Cars are precious possessions, and many people take great pride in owning one. Drivers often go the extra mile to keep them in good condition to improve their lifespan and reduce chances of suffering a breakdown. Despite your best effort to maintain the car in great shape, however, some of your habits can increase the wear and tear of your vehicle and drive up your repair bills.
Do not practice rough driving habits
Other than speeding down rough roads, slamming the brakes, and cornering too hard, rough driving includes other subtle yet harmful driving habits. Shifting from drive to reverse while the car is still in motion may seem innocent, but it causes severe damage to the suspension systems and drive shafts. Likewise, riding the clutch ruins the hydraulic systems and sets you up for future problems with your clutch.
Riding your brakes downhill may seem like a cautious approach, but it increases wear and tear as well as your likelihood of you brakes failing. You are better off driving in a lower gear than using the brakes.
Do not settle for the cheapest mechanic
Repair costs might cause you to hunt for the most affordable repair service. However, you would do well to remember that cheap might not always work out in your favor. JMC Equipment and other expert mechanics added that these services are unlikely to have modern equipment like a challenger auto lift to hoist your car safely when undertaking repairs. As such, they might deliver inferior service or cause further damage to the vehicle and charge you for repairs.
Don’t keep you gas levels low
While skyrocketing gas prices make it impossible to fill your tank every so often, riding on empty puts your car’s health at risk. Low gas levels increase the likelihood of debris and sediment clogging your filters and fuel lines. Ultimately, the debris gets up to the engine causing you all manner of problems. For the best results, avoid driving with the gas light on as it means the car is drawing gas from the bottom of the tank.
Keeping the car in excellent shape is the primary concern of drivers, and most of them do a swell job. Avoiding some of these not so obvious blunders increases the lifespan of your car and keeps your repair bills low.