You could be causing damage to your car every day you drive it. If you don’t identify and correct your bad driving habits, it could have a serious impact on your car’s health and reduce its lifespan. It may also lead to costly repairs. These bad habits can be unrelated to driving and may even surprise you. These 13 bad habits could be causing your car to perform poorly .
1. Overloading your car
The most important rule is to never overload a car above its weight limit. The extra weight could cause unnecessary stress to the suspensions and brake system. The engine might have to work harder to propel the vehicle forward, which could cause damage to its components. This can be fixed by asking your dealer or researching the maximum car load weight. Try your best to not exceed it.
2. How to Keep a Light Tank
Although driving with less fuel can give you a slightly higher fuel economy because of its lighter weight, this habit could end up costing more than it saves. Your car’s fuel tank can become clogged with dirt, dust, and even rust over time. Low fuel levels can cause fuel to clog your engine’s filters and enter your car’s fuel tank. This can cause engine problems such as stalling, reduced performance, and difficulty starting. Keep your tank full to avoid these problems.
3. Sudden Acceleration, Braking
You don’t need to accelerate too hard in urban traffic. This will cause your car to jam at the next intersection. Excessive acceleration and braking can lead to excessive wear on the brake pads and decrease their service life. Reduce unnecessary costs and drive more consistently.
4. When stationary, press the clutch
It is not a good idea to press the clutch while driving a manual. Unneeded stress is placed on the pressure plate and release arm as well as the release bearing. This can lead to your transmission becoming damaged over time. Instead, shift to neutral, engage the handbrake if necessary, and then move on.
5. The Emergency Brake should not be applied
Many people neglect to apply the emergency brake when a car is parked. This can cause the car to move involuntarily on uneven surfaces. It could also slow down the vehicle’s internal components. An automatic car parked in a parking lot without applying the emergency brake puts a lot of strain on its parking pawl. This small metal piece locks the transmission and prevents it from turning. If this part wears out, the parking gear may stop working completely.
6. Restart a Cold Engine
You might try to rev a cold engine quickly in a hurry. This is a bad idea. This could cause sudden temperature changes in the engine and the expansion and contraction of metal. It can also create stress between engine’s tight-fitting parts. You can be more kind to your car and wallet by being patient while warming the engine up on a cold morning.
7. When going downhill, brake
Modern cars don’t require you to rely on your brakes when the car is going downhill. When going downhill, it is better to shift to a lower gear. Excessive reliance upon the brakes while going downhill can cause damage to the brake pads and lead to costly replacements.
8. Neglecting the Warning Lights
Common sense should dictate that you have your car checked if any warning lights are illuminated. These warning indicators are often ignored by many people, so it is worth mentioning. It is important to have your car checked immediately if it detects something wrong. It is better to address a problem early than later.
9. Use the Gearshift as an arm rest
This is a common habit, but many don’t realize how harmful it can be. Your arm resting on the gear stick can cause extra wear to the transmission. When shifting gears, keep both hands on the wheel and avoid any damage. Modern cars often have armrests so it is not a bad idea to continue this practice.
10. Shifting from Drive To Reverse Before You Stop
Your transmission can be irreparably damaged if you shift from drive to reverse or vice versa before it has stopped. Incorrect shifting can cause gear grinds or even the total breakdown of your transmission. Transmission repairs can be quite expensive, as we’ve already mentioned. Shifting gears responsibly can help you avoid these costly repairs.
11. Speed bumps and potholes are not to be taken into consideration
Yes, potholes can be dangerous, especially at night. Avoid potholes whenever possible. Potholes can cause serious damage to your tires and disrupt the wheel balance and tracking of your car. You can reduce your speed if you cannot avoid a pothole. Speed bumps are the same. Slow down as you drive over them.
12. Accelerating without Proper Gearshift
You are putting unnecessary strain on your engine by trying to accelerate at a low speed and while you’re in gear. This not only reduces fuel efficiency but also causes engine components to wear faster.
13. Do not follow the Service Schedule
Cars are complex, advanced pieces of machinery. It is important that many of its components are regularly checked and serviced to ensure they continue to work at their best. Failure to follow the manufacturer’s schedule could lead to costly damage and even a complete breakdown.
