4 habits that might be damaging your car unknowingly

We all do it, we all have those small habits that we pick up when we have been driving for a while. Some are from laziness and others from taking bad advice from other drivers.

Here are 4 habits that might be damaging your car unknowingly, making some components ruined before their time? This will result in some seriously expensive repair bills.

Riding the Clutch

“Riding the clutch” is where you keep your clutch partially pressed in. People often do this when in traffic, or when they are sitting on a hill. Even when going around a roundabout. By “Riding the clutch” you will gradually damage your clutch, as you cause unnecessary friction between your clutch plate and flywheel, which could result in a new clutch kit, leaving you with costly repair fees. Instead, you should just simply put your handbrake on and stay in neutral gear.

Driving your car before it’s warmed up

We get it, in the winter it’s freezing and you quickly want to get the car moving so you can get warmer, but by doing this you will collectively damage your car. In newer cars, it takes them a few seconds to warm up but in older cars, it can be a long wait. When you get into your car and turn it on, you should watch your rev counter – your car should run at a high idle before dropping down to a lower RPM. Only after your RPM has dropped, then you can be on with your journey. This is because the oil has had time to properly lubricate the components in your engine.

Forgetting oil changes and checking tyre pressure

Not only can these changes be dangerous but they can damage your car and create unnecessary bills. When you forget to change your oil, it will have a huge impact on your engine – as when oil becomes old it is less efficient when it comes to lubricating your components. Always follow your car’s serving schedule.

When it comes to your tyre pressure not only is it dangerous but also illegal to be over or under-inflated. When your tyres are over-inflated, they decrease the road surface, which reduces your control and handling of the vehicle. However, when they are under-inflated they cause a lot of friction, which can result in your tyres popping, which can cause an accident. Do regular checks at your local garages or petrol stations to keep yourself safe from any accidents.

Shifting into reverse before stopping

Another popular habit is reversing before the car has stopped. In manual cars, if you start reversing your car before the car is stationary, then you will have to use the clutch more to even get the car to reverse. This results in you adding more wear to the clutch and drivetrain. But if you have an automatic car, then the transmission will be damaged more, as the transmission band will wear noticeably more.

Before you decide to reverse, make sure the car is stationary then go into the reversing gear, to extend your clutch life.

At ECU, we pride ourselves on our ECU testing, so making sure the electronic components are correctly tested. But we can still provide information to other components. Contact us today for more information.