If you are someone who’s into cars, you probably love your vehicle more than anything else in the world. We are pretty sure that you’ll do regular maintenance and follow up with car wash routines. Now , what you might not know is that there are driving habits that are bad for your car! Yes, that’s right, there are plenty of driving habits that could do more harm than any good for your beloved car. Don’t worry, though, we’ve got your back! Continue reading as we reveal 10 driving habits that are really bad for your car!
1. Driving on an Empty Fuel Tank
Never drive your vehicle with fuel less than a quarter tank. That’s because the fuel pump needs to be submerged completely to work without any hassle. Also, gasoline acts as a coolant for your fuel system. When you regularly drive your car with a low fuel tank, you run the risk of adding stress to your fuel pump.
Over time, your fuel pump could start sucking in air, which leads to issues like overheating and fuel pump failure. Your fuel filter and fuel pump can also get clogged, as the chances of debris getting lodged in your fuel pump are higher when you drive with a low fuel tank. Therefore, if you notice when you’re low on fuel, top it up immediately.
2. Shifting from Drive to Reverse without Stopping
Regardless of whether you drive a car with a manual or automatic transmission, you should never shift from drive to reverse without stopping. Most of us are guilty of shifting from reverse to drive or the other way around without stopping. However, doing this can easily damage your car’s transmission system. If you didn’t know already, transmission repairs are often very expensive. To make sure this does not often happen, start making a habit of coming to a complete stop before you shift to reverse or drive.
3. Revving a Cold Engine
Have you noticed that your car is louder than usual when you start it up for the first time? That’s what you would call a cold start, where the engine wakes up cold. This happens because car engines are cooled to ambient temperature when you park them overnight. The louder engine note during a cold start is your engine idling at higher RPM (revolutions per minute) than normal.
This allows the engine to warm up the oil and increase the temperature to optimal running conditions. If you’re someone who revs the engine to warm it quickly, we suggest you stop it immediately. Revving the engine can create a sudden change in temperature inside and cause considerable damage to the components present there. The best way to warm up your car is to start the engine and let it stay idle for a few minutes.
4. Not Being Gentle over Speed Bumps and Potholes
Speed bumps exist for a reason, and the name itself is self-explanatory. They are designed to do one thing: slow your vehicle down! However, many of us ignore speed bumps and aggressively drive through them. This is a driving habit that’s bad for your car and could easily damage many mechanical and non-mechanical parts.
Slow down your car if you notice a speed bump or a pothole ahead. Driving straight into them is a habit you should stop doing because it can damage your car’s steering, alignment, and suspension. Damage to the components in any of these systems is going to cost you a fortune! Also, slowing down near a speed bump is for your safety and others on the road.
5. Ignoring What Your Car Is Trying to Tell You
Your car communicates its problems through the lights on your dashboard. So, never ignore the warning lights on your car. This means that some of the components are malfunctioning and need to be repaired or replaced. It could be a simple mechanical problem, but the more you ignore it, the worse it can get for your car. Get it fixed at the earliest before it turns into a big issue, and you could save a lot of money! If you’re not familiar with some of the warning lights, a simple Google search can help you. Having a car maintenance checklist in place and regularly following it can stop your dashboard from looking like a lit-up Christmas tree!
6. Slamming on the Brakes
Unless you are the “Drift King” Keiichi Tsuchiya rolling down a touge pass, there is absolutely no sense in slamming on the brakes every time you drive! You should only slam on the brakes in the event of an emergency. A deer decides to cross the road out of the blue in front of you, and you slam the brakes. A car that’s right ahead of you on the fast lane decides to put the emergency brakes on, you slam the brakes and pray to god! That’s fine, totally fine. What’s not fine is slamming on the brakes all the time, simply because you are a late braker who lives for the thrill of late braking.
Slamming on the brakes or late braking is a bad driving habit. It strains the braking system and causes significant wear to brake pads, discs, and all other components. You also run the risk of crashing into someone with a last-minute slam-dunk braking behavior. Pay attention to vehicles around you and avoid slamming on the brakes unless it’s absolutely necessary.
Most of us also constantly apply the brakes while driving downhill, which can cause overheating and damage to the brake pads and rotors. Instead, shift to a lower gear and let the engine control the speed – use brakes only when necessary.
7. Resting Your Hand on the Gear Stick
Driving with one hand on the wheel and one on the gear stick sure looks cool, but at what cost? This driving habit is bad for your car, and let us explain why. Your car’s gear stick is connected to a selector fork, which makes contact with a rotation collar. By placing your hand on the lever, you’re applying pressure on the selector fork, resulting in premature wear.
To avoid this, remember one of your first lessons in driver’s ed: Keep both your hands on the wheel! On top of giving your gearbox a much-needed rest, you will also have better control of the car with both hands on the steering wheel. Only put your hand on the gear stick when you need to upshift or downshift. For automatic cars, only use the gear stick to change driving mode, park, or reverse.
8. Overloading Your Car With Too Much Weight
One of the many reasons for the upsurge in SUV popularity is the amount of space the car offers. However, that does not necessarily mean that you should overload your car with too much weight. Yes, your car is definitely meant to carry some weight, and that is one of the reasons why you have a trunk. However, most cars come with a designated boot space and a maximum towing capacity.
By overloading, you risk exceeding this weight limit. This will cause your car to use more energy and force to move, thereby abusing most of its components. Only carry what’s absolutely necessary in your car’s trunk. Overloading heavy items can negatively impact fuel economy, suspension, tires, and brakes, and drastically increase emission rates.
Your auto insurance company can make your insurance invalid if your car gets caught up in a collision and is overloaded with too much weight.
9. Avoid Riding the Clutch
Riding the clutch is a driving habit that is bad for your car. For those of you who don’t know what riding the clutch, it is driving with clutch not fully disengaged. It is a driving habit that is equally bad as resting your hands on the gear stick while driving. When you do this repeatedly, the clutch plate will start wearing out at a rapid rate.
To avoid riding the clutch, be conscious of your clutch control on a manual transmission car. You may be driving subconsciously with your leg slightly adding pressure to the clutch. Adjust your driving position so that the clutch is completely disengaged when you don’t need to use it. You can also consider using a clutch footrest.
10. Not Going for Regular Car Washes
Yes, this is not a driving habit. However, as we started this guide with how much you love your car. As a responsible car person, you need to wash your vehicle regularly for hassle-free maintenance. Regular car washes also ensure that your car looks the part, and does not accumulate dirt or block the air flow that’s necessary for cars to maintain optimum performance.
If you don’t have the time to do it yourself, you can visit a car wash near you. Use the Way.com app (available on iOS and Android) or website to find top-rated and affordable car washes near you.
Do you know other driving habits that are bad for your car? Let us know about them, and we’ll feature them in our next list.
Renée Martin is a travel and car expert who focuses on road and air travel in the U.S. For the past 6 years, she’s been helping make driving and trip planning easier and budget-friendly for everyday travelers.
