It does not matter what sort of vehicle you have, it is imperative that you look after it properly. After all, a car represents a considerable investment. The last thing you want is to throw your money down the drain because you have not looked after it properly. With that being said, in this blog post, we are going to take a look at some of the biggest mistakes people make when looking after their vehicle so that you can avoid making the same errors.

Not having it serviced regularly – There is only one place to begin, and this is with not having your vehicle serviced on a regular basis. A lot of people do not do this because they think it is going to be a waste of money. They do not want to spend money on their car when there is nothing wrong with it. Nevertheless, if you simply wait and wait until something goes wrong, you are only going to end up spending more money in the process. With servicing, you can ensure that your car runs efficiently and that any problems are picked up on quickly before they turn into bigger and more expensive ones.

 

Getting Complacent Behind The Wheel 

 This is an obvious point but one that a lot of people have trouble with. It’s easy to become complacent on the road when you’ve been doing it for so long. This means treating the car like it’s invincible and also misbehaving on the road. Needing a car accident lawyer isn’t fun when you end up getting into a little trouble. The ultimate way of looking after your car is to simply not get into situations that could cause serious harm. 

Choosing cheap spare parts – Aside from not getting your vehicle serviced on a regular basis, you need to make sure that you replace car parts with genuine replicas. One of the biggest mistakes people make is replacing their vehicle parts with cheap alternatives, which can actually damage the vehicle. This is especially the case if you choose second hand parts that have not been created with the make and model of your car in mind. 

Believing your car is stronger than it really is – Something that newer drivers are guilty of. Because people think their car is a big and strong machine, it’s going to withstand most of what you throw at it. But when you start to dress up your car with alloy wheels and new bumpers, you’d better have that alloy wheel repair supplier on standby! Your car can save you in a crash, but even a little scratch could cost hundreds in repair fees. Your car is not invincible.

Not choosing a mechanic with care – Another mistake people make is failing to take the time to do their research when it comes to choosing a car mechanic. There are so many different mechanics available today, yet they do not all provide a service of a good standard. This is why you need to do your research, and the Internet can help with this. Make sure you check out independent review platforms so that you can read comments that have been left by others. By using independent review platforms, you can be sure that the comments left are genuine and that they have not been manufactured by the company themselves. 

As you can see, there are a number of different mistakes that people tend to make when it comes to looking after their vehicle. If you can avoid the mistakes that have been discussed in this blog post, you can give yourself the best chance of making sure that your car lasts for as long as possible and runs efficiently in the process.

Not starting their car properly in winter

If your car has a valid MOT then it either has electronic fuel injection or a battery (or both if it’s a hybrid). It doesn’t matter if your car is a used Pentagon Vauxhall or an ultra-modern, self-driving city smart car. Those are the only two options and neither of them benefits from leaving the engine idling “to warm up”.

If your car has electronic fuel injection, then the way to start it in winter is just to put it in gear and drive off slowly. Give it five minutes or so and then start building up the speed (keeping it safe obviously). After about 10 minutes or so, you should be able to hit your regular cruising speed.

If your car has a battery, then, in principle, you should just be able to turn it on and go. In practice, your best chance of this happening is to make sure that your battery is on the maximum charge. Winter means cold weather and cold weather drains batteries quickly. This means that you should take every possible opportunity to give your car battery a charge.

It’s also a smart move to ensure that you have something in your boot to help your car tyres to grip when you move off from stationary. If you live in an area with regular, heavy snow then proper snow chains are a good investment. Just make sure you’re clear on the law about using them. For everybody else, rubber mats or old carpet will usually get the job done.