The Effects Of Your Driving Style On Vehicle Maintenance
We all have different driving styles which we are accustomed to. The reality is that our personal driving style will have a unique effect on the wear and tear of our vehicles. Let’s have a look at how your driving style affects wear and tear what kind of vehicle maintenance is needed for those of you who may have a harder driving style.
Not Warming Up Your Engine
The rush and busyness of life often requires us to start our car up and head out onto the road instantly. Although this is common practice for most of us, our engines actually require a small amount of time for the various fluids to run through the system before the vehicle is driven. The key here isn’t to leave your car idling for too long but to rather ease it in gently as you drive. Instead of accelerating hard from the get-go, plan to leave a little earlier and drive a little smoother for the first while. This will help to preserve your engine over time.
Fast Acceleration
Let’s face it, we all enjoy putting the pedal to the metal and relishing the thrill of acceleration in our cars. Over time, if you continuously accelerate harshly, this will begin to put more strain on your engine and you’ll end up using more fuel on your daily commute. Although it’s perfectly normal to enjoy the acceleration that your performance car offers, the key here is moderation. Fast acceleration could be affecting the wear and tear on your vehicle.
Harsh Braking
Brake pads will generally wear down over time, but harsh and sudden braking will increase the wear and tear on your brakes. Easing to a stop will help to maintain your brake pads longer than slamming on the brakes when you need to stop. Anticipating when you may need to brake ahead of time will allow you to ease into your braking which, in turn, will help maintain your brakes for longer. Harsh braking can also damage your car in a number of other ways so make sure you implement some adjustments to your braking style.
Wrong Tire Pressure
No-one wants to have to replace tires more frequently than necessary. Acceleration, braking, and cornering can have a big impact on your tires wear and tear. Both fast acceleration and aggressive braking will increase the wear and tear on a tire. A harder driving style forces your tires to work harder at keeping their grip on the road and your tire tread can be compromised because of this.
Preventative Maintenance Is The Key
A reputable repair facility will offer preventative car maintenance services which will be able to correct various wear and tear issues on your vehicle. These may include services such as wheel alignment, brake adjustment, oil and filter changes, and so on. Ensuring that your wheel alignment is correct for example, can save you money down the line by prolonging the life of your tires. A preventative maintenance specialist will be able to identify wear and tear areas on your car and advise you on how to adjust your driving style accordingly.
Stick To A Routine Maintenance Schedule
For those of you harder drivers out there, you may require a more detailed maintenance plan for our vehicles.
It’s important to stay on top of your vehicle maintenance no matter what car you drive. We recommend that you make use of a reputable performance repair facility to keep your car’s maintenance in tip top shape. A repair facility such as Foreign Affairs Motorsport will be able to ensure that all maintenance areas are covered for your vehicle.