9 bad habits that make your car wear out quickly

Like many other machines and appliances, our cars also have the characteristic of "durability depends on the user". This means that if the car is operated properly, maintained and cared for regularly, it will always be new and durable. On the contrary, when used "carelessly" and without knowledge, the car will quickly wear out and break down.

According to some automotive engineering experts, many people, even after decades of driving, still have driving habits that are harmful to their vehicles and even cause serious safety problems. Therefore, if you have one of the following habits, you need to change them immediately.

Let the gas tank run too low

Many drivers today have the habit of letting the fuel gauge touch the “red line” before filling up. However, according to experts, letting the fuel level get too low can damage the fuel pump system.

The reason is that most cars today have a pump inside the fuel tank, cooled by the fuel itself. A continuously low fuel level will cause the pump to overheat and work inefficiently.

This can lead to a sudden failure of the fuel pump, causing the vehicle to be “down on the road” and incurring high costs for towing and repair. Experts advise that when the fuel tank is about 1/4 full, the driver should immediately find a gas station to refuel.

Driving on a low fuel tank is also not good because the fuel at the bottom of the car's fuel tank often contains sediment. If this condition persists for several days, these impurities can clog the fuel filter and lines, which will force you to pay for repairs.

To keep your gas pump in good condition, you should keep the tank at least a quarter full. If your car is not used much, you should keep it at least half full to minimize rust.

Start the car and put it in gear.

Many people, out of haste or habit, often get in the car, start it, and then put it in gear to go. However, this is a very bad habit and will damage the engine.

Automotive engineers explain that after a period of “resting”, the oil in the engine will settle to the bottom. If you start the engine and put it into gear right away, the oil will not reach all the parts evenly, while the engine has to work at high rpm, which will lead to rapid overheating and wear on the internal parts.

Experts recommend starting the car and letting it idle for about 30 seconds to 1 minute to let the oil reach all positions before shifting into gear and moving.

Rest your hand on the gear stick while driving

Some drivers habitually rest their hands on the gear lever to shift gears faster, especially in manual transmission vehicles. However, this habit can damage the gearbox components because the weight of the driver's hand pressing on the gear lever will be transmitted to the gears in the gearbox, causing them to wear out and break quickly.

This is also a completely bad habit because when encountering unexpected situations, the driver will not have time to put his hands on the steering wheel to steer; at the same time, in a "panic" situation, he may accidentally shift to another gear, which is very dangerous.

Drivers can help break this bad habit by keeping both hands on the wheel more often. This reduces damage to the transmission and helps them handle situations more quickly and safely.

Suddenly shifting gear while the car is in reverse

Many drivers, to save time when reversing, often shift into drive (1st for manual transmission and D for automatic transmission) even when the car has not actually stopped. Such sudden gear changes are one of the major causes of damage to the car's transmission.

According to automotive engineers, if the transmission is still in reverse and is suddenly forced to change to the opposite direction, it will cause the gearbox gears and shafts to deteriorate rapidly, possibly leading to gearbox failure. Therefore, only shift from reverse to forward and vice versa when the vehicle has come to a complete stop.

Ignore the warning symbols on the dashboard

We need to understand that a car is a modern machine and the warning lights on the dashboard do not come on by themselves, they only come on when your car is having some problem. There are many types of warning lights such as: check engine, handbrake warning, airbag warning, electric power steering warning, temperature warning, oil pressure warning...

Although some warnings may not be urgent and do not pose an immediate danger to driving, ignoring these warnings over a long period of time can result in you spending a lot of money on car repairs.

Therefore, when detecting a warning light on the dashboard, it should be handled immediately or brought to a reputable garage for timely diagnosis and repair.

Brake when going downhill

The brake is a part that helps reduce speed in emergency situations and should be used as little as possible. When the brake has to work continuously at high speed, the inertia and friction will cause the brake disc and pads to burn, leading to brake failure. In addition, due to working under high pressure, the hydraulic system can be disabled.

Therefore, when going downhill, we should absolutely avoid continuously braking. Instead, we should go slowly by using appropriate gears. For manual transmission, follow the principle of "up gear, down gear", and for automatic transmission, we can shift to a lower gear (L, L1, L2,... depending on the vehicle).

Do not slow down when going over potholes

Going into potholes or speed bumps at high speed not only damages tires, shock absorbers, and chassis, but also makes the passengers uncomfortable.

There are many cases of billion-dollar SUVs also having their tires blown out due to running over potholes on the road, causing danger, wasting time and even economic losses. Therefore, when driving on bad roads, drive very slowly. At the same time, drivers need to observe and proactively avoid and reduce speed when seeing potholes or obstacles on the road.

Steering dead, steering all the way

Dead steering is when the driver turns the steering wheel while the car is stopped, the wheels do not turn but still move to the right or left. Frequent dead steering can damage the steering system because at that time, the entire power steering pump, steering rack, tie rod, ... must operate at a high level due to high friction.

Not only that, dead steering also causes tire wear quickly because at that time the front tire creates sliding friction with the road surface instead of rolling friction. If you are unlucky enough to steer in a place with gravel or sharp objects, the tire can also be punctured. Therefore, you should practice steering to steer accurately, especially when reversing; practice the habit of stopping steering when the car stops, and not steering when the car is not moving.

In addition, when driving, changing direction, you should not turn the steering wheel all the way because this can cause pressure loss in the oil power steering pump and damage the power steering pump if maintained regularly. Therefore, if you are using a car with oil power steering, instead of turning the steering wheel all the way, release the steering wheel a little to make the power steering pump last longer.

Lazy to use handbrake when parking

According to auto experts, for automatic cars, even when parking on a flat road and leaving the car in P mode, you should still use the handbrake.

According to the principle when parking, the entire weight of the car is concentrated on a very small part, only the size of a finger, the parking pawl. This part is very easy to wear or break, so pulling the handbrake is a measure to help support and increase the life of this parking pawl.

The steps when parking an automatic car are recommended by experts as follows: Step on the foot brake to stop the car completely, pull the handbrake, then move the gear lever from D to P, then turn off the engine.

In addition to the above habits that need to be stopped immediately, experts also recommend that you should take your car for regular maintenance and use solutions such as engine oil, power steering fluid, brake fluid, coolant, etc. according to the manufacturer's recommendations. At the same time, always keep your car clean both inside and out.

Hoang Hiep (Synthesis)