Things You Should Not Do When You’re Driving

Driving mistakes happens even to the best of us. While that’s true, it’s shouldn’t be an excuse for you to be too complacent either. Learn these mistakes that you probably do every day and make it a point to change your habits and improve on them as the day go by because even the tiniest mistakes can cause premature damage to your car and even mean life or death on the road.

Reverse To Drive
Some drivers tend to change gears even while the vehicle is still in motion. Switching gears while the vehicle is moving is a habit that you should break because this can damage the vehicle’s transmission. If you want to shift from R to D or vice versa, you should wait for the vehicle to stop moving before doing so.

Resting On The Gear Lever
Some drivers nowadays have this habit of one hand on the wheel and one hand on the stick. While this may seem like it makes sense, it can actually cause wear on the gear lever since your placing strain on the synchronizers and brushing off the transmission. It’s still better and safer to have both hands on the steering wheel especially of you need to maneuver the car.

Hitting The Gas
Wanting to arrive at your destination as early as possible is understandable and so is being annoyed to be held up in traffic. However, understand that you’re not the only motorist on the road and trying to speed up that you’re overtaking others all the time just so you could get away from the traffic could potentially endanger other passengers, yourself, and innocent law abiding citizens on the other lane. Not to mention that you’re consuming more gas as you speed up so resist this urge especially if you’re not that pressed for time.

Revving The Engine As You Start
Or also known as launching your car. In a nutshell, ‘launching’ is accelerating a vehicle from standstill, similar to drag racing. This works by revving your engine while the gear is in N and dropping it into D to launch the vehicle forward. While this may amuse your friends, launching an automatic car is not a good thing because this will wear out the bands in your transmission. You may look cool for the time being doing that, but you may end up with pricey car repairs in the long run. It’s not worth it dude.

Driving On Empty
Driving with little to nothing fuel can lead to clogged filter, a choked fuel pump, or gunked-up injectors because you’re essentially forcing your car to suck large amount of air which happens when your tank runs low. When that happens, you could spend more on car repair than you saved from trying to drive your car with almost empty tank.

Not Using Parking Brake
One of the main reasons, besides helping you prevent rolling back into another vehicle, is that your car’s parking brake helps distribute the heavy weight of the car when standing still. It’s so important to remember your parking brake when you eventually come to a complete stop.

Engaging In P Before Coming Into Full Stop
When your gear stick is engaged to P (Park) what happens is that, it stops the transmission from rotating which prevent your car from moving forward and backward. Do that while the car is in motion and you risk damaging the locking pin that locks up the automatic transmission. This is why it’s never a good idea to engage P when you’re still moving. The same thing when you’re at a stop light, you still shouldn’t engage P. This is because you’ll have to go through R (reverse) and N (Neutral) before you can shift the lever to D (Drive) when the light turns green which takes a lot of effort for the vehicle to do. Aside from that, when shifting from P to D, sometimes people accidentally engage to either R or N which could be a problem when you’re on a bumper to bumper traffic situation.

Braking Hard On Curves
Always keep in mind that your car’s braking system isn’t the one controlling your vehicle—you are. So when turning on curves, you need to have complete control of your car if you don’t want to end up skidding, especially if this happens on curves with cliff sides. Instead of relying on braking hard, drive with the right speed, don’t overtake when approaching a curve and pay close attention to your surroundings. Remember, smashing your brake pedal is a reaction to lack of attention to the road and not an actual driving technique especially when you’re turning on curves.

Carrying Heavy Unnecessary Load
The heavier your car becomes due items in your car the more MPG your vehicle loses. In this case, maybe you should check your car every once in a while if there are things in there that you don’t use so you can lighten the car a little bit. This also puts less stress on your vehicles suspensions and brakes.

Ignoring Unusual Noise
We’re all guilty of this sometimes. It’s either we’re too busy or we simply assume it’s nothing serious. But this habit is actually the reason we get ambushed with major problems. If you listen to your car when it’s whispering, you won’t have to hear it scream.

Absolute No-No’s If You Don’t Want Your New Car To Look Old Quickly

Buying a car and driving one every day is easily one of the most popular goals among working individuals. Not only because of the convenience that it provides but also because of the feeling of independence that it gives you and sometimes the status symbol that comes with it. However, no matter how important this investment is to you, you start losing interest in it once it no longer looks like the dream car it once looked.

Drive Recklessly
Yes, driving a brand new car, especially if it’s your first one, is exciting, liberating and gratifying. But speeding through the highway every chance you get is just asking for trouble! Doing so not only puts your life and other motorists’ lives in danger but is also risking your car to be totaled. Have you ever seen a brand new car full of scratches, dents and practically looking like a flattened can of soda? Of course not! So if you don’t want your car to look like it has seen better days, you’ll start driving carefully and responsibly from now on.

Leaving The Car Maintenance Up Until The Last Minute
We’re all guilty of this sometimes. It’s either we’re too busy or we simply assume it’s nothing serious. But this habit is actually the reason we get ambushed with major problems. If you listen to your car when it’s whispering, you won’t have to hear it scream. No brand new car will sound like it’s choking to death or will die on you in the middle of the road every other day. Even someone who isn’t very familiar with cars will assume yours is close to retirement because of these symptoms. It’s not enough that your ride is shiny, because if the performance is failing it will still appear old and ready to go to the junkyard. Keep up with your car’s regular maintenance if you don’t want that. The same with maintaining cleanliness in your interior.

