Learning about “what are the biggest car maintenance myths?” is very critical to prevent paying extra money for unnecessary maintenance. Here are some of the biggest car maintenance myths:
1. Myth #1: roll down that windows instead of turning on the AC to save fuel
2. Myth #2: wash your vehicle with dishwashing soap or laundry detergent
3. Myth #3: maintain the sidewall pressure listed on the tires
4. Myth #4: change your vehicle's oil once every 3000 miles
5. Myth #5: fill up your vehicle every morning for the best fuel economy
6. Myth #6: you will need a new tire every time you run over a nail
7. Myth #7: you can't replace one single tire at a time
8. Myth #8: your battery will recharge with a quick drive after a jump start
9. Myth #9: your vehicle should use premium gas
10. Myth #10: The octane level doesn't matter
11. Myth #11: you must get a coolant flush every oil change
12. Myth #12: you must warm up your vehicle before you drive it
Vehicles can be one of the biggest investments for many people. Therefore, they spend a lot of time and effort researching about what needs to be maintained to prevent causing major damages. While it's a great idea to keep all necessary maintenance, sometimes we fall into some of the biggest car maintenance myths that are not true.
⚠️ If It's Broken, Don't Fix It - Get Paid Cash for Your Vehicle ⚠️
This article walks you through these myths and highlights what's wrong with them to help you prevent paying unnecessary extra money. Unfortunately, some of these myths might even result in some vehicle damages, and that's why you must consult your mechanic and refer to your vehicle's owner’s manual before implementing them.
What are the biggest car maintenance myths?
Our team conducted an in-depth review of all available maintenance recommendations. We compared them to experts’ opinions and realize that there are plenty of maintenance myths that many people might fall into wasting their time and money trying to implement.
Let's take a closer look at the results of our review regarding common car maintenance myths:
1. Car maintenance myth #1: Roll down that windows instead of turning on the AC to save fuel
One of the biggest car maintenance myths that we came across and was wrong was to roll the windows down instead of turning on the AC system. People thought that when you do not start by turning on the AC system, you save on fuel consumption because you do not put extra stress on the engine.
However, automotive experts indicated that when you also roll down the windows, you allow more wind to get inside the vehicle, and therefore, you will cause more wind resistance. As a result, your engine will also work harder to deal with some of the aerodynamics.
In general, whether you decided to roll down their windows or turn on the AC system, your engine will spend almost the same amount of energy and will consume a very close amount of fuel.
2. Car maintenance myth #2: wash your vehicle with dishwashing soap or laundry detergent
Another common myth that we came across is people recommending dishwashing soap or laundry detergent to wash the vehicle. We realized and discovered that many vehicles might experience major damages in the paint and the extra wax layers with using such products.
Things get even more dangerous if you decided to use these materials inside the vehicle for cleaning the interior. Imagine if you put some harsh chemical on another interior, for instance, what will happen?
Therefore, we always advise that you refer to your vehicle's owner’s manual to get an idea about cheap products that you can use for cleaning the vehicle.
3. Car maintenance myth #3: maintain the sidewall pressure listed on the tires
Have you heard about the tire pressure listed on the sidewall of your tires? Many people think that this is the recommended pressure that you retire must be maintaining all the time for the best handling, fuel economy, and comfort. However, that's not the case.
What's listed on the tire sidewall indicates the maximum pressure your tires can keep for safe driving. It does not necessarily indicate the best option. On the other hand, you are recommended to look at the fuel filter door or probably the glovebox to get an idea about the recommended tire pressure that gives you certain capabilities.
4. Car maintenance myth #4: change your vehicle's oil once every 3000 miles
You don't need to change the oil once every 3000 miles. It all depends on the type of oil and your vehicle's brand. In general, most oils should get you closest to 5000 or 7500 miles. In some certain types of synthetic oil, you might even get to 10,000 miles without needing an oil change.
Automotive experts discovered that many small repair shops would recommend you change your engine oil once every 3000 miles to make a profit. Therefore, you must stick with whatever is mentioned in your vehicle's owner’s manual as the best and most accurate guidance for oil change frequencies.
5. Car maintenance myth #5: fill up your vehicle every morning for best fuel economy
Some people believe that it's important for them to get gas every morning to take advantage of cooler temperatures where gas is much denser. However, that's not correct because, typically, gas is stored in larger tanks underneath the ground. Thus, you won't see a significant difference in gas temperature throughout the day.
Therefore, you don't have to worry about the time to fill your gas tank if you have the right amount of gas and your tank is not empty. Thus, whatever works for you throughout the day should be fine.
