You Are Ruining Your Car If You Are Guilty Of The Following

Not Avoiding Or Slowing Down for Speed Bumps or Potholes

Running into a speed bump or pothole too fast or carelessly will destroy your suspension and wheel alignment. To avoid any of these damages to your car, reduce your car speed when you are approaching a speed bump or pothole.

 Allowing Your Fuel Tank Run Low

Driving your car when it is low on fuel can cause it some damage. If you run the car low on fuel consistently, you can over-stress the fuel pump and making it hotter which can cause premature damage to it.

When there is not enough fuel in the tank, the fuel pump does not get the same level of protection as it would otherwise.

Your car’s fuel pump is located inside the gas tank. In order to function properly, it needs to be completely submerged in fuel. Typically, this means you need at least ¼ of a tank to keep it submerged.

Long-term exposure to air can lead to early deterioration of the fuel pump.

Leaving it constantly exposed to air can cause the pump to suck in air and generate heat. This also allows sediment to build up in your tank. This can reduce the working life of your fuel pump significantly.

When properly used and maintained, a fuel pump should last at least 100,000 miles if not the lifetime of your vehicle.

Using the Wrong Engine Oil

Choosing the right oil during an oil change is very important. When you are servicing of your car, it is important that you choose the right oil during an oil change.

Oil is very important to the engine. So you should ensure to take great care to use only the recommended product for your car. Using the wrong oil will cause damage to your engine.

The thickness of the oil (viscosity) affects how the oil does its job. Each car engine was designed for a specific viscosity. There is a whole lot of difference between 5W-30 and 10W-30 engine oil. Always stick with the manufacturer recommendation, conveniently found in your owner’s manual.

Ignoring the Check Engine light

When your Check Engine light comes on, it is your car’s way of calling your attention to a fault. The problem could a minor one, but if left untreated, it could turn into something very costly.

Investigate the potential problems yourself or take the car to a mechanic and have it checked.

If the check engine light remains constant, the vehicle’s problem is not an emergency but you should get the fault checked as soon as possible. However, when the check engine light is blinking that means there could be a severe engine misfire and that may cause unburned fuel to be dumped into the exhaust system

Using the Wrong Cleaning Products

We often make the mistake of assuming that it does not really matter how we wash your car, as long as you get it clean. Well actually, using the wrong products or accessories can damage your paintwork, making it look dull and scratched.

For instance, Using wrong cleaning products containing ammonia on tinted windows will cause them to be discoloured (purple-tinted).

Most of the cleaners sold for car upholstery can also cause the vinyl and leather seats to fade.

Use a dedicated automotive window cleaner or water instead. Water removes most dirt and debris quickly and easily, without damaging the interior or exterior of a car.

Taking that extra bit of time to do the job properly will keep your car looking as good as new – not only making it look better as you drive but also potentially making it easier to sell.

Ignoring Unusual Sounds

Strange car noises are often a clue that something is wrong with your car. Therefore, when you hear these unusual sounds from your car, it means there might be a fault with your car. Ignoring those sounds can increase the cost of maintenance or cause expensive damage to the car. Do inspect your car carefully when those noises happen.

Not Using the Parking Brake

The parking brake locks the wheels on a car. This way it ensures that the car does not roll or move when parked.

It also protects the transmission when the car is parked. Your car is not meant to be held in place by the transmission. That is the job of the parking brake.

Whether you drive a manual or automatic transmission, you should always use your parking brake. Whenever you park the car, apply the parking brake. That is the only way to make sure that the cables do not seize up. If you have not used the parking brakes in a while, do not try using it without having it inspected!

Also, remember to release the parking brake before driving off.

Filling Your Radiator With Water only

Whether you know it as coolant or antifreeze, this product is just an addictive that serve to keep the water in your car from freezing in cold weather and from boiling and overheating in hot weather.  Either of these conditions can cause a breakdown and serious damage to your engine.

So, to keep the water in your engine from freezing or boiling overuse an antifreeze/coolant.

Use a 50/50 mix of water and coolant or as recommended.