We all have bad habits, but when it comes to your car, you may have some that can cause damage to your vehicle without you even knowing it. Learn more about them in this post.

Avoid These Bad Habits That Can Damage Your Car

Everyone has some bad habits that they can afford to get rid of. However, sometimes you don't realize that your bad habits are causing serious damage. This is often the case when it comes to cars. Simple things that don't seem like a big deal can actually lead to serious car issues if you're not careful This post can help you learn about some of the bad habits you may be guilty of and the damage these habits can cause.

Driving on Empty

There are tons of reasons why you may de driving around town with hardly any fuel in your tank. Whether you're waiting for payday to arrive or you haven't had the time to stop at the gas station, driving on fumes is no good for your car. The obvious concern may be that you can run out of gas in the middle of your commute, but there's more to it than that. When your fuel is low, your car is running on fuel sitting at the very bottom of your fuel tank. All the sediment that has settled here will be in your fuel, which can lead to a clogged fuel filter. It's best to avoid having this fuel run through your system, and luckily there's any easy way to ensure it stays out of your fuel filter. All you have to do is ensure your fuel level doesn't fall below half full.

Using Your Gear Stick as an Armrest

Whether you drive an automatic vehicle or a manual car, you never want to use your gear stick as an armrest. The gear stick is connected to something called a selector fork which makes contact with a rotating collar for a short moment as you change gears. If you rest your arm or hand on the gear stick as you drive, this small amount of pressure may be enough to cause this contact to be longer than it needs to be. This added pressure on the selector fork can then lead to premature wear, meaning you will need repairs much sooner than expected. Instead of leaving your hand on the gear stick, put it on your steering wheel like your were taught in driver's ed.

Sudden Shifting

When going from drive to reverse or reverse to drive, many drivers don't come to a complete stop while making the change. While this may not sound like a huge deal, this bad habit can actually cause damage to the drivetrain. This isn't going to happen after doing this a couple times, but over extended amounts of time, the damage will be significant. If you have an automatic transmission, keep in mind that transmission issues are quite costly. So, to save your transmission from damage and to avoid having to pay huge repair fees, just come to a full stop while switching from drive to reverse or vice versa. A bad habit that is all too common among drivers is skipping oil changes. Break this bad habit and treat your car better by giving it synthetic oil changes in Austin. If you're not sure what synthetic oil is right for your car, contact AMSOIL Dealer- Carol Bell. Their oil experts can recommend products like AMSOIL's Signature Series 0W-40 Synthetic Motor Oil. Give them a call at (512) 658-0357 for more information.

Revving Your Engine on Cold Starts

While it is true that cold starts can be rough on your engine, revving your engine to help it warm up won't help your car much. Instead of trying to force to reach its optimum operating temperature in a short amount of time, let your car take of it on its own. Idling your engine isn't the solution either, since this just contributes to pollution and wastes your fuel. When you start your engine, wait 10 seconds and then drive away slowly. This will help your engine warm up without forcing it to perform right away.

Ignoring Your Dash Lights

Many people don't know what the majority of their dashboard lights mean. Because of this, they tend to ignore them when they light up. If they don't see something obviously wrong with their car, they'll assume it's safe to keep driving. Unfortunately, this isn't quite the case. Ignoring some of your dashboard lights can lead to serious damage very fast. Get to know which lights mean what so that you're better prepared to act next time one lights up.

It's Time for a Synthetic Oil Change in Austin, TX

Ignoring your car's needs will not lead to anything good. Instead of skipping your next oil change, give it a synthetic oil change in Austin for the best results. The oil pros at AMSOIL Dealer- Carol Bell will be happy to help you find the right out. Give them a call at (512) 658-0357 for the personalized service you need.