Learning about “what bad driving habits will damage a car engine?” helps you extend the lifetime of your vehicle and prevents premature damages. Here are at the top bad driving habits you should avoid:
1- Sudden braking
2- Running on low fluids
3- Shifting early
4- Adding too much weight
5- Slamming the accelerator
6- Driving with tires issues
7- Running on cold engines
8- Underestimating road damages
9- Engaging the clutch wrong
10- Ignoring the check engine light
For most people, vehicles are one of the most valuable investments in their lives after houses. Therefore, it is important that we implement all necessary maintenance and prevent vehicle damages as much as possible to extend its lifetime and eliminates high repair costs.
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One of the best things you can help your vehicle extend its lifetime is by preventing bad driving habits that could damage the vehicle prematurely. In fact, automotive experts discovered a list of habits that people underestimate and think it's OK and will not cause vehicles issues.
This article walks through a list of bad driving habits that will damage your car's engine and that you'll need to avoid as much as possible.
What driving habits will damage a car engine?
Engine replacement is almost one of the most expensive repairs that any driver might deal with. According to experts, replacing the engine can cost you somewhere between $1000 and $9000.
Obviously, engineer pairs differ significantly depending on whether you're planning to repair the engine, install a used engine, or install a brand-new engine. The price also differs depending on the type of engine you have and your vehicle's brand. For example, a vehicle equipped with a four-cylinder engine will not require as much money as another vehicle equipped with a V8 engine or a V6 engine.
Therefore, you must protect the engine as much as possible and eliminate any causes that could damage the engine.
Although plenty of external causes could damage your car's engine prematurely, your driving habits can be a major factor. Let's take a closer look at some of the common driving habits that could damage your car's engine:
1- Sudden braking
Sometimes we get in situations where we have to slam the brakes to get the vehicle to stop before hitting the other car in front of us. Although this situation might happen sometimes, it should not be a habit, and whenever you can prevent slamming the brakes, you should do so.
Although slamming the brakes can't immediately impact the braking system, that also has a significant effect on the engine if it became a habit. When you hit the brakes suddenly, your engine's moving components will not have the chance to stop and get to the natural position. Therefore, they can get damaged prematurely.
On the other hand, when you allow slow braking and lift the engine, different components go back to their original position, you eliminate unnecessary damages as much as possible.
2- Running on low fluids
Your vehicle consists of different types of fluids that need to be maintained at the right level. Ignoring the low fluid level can result in many problems that differ significantly depending on the type of fluids.
For example, if you left your vehicle with very low engine oil, you could immediately deal with complicated engine problems that could damage the entire engine. Your engine needs oil to get lubricated and prevent friction that could cause overheating.
Also, the brakes need a certain type of fluid to run properly, and without this fluid, you're stressing the vehicle to stop without having the right elements. Therefore, this additional stress can impact the engine down the road.
Therefore, you must familiarize yourself with a different fluid type in your vehicle and understand your vehicle's owner’s manuals and recommendations regarding checking these fluids. In addition, there are plenty of articles out there highlighting the different symptoms that you might face when the fluids are not at the optimum level.
3- Shifting early
Another very common habit that could damage your vehicle's engine prematurely is early shifting. It happened to both of us at least a couple of times when we tried to switch from reverse to drive and did not completely allow the vehicle to stop. When you do so, you can impact the engine and cause some internal damages.
In general, early shifting does not necessarily impact all components around the engine. Instead, it specifically affects the drivetrain, which connected the steering wheel to the wheels. By shifting early, you don't give enough time for the drivetrain components to go back to the right position and engage properly.
Unfortunately, early shifting results in significant damages that are not easy to fix. In other words, you won't be able to resolve the problems by yourself, and you will most likely require advanced mechanical skill sets because the most impact components are inaccessible.
4- Adding too much weight
The other thing that we might underestimate is hauling or adding too much weight to the vehicle. Every vehicle is designed to withstand a certain loading level. When you put a lot of weight on the car not designed for, you add extra stress on the engine and allow the internal moving components to get damaged prematurely.
Therefore, it is important for you as a driver to refer to your vehicle owner’s manual and understand how much weight you can put on the vehicle if you would like to get the most out of the car and allow it to serve you till the end of its lifetime.
