It’s not as if most motorists would relish the idea of having to scrap their cars prematurely. Nevertheless, research would suggest that the overwhelming majority of drivers may in fact be steering their vehicles directly towards an early grave.
It all comes down to the kinds of minor bad habits that can add up to a big difference. So courtesy of the team here at Take My Scrap Car, what follows is a brief rundown of seven of the most common habits that can age cars prematurely:
- Resting your hand on the gearstick
First up, there are two reasons why your driving instructor made you keep both hands on the wheel, unless changing gear. Not only does it give you more control over the car in general, but resting your hand on the gearstick can actually cause damage to your car’s gearbox. Damage you may not see or notice at first, but one that is definitely happening behind the scenes. - Overloading your vehicle
Every car is designed to carry a certain amount and no more. As such, if and when you decide to knowingly (or unknowingly) overload your vehicle to any extent, you put much greater pressure on its suspension, brakes, engine and pretty much everything else across the board. Which is, suffice to say, not a good thing. - Engaging reverse gear before stopping
Actually it’s just as bad when you do the same in reverse. The long and short of it being that if you are looking for a guaranteed way of putting seriously excessive strain on your transmission, this is it. A good way of destroying your clutch before its time. - Speed bumps and potholes
Of course, it’s not as if you can realistically expect to avoid them altogether. But at the same time, the faster you hit them, the more damage you are likely to do. Speed bumps exist for the sole purpose of encouraging motorists to slow down, as failure to do so can result in serious damage to your car. - Ignoring warning lights
While it can often be tempting to ignore warning lights to avoid the time, trouble and expense of having your car fixed, this is never a good idea. Warning lights give you the opportunity to organise minor, inexpensive repairs before things get far more serious, expensive and perhaps even dangerous. Long story short – don’t ignore them! - Revving a cold engine
Contrary to popular belief, excessively revving a cold engine the moment you turn the key isn’t a good way of warming it up. In fact, you should never rev the engine until it has been given time to warm up naturally. Hence why it is often said that taking very short trips on a regular basis during cold weather is extremely bad for your car’s engine. - Late braking
Last but not least, the only time you should ever brake late is when you have to. That being, when forced to perform an emergency stop. Late braking on a regular basis is nothing other than wearing out various bits and pieces of your car much faster, while at the same time increasing your fuel bills significantly.
For more information on responsible car scrapping and recycling, get in touch with the Take My Scrap Car customer service team today.
