Is the way you drive causing damage to your car? There are lots of driving habits that are damaging your car and could impact your vehicle. Find out what they are and how to avoid them.

Riding the Clutch

Many drivers will rest their foot on the clutch while driving instead of fully releasing it after changing gears or coming to a stop. This is called ‘riding the clutch’, and it puts unnecessary strain on the clutch system, which can be a problem for your car in the long term.

The Damage: Riding the clutch can cause it to remain partially engaged, which causes a build-up of friction and heat. This will lead to premature clutch wear, which in turn will lead to expensive repairs that could have been avoided.

Better Habit: Remove your foot from the clutch pedal completely when driving.When you come to a stop, use the handbrake and take your foot off the clutch, whenever possible.

Harsh Braking and Accelerating

Harsh or late braking and heavy accelerating puts extra stress on your engine, brake pads, and suspension system. Additionally, it’s the result of a dangerous driving style that could lead to you causing or getting into an accident.

The Damage: Aggressive use of the brakes and accelerator are bad for your fuel efficiency, meaning you will burn through more fuel and spend more at the petrol station. It will also cause faster brake wear and very likely lead to increased maintenance costs to your vehicle, as well as create potential safety hazards on the road.

Better Habit: Try to drive more smoothly by paying greater attention to the road to help you anticipate traffic and minimise sudden stops and starts.

Ignoring Dashboard Warning Lights

Many people aren’t familiar with what each of the warning lights on their dashboard signals, and yet more people ignore them when they come on. It can be detrimental to your vehicle and your safety to ignore these warning lights.

The Damage: The benefit of warning lights is that they often alert you to minor problems as well as major ones; many people ignore warning lights because they want to avoid costly repairs, but repairing your car whilst the problem is small is far cheaper than waiting for it to cause a breakdown.

31% of drivers admit to experiencing a breakdown, accident, or vehicle damage after ignoring a warning light. It is extremely dangerous to ignore a warning light, especially if you don’t know what the light is warning you of, and this can put you at risk as well as other drivers.

Better Habit: If you see a warning light, get it checked out as soon as possible, and take the time to familiarise yourself with what each warning light looks like for your car.

Driving on Low Fuel

Regularly running your car for as long as possible before refuelling in order to save money may cause problems for your car. It can draw up debris from the bottom of the fuel tank and into the fuel system, causing damage.

The Damage: Debris in your fuel system will cause filter blockages and damage to the fuel pump.

Better Habit: Try to refuel when you reach a quarter tank, rather than waiting until you’re ‘running on fumes’.

Hitting Potholes and Speed Bumps Too Fast

Stockport has the most pothole complaints in Greater Manchester, with Stockport Council receiving over 8,700 complaints for them in 2022. It can therefore be difficult to avoid them and speed bumps when driving, but you can still control how you drive around them.

The Damage: Taking speed bumps too quickly and hitting potholes will cause wheel misalignment, damage to your suspension, and tyre issues.

Better Habit: Slow down and approach speed bumps and potholes with care, and avoid them wherever possible.

Overloading the Car

Boots are out of sight, and out of mind, so they can easily become dumping grounds for coats, shoes, camping gear, or things you haven’t taken to the tip yet. But carrying too much weight for extended periods of time will put a strain on your brakes, suspension, and tyres.

The Damage: An overloaded car will have reduced fuel efficiency, causing you to spend more on refuelling, and it will also increase the wear and tear on critical components such as your brake systems.

Better Habit: Check your vehicle’s load limit and avoid carrying unnecessary weight.

Driving Better

You may not have realised that the above driving habits were negatively affecting your vehicle and possibly costing you money, but by making small changes to how you drive, you can save yourself hundreds of pounds in repairs and extend the life of your vehicle.

If you want to keep on top of your vehicle maintenance with an annual service, or have any potential issues checked early, then give us a call so we can book you in. Remember, it’s cheaper to fix minor issues than to wait until they become serious ones.