5- Slamming the accelerator
Like slamming the brakes, slamming the accelerator is another bad habit that you should avoid all the time. If you're driving a vehicle with an automatic transmission, slamming the accelerator does not allow the vehicle to have enough time to switch gears properly. Therefore, there is a very high chance of the gears getting damaged and the engine getting infected.
The impact of slamming the accelerator also it's very similar to revving the engine to lunch. Experts indicated that you should not read the engine more than it needs and for extended times. Instead, refer to your vehicle's owner’s manual and get an idea about how long you can rip the engine so you don't damage it.
6- Driving with tires issues
Your vehicle's tires are critical because they are the first element connected to the roads. Without having perfectly running tires, you won't only impact your safety but also the different internal components.
The tires need to be inflated with air to that certain level that provides flexible driving and prevents stressing the engine. When the tires are not at the right air pressure level, your engine works harder to force these tires to rotate, resulting in engine breakage earlier than usual.
7- Running on cold engines
Experts mentioned that you need to warm up your vehicle for a little time to allow things to get ready for moving the vehicle. Unfortunately, many drivers underestimate this point and start the car and move it immediately before along gets to warm up.
Keep in mind that you need to balance between how much as good of a warmup time versus too much. The sticks also showed that warming up your engine too long can cause engine damage is and therefore, don't think that the more you were not the engine, the better it is for it.
8- Underestimating road damages
If you are driving in an area where roads are not paved properly, you need to be a little careful to prevent damaging your car. There are many situations where we can avoid potholes or road obstacles, but sometimes, we don't because we never think it could cause significant issues.
In fact, driving through potholes frequently damages the vehicle and impacts the suspension system and other major components. Therefore, if you got involved in a situation where you must go through a pothole, it is important that you drive slowly and try to get in and out without rushing it.
The best rule of thumb here is to keep an eye on the roads and watch for any obstacles so you can prevent them as much as possible. It is also recommended that you find roads that do not have major damages and avoid areas with major construction.
9- Engaging the clutch wrong
If you're driving a vehicle with an automatic transmission, you don't have to worry about this point. However, if you're a driver of a vehicle equipped with a manual transmission, there is a huge responsibility on you as a driver to prevent damaging the transition and impacting the engine.
Engaging the clutch needs to happen at a certain time, and you need to monitor the rounds per minute in your engine before switching gears. Therefore, it is important to avoid habits like half-pressing the clutch or probably riding the clutch where you clutch all the time without even needing it.
10- Ignoring the check engine light
The check engine warning light is one of the most important messages is that your vehicle tries to communicate with you. Typically, the check engine light is related to internal damage that could be minor at measure.
Although some check engine light problems might be minor, you must never ignore them because the earlier you detect them, the easier it is for you to resolve them and the lower repair costs. However, ignoring the problems results in additional complications that might cost you thousands of dollars.
What are the common signs of a damaged car engine?
Sometimes we do not pay attention that our driving habits are impacting the engine. However, learning a lot about some of the common symptoms indicating the engine helps you monitor the response of your vehicle to your driving habits so that you can make an informed decision about the change.
Let's take a closer look at some of the common signs of a bad car engine cooling
- Check engine light illuminating
- Reduction in your vehicle's power
- Difference in the vehicle’s gas mileage
- Weird loud noises from the engine compartment
- Engine stalling and misfiring
- Weird orders coming from the engine
- Engine running after you turn off the ignition
- Engine running rough
You must take your vehicle to the nearest repair shop whenever you notice any of these mentioned symptoms. Whether it's your driving habits or whether it's an internal issue, you need to get the problem resolved as soon as possible to prevent pink thousands of dollars from installing a new engine.
Conclusion
Your vehicle's engine is one of the most important components that need to be maintained all the time. Unfortunately, replacing the engine is a big deal, and many drivers end up giving up on their vehicles when the engine gets damaged.
Learning about “what bad driving habits will damage a car engine?” helps you prevent engine damages and eliminates significant repair costs as much as possible. This article walked you through the ten bad driving habits that will damage your car's engine.
If for any reason, your vehicle's engine got damaged because of any habits, you must value the situation and consider the difference between repair costs and the value of your vehicle. If you notice that repair costs are piling up, it makes sense for you to sell your vehicle instead of wasting your time and money trying to get it to work.
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