5 Driving Mistakes That Are Killing Your Car Silently

Maintaining your car in good shape not only requires regular servicing and care, but it also needs to be treated nicely when driven around in the city or on the highway.

Despite your best intentions, you might be making these 5 driving mistakes that are killing your car silently and gradually.

If you don’t want to say goodbye to your car too soon, read on. 

Cold Start Revving

Your engine oil needs to be warmed up in order to do its job well — that is to lubricate the internal engine parts and prevent wear and tear. During a cold start, don’t rev the engine or drive at all. Let it idle until the RPM drops, which indicates that the oil has warmed up and started to circulate in the system.

Revving during a cold start causes the engine to work hard without proper lubrication, leading to premature piston & crankshaft wear at best and cylinder damage at worst.

Resting Your Hands on the Gear Knob

The gear knob is connected to the selector fork, which makes momentary contact with a rotating collar. Applying pressure on top of the gear knob will cause the selector fork to rub against the collar, causing premature wear. Your transmission system will near its end sooner than its life expectancy. For some cars, a transmission rebuild can be more expensive than a major engine repair. Therefore, it’s worth getting rid of this driving habit.

If your car does not come with a factory armrest, you can get an aftermarket one installed to keep your paw off the gearstick. 

Riding the Clutch & Brakes

Beginners and nervous drivers tend to rest their foot on the brake or clutch pedal while driving. While this may increase your reaction time by a fraction of a second, you are actually drilling a hole in your wallet.

Riding the clutch is the same as resting your hand on the gearstick. It causes internal friction and increases wear and tear. On average, clutch plates can last 60k miles. Whereas, clutch riders are often seen replacing their clutch every 10k miles. 

Also, riding brakes downhill causes your brake pads to wear out prematurely. Instead, you can downshift and let the engine’s resistance slow you down. 

Engaging Reverse When the Car is Going Forward

Another driving maneuver affecting the transmission system. When you want to go reverse, always make sure your car has come to a standstill before engaging the reverse gear. Doing otherwise will make the gears grind against each other, which is evident from the loud crunch that you hear. 

Automatic transmission may not make a loud crunch, but that doesn’t mean it will not incur any damage. And mind you, automatic transmission parts are quite costly unless you buy them from here.

Neglecting Dashboard Warning Lights

Just in case you are not good at picking up subtle hints. The dashboard lights are designed to alert you to an impending issue with your car. Get it checked by a mechanic or be ready to face the music. 

When you turn the engine on, all dashboard lights should go away. The ones that stay lit indicate a problem related to the corresponding part. A majority of car owners continue to drive despite the warning light. As a result, they end up with a hefty repair bill which could be prevented by addressing the warning light timely.

Do you have any of these driving habits? If so, drop it today and let your car reach its maximum lifespan.