You might be thinking, car health? Because it sometimes seems like our cars are indestructible. They’re huge and made of all sorts of heavy metals, so not an unfounded thought. Unfortunately, our cars are not indestructible, and we are very capable of destroying them… or beating them up a bit. You might not know this, but there are a lot of small ways that you could be wreaking havoc on your car’s health and you don’t even know it. So here are some things you should keep in mind, trust us, your car will thank you.
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Shifting into drive while your car is rolling back
Look, we’re all guilty of this. What you might not know is that this is one of the quickest ways to destroy your transmission. So, slow down, come to a full stop, then switch to forward.
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Not waiting for your car to warm up before driving
We know that when it’s cold out you just want to get going. Unfortunately, this is bad for your engine and car health because your motor oil doesn’t lubricate very well in the cold. When you give your car enough time for the engine to heat up, your engine will see far less stress..
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Driving with winter tires all year long
One of the reasons winter tires are so effective is because they are made of a special kind of rubber. The problem is, that if you drive on them in the summer they wear much faster and might even start to melt on the highway or expressway. If you’re one to do this, you might want to consider all-season tires instead. It will be much safer. Learn more about different types of tires here.
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Not using your parking brake
Most people think that the parking brake is just for hills or slick situations – those people would be wrong. The parking brake locks your wheels so your car doesn’t move, but it also helps the transmission. When you just put your car in park without the parking brake your car is being held in place by the transmission. So save your transmission some work and use the parking brake.
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Driving on empty
Ok there are these people out there who only fill up when the light goes on and this is a bad idea for a few reasons. First, you don’t want to be stranded somewhere because your car ran out of gas! Second, the gas in your car is meant to cool down the engine and fuel pump and if you’re running on E it’s going to potentially cause a lot of issues down the road.
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Using the wrong cleaning products
This might sound like an odd one if you don’t clean your car often. But if you are someone who likes to clean and detail their own car make sure you’re using the right products. If you’re not you could cause a lot of damage to your windows, upholstery and even the paint on your car. If you want a place to start, read this to learn the basics of car cleaning.
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Defrosting the windshield with hot water
Some people might be familiar with what happens when you pour hot water on ice cold glass… the glass shatters. Similar to adding cold liquid to a hot glass out of the dishwater, the stark contrast of temperature may cause your windshield to shatter. Whatever you do, take the time to scrape your windshield or use the defrosters, but don’t use water.
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Not slowing down for speed bumps or potholes
Do you want to avoid shock and suspension repairs? Then don’t speed over potholes or speed bumps! This is the quickest way to kill your car’s suspension and you’ll be looking at a nice replacement or repair.
You know you love your car and these are just a few small tricks to keep her loving you back year after year after year!
It’s important to keep up with your regular routine car maintenance to avoid issues down the road. Read up on Top Car Parts That Need Routine Replacement.
