As we become more experienced drivers over time, new habits begin to shape up, some of which may not necessarily benefit your car. Cars come with a heap of instructions and guidelines, making it fairly difficult to remember them all.
Furthermore, several actions that appear harmless can actually wreak havoc in your car, which makes it crucial to learn how to differentiate between good and bad habits that affect your vehicle in the long run.
Cars are quite a worthy investment. Therefore, it never hurts to learn a thing or two about the do’s and don’ts of our valuable cars!
1. Neglecting the Maintenance Schedule
Many people tend to turn a blind eye to the flickering lights on the dashboard, which of course, never ends well. The dazzling lights on the dashboard are there for a reason, and it’s not to look pretty.
The maintenance schedule is there to keep your car functioning optimally for the longest possible period. Without it, your car will start running into trouble sooner than later.
As time passes, your car components will wear out and eventually break down. Therefore, it’s crucial to replace those parts occasionally to ensure a safe ride wherever you go.
Keeping up with your maintenance schedule is a wise move if you’re not looking forward to costly repair bills down the road.
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2. Hitting Potholes and Speed Bumps
As car owners, we can all agree that sending your car flying over a speed bump can be pretty exciting. The aftermath, however, isn’t exactly as fun.
Speed bumps serve one purpose, and it’s to slow your car down. So it’s quite clear that hitting them at high speeds can lead to costly consequences down the road.
The impact of a speed bump can be devastating to your car, causing extensive damage to your suspension, alignment, tires, and exhaust system once it hits the ground. Leaks can also occur from the impact.
Slamming into potholes also messes with your car, so it’s best to avoid them completely whenever possible.
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3. Not Warming the Engine Up in the Cold
As the seasons change and temperatures start to drop, we become tempted to let the engine kick in and heat the car up before we enter. But is that really good for your precious vehicle?
The engine uses oil to lubricate and cool down its moving components to prevent friction. However, the oil needs more time to circulate during cold weather. This is why providing your car with enough time to pump the oil through its system is necessary to function optimally.
Nowadays, this process only takes around a minute to wrap up with modern vehicles. So idling for extended periods and ruining the engine is now a thing of the past!
4. Driving With Low to No Fuel
We’ve probably all had our times when we had to run on low fumes to get somewhere urgent. While it may be okay to do so once or twice, making a habit of it can also make you run low on cash with hefty repair bills later on.
Not only can it leave you stranded on the side of the road with regrets and a sad face, but it could also sabotage your engine’s components, such as the fuel pump and fuel filter.
What makes it more harmful than it appears is the debris and filth contained within the bottom of the tank. The dirt can get sucked up by the fuel pump and clog it, thus preventing your engine from getting the proper amount of juice needed to operate.