Bad driving habits can indirectly damage your car and put extra strain on it. Many of us are involved in practicing these bad habits unconsciously. Let’s discuss a few and see if you need to be cautious.
Dragging the brakes
Dragging the brakes constantly is a bad driving practice. It causes your brake pads to wear prematurely. If you keep on doing it, you will have to buy a newer one much earlier than expected and that will put a strain on your pocket.
When going downhill, engage a low gear, push the brakes gently. Don’t release the pedals with any jerk.
Resting your hand on the gear stick
How many times have you heard the advice that you should place both of your hands on the wheels? You are going to hear it once again. Many drivers build a habit of resting the hand on the gear stick.
Gear stick is linked to a selector fork, an instrument that gets in contact with a rotating collar for a short amount of time. When your hand is resting on the gear stick, it constantly puts pressure on the selector fork which causes it to wear down prematurely.
Flooring the accelerator in a high gear
Car manufacturers have started making vehicles that feature gear shift indicators, a light flashes when you need to change the gear. Stay informed regarding the downshift icon or prepare yourself to change it as required. Accelerating when the gear is too high, will put extra strain on your engine. This becomes extremely important when you are climbing steep hills or have heavy load in the car.
Overloading your vehicle
Modern cars have the ability to endure heavyweights. Many people overload their cars exceeding the maximum loading capacity. Your owner’s manual will describe the maximum load weight. You can easily find free PDF manuals for every car on the Internet. Whether you are going on a road trip or using the vehicle to transport equipment, never put too much weight in the car that it exceeds the limit.
Hitting potholes and speed bumps
Numerous reports suggest that a third of all the damage that a car takes is caused by hitting potholes or speed bumps. The damage can wear your tyre, disturb wheel alignment, buckle the wheel and crack the alloys. While some potholes are difficult to identify especially in rainy conditions or in the dark — they should be avoided as much as possible.
Similarly, if you don’t control your speed when you are when driving over a speed bump, it will do big damage to rear or front of the car.
Late braking
At certain times, sudden braking becomes necessary like, if you have to take an emergency stop, you put all the force on the brake pedals. But when you make late-braking a habit, it will wear out the pads and discs too early and will also consume more fuel.
When you are driving, look for hints. For instance, if you see the driver of a tall vehicle changing lanes, you should also do it. The reason being these drivers have the ability to see ahead of others and they can notice an accident or a bad road situation earlier as compared to others.
Neglecting warning lights
Today, the dashboards of cars come with a modern feature. You should check your owner’s manual to know what these lights on your dashboard mean. So, if there is a light that suggests some immediate action, you can quickly pull over and solve the problem.
These are the most common type of warning signs that appear on a dashboard. If you experience any, you should stop the car immediately and seek help from a mechanic and solve it yourself if you can.
● Power steering failure
● Braking system
● Oil pressure
● Airbag
● Cooling system
● Engine/ECU
Not renting a car when required
While this is not a habit, it is a big mistake. Certain times it is a wise decision to rent a car. For instance, if you are going for a holiday trip, you don’t want your vehicle to receive the wear and tear and when going on family picnics it is probable that the car will receive some unusual damage. So, you can opt for cheap car rentals and keep your car safe.
