilarious responses in the Q/A section of the blinker fluid on Amazon.
‘Real’ Fluids That Your Car Needs
There are probably a lot of people who have been fooled by this prank. To help you avoid being one of them, here is a list of fluids your car needs to work efficiently.
- Transmission oil
- Motor oil
- Coolant
- Brake fluid
- Steering fluid
- Windshield washer fluid
1. Transmission Fluid
Transmission fluid keeps the parts in your car that moves from friction and gives your car hydraulic pressure. It makes it easy for your vehicle to change gears without wearing out any parts. If you don’t have transmission fluid, you’ll need expensive repairs more often than you’d prefer. Sometimes you might need to add more transmission fluid, so keeping an eye on it is essential.
Check the owner’s manual for your car to determine how often your transmission needs to be flushed. Some models can go as far as 100,000 miles, while others can only go as far as 30,000 miles.
2. Motor Oil
Engine oil might be an essential fluid for your car. But if you don’t know much about cars, some details might need to be clarified. It keeps the engine running smoothly by lubricating the parts inside. Engine oil can also be used as a coolant. Motor oil can clean the engine, especially if you use a synthetic formula with detergents.
You may have to change it every 3,000-5,000 miles if you use regular motor oil. On the other hand, synthetic motor oil can go from 7,500-15,000 miles without being changed.
3. Coolant
It’s often known as antifreeze. Ethylene glycol and water are both components of coolant. This fluid soaks up heat from the engine to keep it at the right temperature for running.
The coolant goes into the radiator’s reservoir. Coolant goes through the engine and back through the radiator as the engine runs. The coolant also makes sure that the engine doesn’t freeze up. You should never put water straight into the reservoir because it could freeze when the temperature drops. It also has a different thickness than the required coolant.
The regular flushing of the coolant helps the system work as it should. You should flush the coolant every 30,000 miles or every two to three years.
4. Brake Fluid
The brake fluid is an essential component of the braking system. Without it, you would have to do much more than press down on the brake pedal to slow down or stop your car. It would be best to fill up your brake fluid whenever it gets low. Due to the high heat of the system, brake fluid can dry out over time. If there isn’t enough fluid in the system, dangerous things could happen.
Changing the brake fluid every 30,000 miles or two years would be best, whichever comes first. But when working on the brakes, you might need to add more brake fluid, so keep an eye on the system.
5. Steering Fluid
The power steering fluid is also hydraulic but drives the power steering pump. Under the hood, there is a reservoir where this fluid is kept. It keeps the steering system smooth and helps you turn the car by amplifying the force you put on the steering wheel.
The power steering fluid may need to be changed every 50,000 miles. Check your car’s owner’s manual to find out what’s best for it.
6. Windshield Washer Fluid
The last thing is fluid for the windshield wipers. You spray this fluid on your windshield to help your windshield wipers get rid of mud, dust, bugs, and other things.
There’s no reason to run the windshield washer fluid through the system. But you should check the reservoir and keep the container full, so you can clean it whenever necessary.
How To Prevent Fluid Build-up in Your Blinker Housing?
Let’s put this prank aside. You should keep your blinker housing dry at all times to prevent damage. The most effective method for preventing the accumulation of fluids in your headlights is to inspect the plastic housing of the lights and ensure that it is free of cracks or gaps, as well as any spaces that may exist between the plastic component of the housing and the rest of the case.
Conclusion
In short, there is no such thing as blinker fluid because it is a joke meant to make you look like an idiot. It’s called a “fool’s errand” joke because the point is to make you go to a store and ask for it, making you look stupid in front of the people at the store, which can be embarrassing since it’s a well-known joke.
But your car needs a lot of different fluids to keep all of its systems running as they should. We can’t stress enough how important it is to maintain your car’s fluid levels. It’s crucial for your safety and the safety of other drivers. They are vital for almost every part of your car, especially in fuel efficiency and how long it lasts.
