We all have bad habits when we drive, but some of these bad habits may actually be damaging your vehicle and could end up costing you money in the long run. These are some common bad habits that you should avoid in order to keep your car in good health.

1. Resting Your Hand on Your Gearshift

You may think it’s no big deal to rest your hand on your gearshift when you’re driving, but over time this added weight could be causing unnecessary wear.

Your gearshift is attached to a control rod in your gearbox. Inside your gearbox, there are selector forks which are only designed to make contact with gears for a short period of time. By applying pressure to the gearbox, you may be pushing the forks against the rotating collar and causing wear and tear.

2. Not Using the Parking Brake

If you drive an automatic car and you aren’t using your handbrake, you could be damaging your transmission. When you don’t engage the parking brake, you are relying on only one small metal pin, called the pawl, to ensure your car stays put. Over time, too much pressure on the pawl can damage or dislodge it, which of course, can lead to much bigger problems when you have to figure out where your car rolled away to.

3. Driving on Empty

We all think we know our cars well enough to go a few extra miles once the fuel light comes on. While you may not run out of gas, you are doing unseen damage to your car that could end up costing you.

Driving while your tank is close to empty means you are allowing all of the dirt and rust that sits at the bottom of your gas tank to funnel into your fuel pump and possibly into your engine. This can clog your fuel pump and lead you to paying for an engine flush.

4. Revving Your Engine When It’s Cold

While there’s nothing wrong with turning your car on and letting it idle on those cold winter mornings, putting your foot on the pedal and revving it to try to get it to warm up faster is a bad idea. This causes a sudden temperature change in the engine forcing it to work before the oil has had a chance to fully circulate through. It’s best to allow the engine to run for at least 10 to 15 seconds before you start driving and longer if it is really cold outside.

5. Excessive and Sudden Braking

If you are constantly riding your brakes downhill or slamming on them when you get too close to the car in front of you, you are wearing out your discs and brake pads and increasing the likelihood of brake failure. Make sure to leave enough space between you and the vehicle in front of you and downshift when going downhill rather than riding your brakes constantly.

There’s always something new to learn about your car. If you have more questions about taking care of your vehicle, be sure to speak to your mechanic or car dealer about proper maintenance.

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