Avoid These Costly Mistakes With Your Car
Since cars are costlier than ever, you’ll need to take care of your current car, so you don’t have to buy an expensive replacement.
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Here are some costly car mistakes to avoid so you can achieve that goal.
Hopefully, you haven’t been in the market for a car lately. Because whether it’s new or used, you’ll be paying a premium. It’s no secret that the demand for cars exceeds the supply at the moment, which is why car prices are out of control.
How can you avoid jumping into this overpriced automobile market? By keeping your current vehicle in tip-top shape. Avoid these common mistakes, and you’ll do just that.
1. Driving with underinflated tires.
When’s the last time you put some air in your tires? If it’s been a while and they’re looking slightly flat, you may want to inflate them to the proper level.
Underinflated tires are prone to wear out quicker, which means you’ll have to replace them earlier than expected. But beyond that, an underinflated tire can be problematic if you hit a pothole, and at high speeds, it’s more likely to blow out and cause an accident or costly repairs.
2. Braking too hard.
It’s not surprising that slamming on your brakes isn’t good for your car. When you do it, you trigger excessive heat that quickly wears down your brake pads. To replace them, RepairPal estimates you’re looking at a cost of as much as $294.
3. Ignoring warnings on your dashboard.
Whenever you see an illuminated indicator on your dashboard, don’t ignore it. Even if you can’t afford a fix at the moment, ignoring the indicators could lead to a much more expensive repair or make your car inoperable. To keep those indicators from coming on in the first place, get your regularly scheduled maintenance.
4. Driving on a hot engine.
A blown thermostat, bad water pump, or driving on a sweltering day can lead to your engine overheating. Keep driving on it, and you can blow a gasket head that has an average repair cost of nearly $1,500, according to RepairPal.
To ensure your engine isn’t overheating, check your coolant levels occasionally and always keep an eye on your temperature gauge. If it does overheat, turn your AC off, turn up your heater, and pull over to the side of the road. Let the engine cool, and call a tow truck. If you keep driving it, the results could be disastrous.
5. Always driving on E.
Do you use fuel to the point that your gas light always comes on? Instead of letting your gas get so low, fill up beforehand.
Yes, running out of gas and getting stuck on the side of the road is embarrassing. But running it so low also stresses your fuel pump. Stress it too much, and you’ll need to replace it, which has an average cost of as much as $1,062 per RepairPal’s numbers.
6. Ignoring sounds.
Hearing strange noises from your car is not only annoying, but it’s also a sign that something is seriously wrong. When you hear such a noise, take your car to the mechanic, or at least start searching online to try to diagnose it yourself. If not, you could let the problem get worse and a lot more expensive than it should be.
For example, if you hear noise while shifting gears, it could be a transmission problem. Or if you hear a squealing noise when accelerating, that could signify a loose fan belt. Are you hearing knocking or grinding under the hood? Get to that mechanic quickly, as that could be an engine issue, which could set you back thousands of bucks.