12 misconceptions when using cars

(Baonghean.vn) - There are concepts in car maintenance and use that many users "pass on to each other" and apply that seem very good, but in reality, they are not.

After the first 1,000km of running, the oil must be changed.

Firstly, drivers are often afraid that metal shavings left over from the machining process will contaminate the oil and affect the lubrication process. This is a completely wrong notion because manufacturing technology is increasingly precise, so spare parts are produced extremely cleanly, without dirt. In addition, gaskets are gradually disappearing and being replaced by glue or nothing at all, so you don't have to worry about "shavings" getting mixed into the oil.

Second, oil companies often exploit customers’ “fear of car breakdown” mentality to advertise frequent oil changes. However, the oil change interval is often not as frequent as advertised. In the owner’s manual, the manufacturer recommends changing the oil every 5,000 km (or a little longer) under severe driving conditions.

Actually, changing oil too often does not harm the machine but it will cost you a lot of money.

Need to change when oil turns black

When checking their car themselves, many people often check the oil themselves and when they see the oil has turned black instead of the amber color it was when it was first put in, they think the oil is too dirty and needs to be replaced. This way of thinking is completely scientifically wrong.

In fact, the oil turns black, indicating that it is working effectively, lubricating and removing dirt or metal dust generated when the engine is running. After a period of driving, the oil will gradually lose its viscosity due to the presence of too many of these impurities in the oil, and this is when you need to change the oil.

Pay attention to the viscosity of the oil, not its color, and change the oil at the intervals recommended by the vehicle manufacturer in the owner's manual.

Break-in new car

Most car owners wonder how to run their new car in. In fact, today's car manufacturing technology does not require running in, but the manufacturer only recommends running at 80% of the car's load and maximum speed for the first 1000 km.

Cars that use a lot of electrical equipment need large batteries.

In fact, the battery is just a device to store electricity when the car is not running, when the car is running, all responsibility for supplying electricity falls on the generator on the car. The problem of "lack of electricity" in the car can only be completely solved by replacing the generator with a suitable capacity, not by needing a larger battery.

Change coolant every time you change oil.

Reality: Radiator coolant doesn’t need to be changed very often. Most owners manuals recommend changing it every five years or 60,000 miles (96,560 km). Of course, if the radiator is frequently low, check for leaks and get serviced as soon as possible.

The wider the wheel, the better the "grip"

Not exactly. Sports cars often have large rims and thin tires, which look very nice, but manufacturers do not do this for better "road grip". The friction force created by the tire with the road surface mainly depends on the mass of the vehicle, the quality of the tire rubber, and the structure of the chassis. Changing to large and thin wheels will lead to consequences such as shaking and noise, faster tire wear... without significantly improving road grip.

Inflate the tire to the pressure indicated on the tire sidewall.

The psi (pounds per square inch) number on the sidewall of a tire is the maximum pressure the tire can handle, not the ideal pressure the manufacturer recommends for the best balance of braking, handling, fuel efficiency, and ride comfort. Therefore, it is not advisable to inflate your tire to this psi. Check your tire pressure monthly when the tire is cold or has been parked for a few hours and inflate it to the appropriate pressure.

All oil is... oil.

In a car, there are many devices that need lubricating oil to transmit pressure, cool... and each device has suitable lubricating oils such as brake oil, engine oil, gearbox oil... The oils themselves also have their own parameters and grades, mixing them is very dangerous, or at least can damage or reduce the life of the car.

Inflated tires go easy, under inflated tires brake better

Wrong. This is a common misconception. Over-inflated tires will reduce the shock absorption of the tire and cause the tire to "bounce" on the road, reducing braking efficiency (not because the contact area is smaller as many people think). For the same reason, under-inflated tires will cause instability in vehicle control without increasing braking efficiency at all.

Manual shifting in an automatic car will make climbing hills better

Climbing a hill in any gear is the same because the car always starts in 1st gear in the AT set, the torque on the wheels when going uphill will not change whether we put it in D or L. The purpose of the manufacturer when creating controllable gears is to allow the driver to actively change gears when using the car on special roads such as steep passes, hairpin bends, etc. At that time, the car needs to keep a low gear to increase stability as well as take advantage of the engine braking force.

High quality gasoline, more economical

Using high-quality fuel does not always result in fuel economy. For cars with small engines and used only for daily commuting, using high-quality fuel, although it will improve the power consumption of the engine and avoid pre-ignition, does not help save fuel.

High quality fuel is only suitable for sports cars because the engine capacity of these cars is large, which has higher fuel requirements.

Idle for a few minutes before rolling

This is only true for older cars to warm up the engine. Newer cars all use modern engines so they warm up faster when running. The faster the engine warms up, the sooner the car reaches maximum speed, thereby saving fuel and helping the operation process better. But the advice is that in the first kilometers, you should not accelerate too quickly./.

Ngoc Anh

(Synthetic)