'WHAT NO WAY:' Mechanic Holds a Big Jug of Antifreeze and Coolant. Then He Shares a Little-Known Use for the Plastic Lid

"I just sensed a rift in the universe."

Plastic Cover Opening

Photo by: TikTok

Mustafa Gatollari

By: Mustafa Gatollari

Jul 19, 2025 at 9:00am ET

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An auto-tech based in Manchester, Tennessee, is blowing people’s minds after removing a plastic lid from an antifreeze jug. Burke’s Auto Repair (@burkes.auto.repair) uploaded a viral clip that’s accrued over 604,000 views on TikTok.

At the top of the video, the service tech holds up a bottle of Shop Pro Extended Life Antifreeze & Coolant concentrate toward the camera. He summarily gets to work unscrewing its orange cap and, upon doing so, reveals that there’s a sealed cover sticker affixed to the mouth of the jug. Following this, he directs the viewers’ attention back to the orange cap, highlighting a tab that’s been affixed to it. Then, he places the protruding edge of the cap into the sealed sticker, subsequently puncturing it.

Once it’s inserted, he quickly rings it around the inside of the jug’s spout, creating an even tear, making the seal easier to pry off. This ultimately leaves a clean, open spout for the jug. Smiling, the auto tech holds up the seal-less antifreeze container to the camera as his video comes to a close.

Commenters React

Throngs of folks who replied to Burke’s Auto Repair’s video replied that they were stunned upon seeing the tab’s usage on the jug’s cap. One person bluntly penned the following incredulous remark: “get da [expletive] outta here.”

Whereas another said, “My TikTok diploma is more valuable than anything public school ever taught me.”

Others replied that this method will help save their hands from unnecessary aches and pains. “I’ve always just knuckle [expletive] that [expletive] and got all scraped up,” they said.

“Hang on! I've been slamming my pointer finger into that seal and nearly breaking it for the last 30 years for nothing,” one person quipped.

Someone else expressed that they thought this revelation was truly groundbreaking. “I just sensed a rift in the universe,” they mentioned.

One person on the application clocked the repair tech’s grin in the video, writing that if they had shared this bit of knowledge they presumed others didn’t know, they’d also be happy. “If I was the one finding it out and showing it to the world, I would be smiling like him too,” they penned.

Do All Antifreeze Jugs Have a Tabbed Cap?

A quick perusal of various antifreeze coolants on Amazon reveals there’s a slew of products outfitted with caps nearly identical to the one in Burke’s Auto Repair’s TikTok. This PEAK gallon jug has one, as does this Shellzone offering, and Evans’ Coolant sports it as well. Valvoline, Prestone, and Zerex also feature this additional bit of plastic on their gallon containers, too.

However, it doesn’t appear to be a standardized fixture among all product manufacturers. This 32-ounce jug of WINTER PRUF antifreeze appears to have a tab-less cap. The same goes for the brand’s 1-gallon offering. And Ultra Cool also has a similar cap design to WINTER PRUF’s.

Tabbed Caps: A Safety Feature

There’s another usage for this tab on the screw cap, however, and it’s not just for puncturing seals. Antifreeze is a poisonous substance, primarily because it contains ethylene glycol. This substance can sometimes taste sweet to animals, as per PetMD, and thus, is unfortunately “the second most common cause of fatal poisonings in animals,” the outlet writes.

Dogs can, unfortunately, gain access to antifreeze when it leaks from cars. Upon sniffing the substance out, some canines may feel compelled to taste it. PetMD indicates that anywhere from 10,000 to 90,000 animals die each and every year from accidentally ingesting antifreeze.

The coolant is also harmful to humans and can subsequently lead to kidney failure and even death. Cap manufacturer Ultra Craft Molders Pvt. (UCPM) opined on the importance of child-resistant caps on products.

What do you think?

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Comments

Since these tabs on the side of these products must often be pressed in to unscrew, they can be difficult for some children to open, meaning that these tabs can provide a crucial safety functionality in addition to saving your fingernails from chipping.

Motor1 has reached out to Burke’s Auto Repair via TikTok comment for further information.

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