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7 Things You Should Never Do To Your Car

If you want to keep your car on the road, avoid these costly mistakes that can damage it.

By Kathy LesterPublished 3 years ago 4 min read
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Image by (Joenomias) Menno de Jong from Pixabay

The majority of us all own cars and we realize that taking care of it can be a daunting task since our lives are always extremely busy. But nonetheless, in order to keep it on the road for a very long time, we need to continue to maintain and take care of it. There are things that you should do to keep it in good shape but there's also seven things that you will want to avoid doing to your car so you don't damage it:

Image by andreas160578 from Pixabay

1. Run out your gas until your tank is empty.

I was always taught by my Dad as a teen to never ever let your gas tank go to nearly empty. Not only could you be stranded if it runs completely out, but if you always drive your car with a low level of gasoline, it could lead your car into early fuel pump failure. Always make sure you are filling it completely up once it's around a quarter of a tank. Avoiding this will help keep your fuel pump healthy and you will always have plenty of gas for your driving journey.

2. Use the wrong antifreeze to put in your car.

Before you fill up your antifreeze or coolant, make sure that you take out your car manual and read through it or research online what is the type of antifreeze that you need to use for your specific vehicle. If you just choose any antifreeze that you see at your local auto parts store, you could really mess up your car if different liquids are being used. I remember when I had my VW Bug convertible, I had to make sure I used a G12 or G13 universal extended life coolant. If you are still not sure what you need, ask a professional first.

3. Overinflate your tires.

This never does anything good to your tires let alone your car. I've heard a lot of myths in my day that if you overinflate your tires, that you will get good gas mileage on your next trip and that's totally untrue. Not only will you quickly wear out your suspension but you will also wear out your tires a lot faster. Nobody wants to take that dreadful trip to the tire shop and pay $300-$500 for more tires. The best thing to do is to regularly check your tires air levels. Many vehicles have an electronic gauge that does this for you on your dashboard so you know whenever it's time to air them up. Never ignore that or overdo what it says to do. Your car and your wallet will thank you for it.

4. Cleaning your engine with a pressure washer.

This is a great way to not only cause your engine to malfunction but it can also cause you to damage parts within the engine like the sensors, the wiring, etc. If you are insistent that your engine needs cleaning, make sure you allow it to become completely cooled, then spray the entire compartment with a degreaser like Simple Green. A small synthetic brush can work the degreaser in and help to remove the gunk that is in it. With a garden hose, lightly spray around the compartment to remove the degreaser and remaining engine gunk. Once you are finished, you can either dry it out with some compressed air or use a shop towel to get it completely dried.

5, Rev your engine in neutral at the traffic light.

Revving your engine in neutral and then suddenly shifting it into drive will not only wear down your piston rings and transmission, but it will also give you additional car repair headaches down the road. Besides, no matter what anybody else has told you, revving your engine doesn't instantly warm it up. If the oil hasn't made its way through the engine early on, it could damage your car. Just keep in mind that the 'jack rabbit' effect at your next traffic light isn't going to impress anyone. It just makes you look immature and quite frankly, stupid.

6. Use dish liquid to wash your vehicle.

Just think about it for a moment. What do we use dish liquid for? To break down grease, dried food and oil. If we use your Mom's bottle of dish liquid from the kitchen sink to wash the car, it's going to strip the wax off of it and pull the oil out of your paint job exposing your car metal to all of the elements out there. This also causes your car to lose its sun protection from the UV rays. No matter what it takes, go out to your local auto parts or department store and buy some car soap. This will protect your car and your wallet from any future cosmetic damage.

7. Putting power steering fluid where your brake fluid goes.

If you put power steering fluid where your brake fluid goes, you could see a repair bill from your mechanic for up to $1,000. They would literally have to replace the master cylinder, calipers, proportioning valve and probably much more. Power steering fluid will literally destroy your brake system and cause failure which could lead to a terrible accident. To avoid this, always double check and locate your power steering reservoir making sure that what you pour in is power steering fluid and nothing else. That's also the same for your brake fluid reservoir as well.

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About the Creator

Kathy Lester

I'm a published author with two major publishers, a graphic designer, co-founder of Madcap Toys, a mom to three adult sons and a Nana to five grandchildren. If you like what you are reading, send me a gift or tip.

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