10 reckless driving behaviors that damage your car

Do your poor driving practices put your car through unnecessary pressure?

There are ten factors on our list that might be damaging your car, and you may not even be aware of them.

10. Using the downhill brakes

Dragging the brakes is a bad habit that will probably result in more brake disc and pad wear and strain.

This will result in them needing to be replaced more frequently, increasing your driving costs needlessly.

It is advisable to shift into a low gear, brake lightly, and then let up on the foot to let the brakes cool when driving downhill.

When necessary, use the brakes, and then continue the process until you are at the bottom of the slope.

9. Putting your hand on the gearstick to rest

Most likely, you’re driving teacher advised you to always maintain both hands on the wheel, yet many of us pick up poor habits as soon as the "L" plates are retired. A possible one of them is placing your hand on the gearstick.

However, did you realize that this might harm the transmission? The selection fork that the gear-stick is attached to is intended to briefly make contact with a spinning collar.

You run the danger of putting strain on the selector fork and hastening wear if you rest your hand on the gear stick. It's worth reading your owner's handbook to see whether it clearly says not to lay your hand on the gear shift.

8. Pressurizing the accelerator pedal when in a high gear

A gearshift indicator light, used in many contemporary vehicles, tells you when to shift into or out of gear. These are frequently tuned for economy, so you'll almost always be short-shifting to get the best performance. Keep an eye on the downshift symbol, though, or else be ready to move down as necessary.

Low engine rpm or a high gear when accelerating implies the engine is working harder, which puts more pressure on the motor. Before shifting up, change down and wait for the revs to increase. When moving big objects or climbing hills, this is especially crucial.

7. Stocking your car too heavy

Even though contemporary automobiles are built to handle big loads, they can nevertheless become overloaded.

Your car's maximum load weight will often be listed in your owner's handbook, which will give you a general idea of how much luggage you should bring with you overall. This exercise is frequently put to the test while moving houses or taking a lengthy vacation. The more weight you have, the more stress you're putting on the drive-train, suspension, and brakes.

While storing superfluous goods, such as golf clubs or gym equipment, in the trunk of your car won't put more strain on its components, it will damage its fuel efficiency and perhaps its emissions output. So it's always a good idea to travel light and leave the golf clubs at home while not in use.

6. Switching from drive to reverse before coming to a grinding stop

In a car with an automatic gearbox, changing from drive to reverse (and vice versa) is particularly harmful for transmission. The automatic transmission is made to change ratios; the brakes are meant to handle stopping.

Instead of damaging the replaceable brake discs and pads, switching gears before stopping will wear out the transmission band. Any maintenance on the automatic transmission will require a lot of labor, which will be expensive.

In a manual transmission, the same is true while shifting gears, hence it is best to stop completely before shifting into reverse (although most current automobiles won't let you transfer without stopping otherwise).

5. Running over speed bumps and potholes

According to reports, potholes need to be avoided at all costs because they account for a third of all car damage. Along with disrupting the tracking and wheel balancing, the impact can result in buckling wheels, lumps in the tire, and fractured alloys.

Even if some potholes are difficult to see, especially in the dark or during the rain, they should be avoided wherever possible. Similar to this, going over a speed bump without slowing down might harm the car's front and back, its undercarriage, and even its exhaust system.

4. Ignoring warning/check lights

Today's dashboards have more lights than Blackpool during the holidays.

You may ignore some of them until you have a chance to halt, such as "washer fluid" or "bulb has gone." But others need to be looked at as soon as possible. It's important to familiarize yourself with the most critical warning lights on your dashboard by reading your owner's handbook, so you'll know which ones to pull over and fix right away while driving.

You are urged to pull over and call your breakdown service or a respectable neighborhood garage for assistance if any of the following alerts display on the dashboard:

• Engine/ECU
• Braking mechanism
• faulty power steering
• Airbag
• fluid pressure
• cooling method

3. Accelerating while the engine is cold

Some people may advise against taking your automobile on frequent, short trips since the engine oil never fully heats up. In actuality, every car starts cold; therefore the key is to not crank the engine before it has warmed up. By giving the oil time to warm up and circulate around the engine, potential damage and unnecessary wear and strain are prevented.

2. Using the clutch

Riding the clutch is a poor idea, especially because it isn't covered by a guarantee because it is a "wear and tear" item. Riding the clutch often occurs when a motorist attempts to conduct a hill-start or does not remove their foot from the pedal after changing gears. The life of the plate will be shortened by excessive wear brought on by poor clutch control. Use the off-clutch footrest, if it is installed, to confirm that your foot has left the clutch pedal. When starting from a hill, keep the handbrake on and the car in neutral until you're ready to proceed.

1. Sudden braking

You could need to make an emergency stop at some point, in which case abrupt braking is crucial.

However, frequent late braking can put additional pressure on the braking system, wearing out your brake pads and discs more quickly and using more gasoline as a result.

In general, it's better for your automobile and the environment to drive slowly, deliberately, and while anticipating the road ahead.