Carpets collect dust, dirt and other bits that can be difficult to remove even when using a vacuum. After a while you may start not caring and letting those accumulate but imagine needing to drive someone important to you one day? It can be on a date or a superior at work who needed a lift and the first thing they notice is all those dirt starting to take over the entire floor, it’s not a good look man. It makes it seem like you don’t care enough to clean after your own car or isn’t capable to do it at all which both makes you look incompetent in some way. So start cleaning that up! To loosen those bits up, wear latex glove and gently rub your hands across the surface of the carpet. This creates static that draw bits upwards and out of the fibers of the carpet making it easier for the vacuum to suck everything up.

Parking Outdoors All The Time
When some people get a new car, they may not admit it, they tend to wanna show it off. As a result, they will park it outdoors in plain people sight all the time even if they can easily find a covered parking lot. Exposing your vehicle like this often is like letting the sunlight damage your paint job with no complaints! Now that’s during sunny days but don’t think it’s okay if it raining because exposing your car to extreme to weather can do just as much damage. This can lead to fading car paint, cracks and rusting on your exterior in no time! All those things isn’t something that is associated with the word brand new. So do yourself and your vehicle a favor, tone down the ego and find a better parking spot every time if possible.

Moreover, if you want to keep your car paint as shiny and glossy as on the day you bought your car (or applied the paint), there is no better alternative to choose than ceramic coating for cars. The ultimate protection your car will get from the ceramic coating layer is unmatchable by any other product on the marketplace – and is one that you need to see to believe.

Doing DIY Auto-Detailing Without Learning It First
It’s no secret that auto detailing can be pricey, this is why a lot of people are trying to DIY as much as they can to minimize the cost. But DIY-ing auto detailing can also be challenging and overwhelming. If you haven’t done it before, it’s best that you take it to a professional auto-detailing shop who has the experience, training and skills to actually do the job properly and flawlessly. Otherwise, you might end up making a mess and even cause damage on your automobile that wasn’t there on the first place. If you’re trying to save money by DIY-ing then learn how to do it properly first, invest on necessary products and tools, and find a way to practice so you can actually gain the skills to do it.

But it’s definitely worth it to take your car to a detailing shop from time to time as they can clean your car thoroughly and increase your car’s value because they can really make your vehicle as shiny as the first day you bought it! If you’re planning to put your car back on the market in the future, make sure to keep it pristine looking. Not just cleaning it but investing in paint protection film definitely increases its value which will come in handy if you plan on selling it in the future because this prevents exterior damage while making your car look attractive and brand new even if it’s not!

Why It’s Important To Take Care Of Your Car Interior Just As Much As The Exterior

It’s no secret that auto detailing can be pricey, this is why a lot of people are trying to DIY as much as they can to minimize the cost. But DIY-ing auto detailing can also be challenging and overwhelming. But despite the cost and challenge of the task, did you ever wonder why you have to do it or spend money on a shop do it for you?

At first it may be because you’re a new car owner and you feel like you should do it because everyone do, but after a while did you ever realize the true purpose of car detailing aside from cleanliness purposes? Does it ever cross your mind why can’t you just do the exterior? Why bother with the interior too when people are mostly just gonna see your car from the outside? Well, to fully understand why and not just feel like because you have to, here are reasons that will definitely make sense from now.

It Makes Your Car Look Good
This should be a no brainer but a lot of people actually take this for granted. Sure a little dust won’t make a difference on how fast it can go or how smooth it drives. But maintaining good looks can have its ripple effect of feeling like you have to be on top of the overall condition of your automobile which is always a good thing. Plus, when your look sleek from inside out, doesn’t it just boost your ego as well? Who doesn’t feel proud driving around a good looking car right?

Saves You The Trouble Of Repair And Costs
Did you know that leather can fade and crack when constantly exposed to the sun? But then you can spare you car’s upholstery from premature damages which, of course, saves you money from repair or repurchasing if your car is tinted. This is because car tints serves as a barrier from direct sunlight to block 90% of harmful UV rays from entering.

It Makes Your Daily Drive More Comfortable
If your car no longer has that new car scent, and you’ve tried a range of air freshening products without success, use a can of compressed air to give the vents a quick blast. Dust, dirt and moisture can build up on the inside of air vents, causing stale odors to circulate through the cabin whenever they’re in use. Imagine driving everyday while smelling that, definitely uncomfortable and can even give you a headache especially after a long drive. Compressed air will remove the offending muck, grime and bacteria, giving your car a fresher, more neutral smell.

It Increases Your Vehicle’s Worth Too
Visit a car showroom and take a look around, do you see even a single dusty car? Probably no. That’s because shiny and clean looking cars are what sells, even pre-owned one! When you shop for cars, don’t you open the doors and take a peek inside or even sit in there for a while? Do the surfaces look dirty or worn out? Definitely no either because what the car looks outside should reflect inside as well. So if you’re planning to put your car back on the market in the future, make sure to keep it pristine looking. Aside from investing in paint protection film which no doubt increases its value, you also have to care for the interior because you’re not fooling anyone if it’s just the exterior that looks new.

It Reflects Your Professionality
Carpets collect dust, dirt and other bits that can be difficult to remove even when using a vacuum. After a while you may start not caring and letting those accumulate but imagine needing to drive someone important to you one day? It can be on a date or a superior at work who needed a lift and the first thing they notice is all those dirt starting to take over the entire floor, it’s not a good look man. It makes it seem like you don’t care enough to clean after your own car or isn’t capable to do it at all which both makes you look incompetent in some way. So start cleaning that up! To loosen those bits up, wear latex glove and gently rub your hands across the surface of the carpet. This creates static that draw bits upwards and out of the fibers of the carpet making it easier for the vacuum to suck everything up.