Top 5 dangerous habits of drivers who "kill" the car

For many years after the invention of the internal combustion engine, humanity has been practicing destroying the "iron horses". Of course, drunk driving gives the best results (along with the Darwin award), but this is for those who appreciate spectacular endings. For the more moderate, not prone to demonstrativeness, we offer the top 5 ways that are guaranteed to be able to make any car unusable. Unfortunately, these methods are very popular among motorists.

5. Habits leading to tire wear

In the fifth place in the rating of the most frequent mistakes of motorists, leading to wear and tear of a car, is an integral and rather "capricious" part of any car. Tire pressures are often either too low or too high. And this and that can significantly worsen the traction and braking characteristics of the car, as well as increase fuel consumption.

And an early or, conversely, a late seasonal change of rubber leads to a loss of grip properties of the tire with the road surface, accelerated tire wear and deterioration in acceleration and braking. To prevent this from happening, you need to timely choose best summer tires of 2018.

In addition, drivers often ignore the rule of swapping front and rear tires at least once a year. On a front-wheel drive car, the front tires wear out faster, on a rear-wheel drive, respectively, rear tires. And worn rubber does its job poorly - for example, it does not drain water well during rain, which can lead to skidding, aquaplaning and possibly an accident.

4. Sharp acceleration and deceleration

Many boys dreamed of becoming racers in childhood. Having become adults and having bought a car, some boys who have matured in body but not mind are trying to make their dreams come true. If the dream was limited only to painting the body with tongues of flame ... but no. One of the most harmful habits of motorists, leading to rapid wear and tear of the car, is to roar to start as soon as the red traffic light changes to yellow, or to try to effectively pass a turn with a squeal of tires and a brake mark. However, they do not pay attention to the increased fuel consumption or accelerated wear of the brake mechanism.

However, even respectable car owners have to come to terms with the fact that the urban environment does not contribute to the long life of their "iron friend". Sharp acceleration and deceleration are forced in traffic jams, when, after a long movement at a snail's speed, you suddenly need to sharply pick up speed and then brake just as quickly. But this way of movement puts an additional load on the systems of the car, especially harmful to the grip.

3. Driving style and transmission

There can be many errors here, and here are the main ones:

• the reluctance of manual transmission owners to squeeze the clutch when shifting gears (increased load and, consequently, gearbox wear);
• holding the clutch pedal depressed for a long time (leads to damage to the release bearing);
• engaging reverse gear without a complete stop (causes wear on the teeth of the gear wheels of the reverse gear);
• wrong gear selection.

Car owners with Automatic transmission can kill the gearbox with prolonged towing, sharp acceleration and attempts to drift, like on a TV screen.

2. Dashboard warnings

Ignoring the icons on the dashboard can seriously worsen the condition of the vehicle. After all, they burn there for a reason - a lit light warns that something is wrong with the car. For example, the engine temperature is too low or too high, the pressure in the lubrication system is too low, or an oil refill / change is required; there are faults in the electrician or the brake fluid level is too low.

Ignoring the warnings will not correct the problems, on the contrary - they tend to accumulate, which will lead either to expensive car repairs or even to an accident.

1. Unscheduled maintenance

It seems that everyone has known for a long time that warning is easier than repairing. Or not everyone? One of the main reasons for car breakdowns is the driver's failure to comply with the maintenance schedule. But it is precisely this that is capable of preventing costly car breakdowns. For example, if you do not change the air filter for a long time, the mass air flow sensor may fail and you will have to change it already - and this is much more expensive.

It is necessary not to neglect not only daily maintenance (checking engine oil levels, tire pressure, mirrors, leaks, etc.), but also "short" and "long" maintenance depending on the mileage of the car (checking transmission elements, oil filter, system engine cooling, etc.), as well as seasonal maintenance, when the car is prepared for the change of seasons.

And finally ...

Do not warm up the engine at idle

Numerous tests have long proven that prolonged warming up of an engine with electronic fuel injection at idle speeds leads to increased wear of the piston group. In moderate frosts it is enough to let the engine run for 40-60 seconds, in severe frosts - 2-3 minutes. After that, you should start moving smoothly at medium engine speeds, without overgasing.

The habit of warming up the engine to operating temperature is a relic of the past, which is associated with the peculiarity of the operation of carburetor engines. All modern cars lack this feature.