6. Car maintenance myth #6: you will need a new tire every time you run over a nail
While it's dangerous for your tires to run over a nail, it does not necessarily mean that you need to install a new tire. There are plenty of practices by expert mechanics to resolve the issue without replacing the entire tire., before you invest in purchasing a new tire, you must reach out to your mechanic and get an idea about what needs to be done first.
7. Car maintenance myth #7: you can't replace one single tire at a time
While any all-wheel drive vehicle needs to replace old tires simultaneously to maintain efficiency, that is not the case for every car. In other words, some people believe that you can't change only one tire at a time, and once one tire gets damaged, you must replace all four tires.
However, you must leave it up to the mechanic to inspect the vehicle. There are probably some options for rotating the tires or replacing one tire, depending on whatever happened. Your mechanic will take a closer look at the tires and investigate whether it's OK to install a new tire if the other tires are in good condition. Otherwise, he will recommend you change faulty tires that might cause problems to the suspension system.
8. Car maintenance myth #8: your battery will recharge with a quick drive after a jump start
When the battery is not in good condition, a good idea to start your vehicle is to rely on a quick jumpstart. Many people think that once you jump-start the vehicle, your batteries problem should be resolved immediately after driving the vehicle for a couple of minutes. However, that is all wrong.
Your batteries problem might be a significant issue indicating that you cannot resolve it unless you replace it. For example, some batteries might get to a point where it's the end of their lifetime and cannot maintain the charge. So, however, and whatever you do to charge the battery will not work because the battery itself cannot hold the charge.
9. Car maintenance myth #9: your vehicle should use premium gas
As you might already know, premium gas provides your vehicle with much more benefits than regular gas. However, many people think that the higher the octane level, the better it is for their vehicles. Unfortunately, that's not the case.
While this might be true for some modern vehicles, it is not necessarily the right thing for older vehicles. In fact, if you go with premium gas on an older vehicle, you might cause significant damages to the engine. Thus, you must consult your vehicle owner’s manual to understand better what's allowed in your car.
10. Car maintenance myth #10: The octane level doesn't matter
We indicated earlier that you don't necessarily have to go with premium gas for your vehicle if you are manual and don't recommend it. However, in certain modern vehicles, you're not allowed to use any other gas type because this will cause engine damage. Therefore, if you think that an octane level is an option, it is not always the case, and you must get a better idea from your vehicle's owner’s manual.
11. Car maintenance myth #11: you must get a coolant flush every oil change
Some people think that they must flush the coolant every time they do an oil change. However, this could be a little too much because the coolant tends to last longer than the engine oil. Thus, the best and most accurate source for coolant flush frequency is your vehicle owner’s manual.
12. Car maintenance myth #12: you must warm up your vehicle before you drive it
Your vehicle doesn't need to be warmed up, even if it's wintertime. You can let the engine run for a couple of minutes only and no longer than this. While it's recommended to warm up your car in older engines, you don't have to for modern vehicles.
There is some evidence that the longer you let your vehicles stay idle, the worse it is for the vehicle's health. Thus, consider reviewing your manual to get an idea about how long you should allow your vehicle to warm up before driving.
Conclusion
Every driver needs to keep up with all scheduled maintenance and never miss one to enjoy our vehicles if possible, without any major problems. However, the world of automobiles is filled with myths that any inexperienced driver might fill into. Therefore, it is important to familiarize yourself with “what are the biggest car maintenance myths?” This way, you save yourself a lot of effort and money and unnecessary maintenance. This article walked you through a list of some common car maintenance myths and highlighted some expert's advice on why you should consider them as myths.
While it's important to keep up with your vehicle’s maintenance, sometimes, if the vehicle is not in good condition or has major problems, it might not be worth the time and money to invest in maintaining it. Instead, experts recommend that you sell this vehicle and use the money towards a better car that doesn't have any problem.
The good news is that Cash Cars Buyer is one of the limited companies that guarantee to remove your vehicle within one to three days only while paying the top dollars your vehicle deserves!
Cash Cars Buyer is one of the top-rated car removal companies in the nation that guarantees to pay you the top dollars and provide you with free towing despite your living location around the United States.
Our process is very straightforward and doesn't take more than a couple of days to get your car removed safely and for the most money.
All it takes you is to:
- Describe your car’s type and condition
- Receive our instant free quote
- Accept the quote
- Get your car removed and receive your cash payment on the spot!
To learn more about our process and our teen, you can reach out to us by giving us a call at 866-924-4608 or visit our home page click on the free instant online offer.