Your car is most likely the second most expensive thing you will ever own, yet we often tend to treat it worse than our phones, clothes, furniture, etc… Some ways to treat your car right are obvious – like going to your mechanic regularly or not speeding – while some are less intuitive. Here are seven habits to build that will save you thousands of dollars over the long haul:
Come to a full stop before you reverse or shift to park. In a rush, it’s easy to throw the car in reverse or park while it’s still moving, but that is the best recipe for an early transmission failure (around $1000 to repair). Make sure to come to a full stop before moving into a different gear. Those levers are not designed to stop the car, so doing it often will cause it to fail sooner.
Warming up your car While it’s true that modern cars don’t require as much tender care as older vehicles, it is still a great idea to let your car warm up before driving it. The oil needs a few minutes to start circulating to all parts of the engine before you drive off.
Stop tailgating If you find yourself often stomping on your brakes in a panic, chances are that you are tailgating the person in front of you. Constant brake stamping is going to be expensive for brake pads and discs so you’re probably going to find yourself at the mechanics quite often – and it’s around $150 to replace EACH axle.. Slow down and give the driver in front of you some more room.
Listen to your dashboard It isn’t just there to look pretty. Get in the habit of glancing at your dashboard for warnings about system failure, service reminders, or warnings. Even ignoring something as small as the oil change light can get expensive really fast. Do yourself a favor and just check for problems.
Stop pretending that “E” stands for “Enough Letting your car consistently run low on fuel may be time-saving for you, but it’s actually terrible for the car. The fuel injectors don’t like running low because all the sludge at the bottom of the tank gets sucked into the engine, causing lots of damage. The fuel also acts as a lubricant, so when you let it get low, it isn’t good for any of the car. Just get to the gas station sooner rather than later when the empty light turns on.
Empty out your car regularly Cramming a ton of junk in your car and then never taking it out will hurt more than just your fuel efficiency. Having a heavy load or towing more than your car’s capacity can lead to damage in the vehicle’s suspensions, which ranges from $200-1500 to repair.
Turn the car only when it’s moving When you’re backing out of a tight spot, you may be tempted to start turning the wheel before the car is moving. Try to avoid this! This can lead to damage on the rubber and you’ll have to replace your tires sooner -around $150 a tire!
At Cornerstone Preferred Insurance, we care about saving you money. Call us if you want to see if you can get a better price on your car insurance! You can also fill out an auto quote form and we’ll do all the price shopping for you. We have access to hundreds of policies NOT available on Google.
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