As a car owner, you want to take good care of your vehicle so it will last as long as possible. Most Bedford drivers know that skipping regular maintenance or putting off repairs can cause damage to their cars. However, you may not realize the negative effect that some of your bad driving habits have on your vehicle. Find out which driving habits should be avoided if you don’t want to cause damage to your car.
Forgetting Your Parking Brake
The parking brake is more important than most people realize. If you don’t use it, the entire weight of your vehicle will be placed on the parking pawl, a single metal piece in the transmission. After a bit of putting up with this extreme weight, the parking pawl may wear out and start to break. When that happens, the “P” shifter becomes useless. Avoid this problem by making an effort to use the parking brake every time.
Keeping Your Hand on the Shifter
You may like the feeling of the gear shifter in your hand, but leaving your hand there can actually be bad for your car. When you do this, you are placing weight on the synchronizers and bushings of the transmission, leading to internal wear. Instead, keep your hands on the steering wheel and only put them on the shifter when you actually need to change gears.
Not Having Enough Fuel
Keeping your gas tank close to empty does more than put you at risk of running out and getting stranded. Interestingly enough, when you add just a few gallons of gas at your visit to the pump, it can lead to expensive repairs in the future. That is because the modern pumps are cooled via submersion in fuel. If you drive with just a little bit of fuel, the pump will heat up, causing it to wear out even more quickly. Luckily, you just need to keep your tank a quarter full or more to avoid this.
Dragging Brakes Going Downhill
Depending on how steep the hill is, it can be intimidating to go down. Because of this, most people have the bad habit of resting their foot on top of the brake pedal so they can slow down in seconds whenever necessary. Unfortunately, this leads to strain on the brake system along with heat buildup. That can wear out the brake rotors and pads. Instead of putting your foot on the brake pedal when going downhill, opt for a lower gear. This leads to engine braking so your car slows down via natural decompression of the drivetrain.
For more tips on caring for your vehicle or help diagnosing a problem with it, talk to the friendly and knowledgeable team at Berglund Automotive in Roanoke, Virginia. Our service center staff is ready to assist you.
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