Driving a metal machine at more than 100 km/h is impressive. That hundreds of thousands of people do it every day in a city and that accidents are minimal compared to the number of cars is almost a miracle. 200 years ago no one would have thought that even someone as young as a teenager could concoct such a thing.
However, managing them is one thing, maintaining them properly is another. Many people just drive and put gas in their car, confident that it is a perfect machine incapable of damage.
In addition, we must not forget that many of the times we use the car we could think of other alternatives, such as cycling, public transport or even going on foot, and thus we would save money, help reduce traffic congestion, and incidentally we would reduce the emissions of polluting gases. But if you do have to use it anyway, there are a few things you need to know so it doesn’t get ruined and you don’t cause an accident.
It is important to take the car to the service every six months and always make sure that the levels of the inputs are correct. It’s also good to know what not to do and these are some things expert mechanics have to say.
1. Don’t put too many keys on your keychain
Your car key should not have a lot of weight, because being in contact with the ignition switch, an exaggerated weight can damage it little by little and result in a very expensive failure in the long term.
2. Do not “heat” your car
In the past, it was advisable to start the car and wait a few minutes for it to “warm up”. This was necessary because of the cars carburetor. However, thanks to the new gasoline, today it is advisable to start the car and drive it delicately for a few minutes before accelerating deeply, but without waiting for it to warm up.
3. Do not leave the oil in your car too long
Do not let more than three months go by without changing the oil, if it is synthetic oil it can be up to six months without you having to do it, but never more than that. Oil lubricates thousands of components that run through your vehicle and allows it to run efficiently. When it is not constantly changed it thickens and instead of improving performance it damages it.
4. Ignore warnings
If your dashboard has an icon you don’t know, it’s best to check your manual to find out what’s going on. Never let a warning linger on the dashboard, because even if you don’t feel like the car is flawed, it may soon show it.
5. Don’t ignore a flat tire
If you see a flat tire it is really important that you take care of it immediately. Go put air into it and then have it checked, because if you think of going out onto a large avenue and you go over a pothole or a stone at high speed you can cause an accident.
6. Do not leave the gas tank empty
Although gasoline is usually clean, it is not spared from different particles that accumulate at the bottom of the tank, which is why it is always advisable to fill the tank when the needle reaches a quarter of the tank. It is also important because many times the pumps work better completely submerged, since it is the humidity that makes them measure the gasoline level correctly.
7. Don’t change gears recklessly
Not only in manual cars, because it generates a lot of friction in the engine. We also refer to things like driving and wanting to reverse or park with the car in motion. Although the machine is blocked so that an accident does not happen, you can damage it internally and cause other problems.
Although it seems like something really complex, maintaining your car well is not difficult, anything you do not understand is something that a true expert should deal with, so do not try to play with the engine, brakes and more if you have no idea what to do.