Braking Downhill
You may feel safer riding the brakes down an incline, but the truth is that this grinds down the brake pads. When brake pads get hot, they can literally boil the brake fluid and stop working altogether. The best solution to taking a hill is to alternate between braking and letting off the brake, or to downshift to a lower gear so that the work goes to the engine to keep you at a good speed. It is a bad idea to put your car in neutral going down a hill for many reasons. One is that when you eventually brake at the bottom of the hill there is no engine helping the brakes, and relying solely on your brakes causes wear.
Shifting While Moving
Like with many of these bad habits, this one comes from using busyness as an excuse for not protecting your car. If you back up out of a parking space and shift into drive while your car is still moving, you wear down the transmission. You are asking the transmission gears to brake for you, which they are not designed to do—in fact this bad habit can instantly break your transmission at any time you do it. The proper practice when going from reverse to drive is to brake, then shift gears.
Power Washing the Engine
Some places advise against even using a garden hose, but most everyone will tell you that power washing your engine is a bad idea. The engine is the heart of your car, and if you think of it like this, you’ll realize there are various seals and hoses and electrical bits which can come lose and cause problems with your vehicle. Most auto technician training courses will recommend cleaning the engine with simply a rag and toothbrush. In fact, cleaning the engine should usually not be necessary and is generally done for aesthetic purposes only. Unless there’s an oil leak attracting dirt, then cleaning your engine is only useful if you’re trying to sell the car and want a new looking engine.
Letting the Interior Deteriorate
Any auto sales college will teach you that the interior is a big selling point for many people. Just as nobody will buy a sofa with stains and tears, nobody wants to drive a car that has coffee stains on the seats and smells like cigarettes. Vacuuming and shampooing your car on a regular basis will make sure the interior stays fresh and keep the resale value of your car up. The basic routine of cleaning your car involves cleaning out garbage, taking out the mats, vacuuming the seats and floor and cleaning the glass surfaces with a spray cleaner. For difficult spots or small details, clean with a toothbrush.
First and foremost, you should get a regular maintenance check at an auto body shop. By receiving regular maintenance, an auto mechanic can let you know what parts are most under stress on your vehicle, so you can change any bad habits you may have acquired over time.
