Driving habits that could be damaging your car

Without even realising it, your driving could be damaging your car and causing unnecessary wear and tear.  There are plenty of small driving habits that can affect your vehicle’s reliability over time. Below is our list of all the most common bad habits that could cost you a fortune in the long run.

An example of this would be; driving in 5^th or 6^th gear at 1000rpm and flooring the accelerator pedal. By doing this, it causes a lot of strain on the engine and gearbox. Engine and gearbox mountings can break or loosen over time. To prevent this from happening, gear down a gear or two to bring the RPMs higher which takes the hard strain off the vehicle.

This is a common driving habit when motorists are decreasing their speed downhill. The vehicle requires extra braking force to stop, however, many motorists will slowly decrease their speed by resting their foot on the brake pedal all the way down the hill. This puts tremendous amounts of heat on the brakes which causes them to wear a lot faster. To avoid this, you should brake slightly harder nearer to the bottom of the hill.

All vehicles have a recommended weight capacity and should never exceed the weight limit given by the manufacturer. When you’re going on a long road trip or using the vehicle for work purposes, be careful not to exceed the weight limit of the vehicle. The brakes, suspension, engine and gearbox suffer from too much weight, which the vehicle is not designed for. 

An automatic vehicle requires a full stop before shifting between Reverse and Drive. Shifting before coming to a complete stop can cause wear and tear on the transmission band, clutch and gearbox mountings. This means the vehicle could start having problems when trying to select the correct gear ratio resulting in an unpleasant gear change.

Hitting speed bumps and potholes at a high speed can be devastating on a vehicle’s reliability. If you don’t slow down while driving over speed bumps and through potholes (rather try to drive around them!) you could cause damage to your vehicle’s suspension units and rims.

“Riding the clutch” means a person doesn’t fully remove their foot from the clutch pedal. This causes unnecessary friction which results in wear and tear. Always fully engage the clutch by removing your foot completely off the clutch pedal after changing gears or pulling off from a standstill. 

A Maintenance Plan covers all aspects of the servicing and maintenance of your car, keeping your vehicle on the road for longer. A maintenance plan through MotorHappy offers you a convenient way of budgeting so you can spend more time enjoying your car (with responsible driving habits!) and less time worrying about car maintenance costs and unexpected auto repair bills.