Ask Joe Mechanic: Expensive Driving Habits

Everyone has bad habits, it is just our nature. Some are harmless such as biting one’s fingernails, but others can be quite harmful, such as smoking. But we also have habits when it comes to driving, and some of them can be harmful to our vehicles and costly to our wallets. Here are a few bad habits that if corrected, can add miles to your vehicle life and put dollars in your vehicle expense account.

Running on empty. Fuel costs are still high, even though they have dropped recently, and many of us try to get every last mile out of a tank full. While it may feel good to get an extra day or two out of that last fill up, the toll that it takes on your car can be a large one. The sediment in gasoline settles to the bottom of your tank, and when your gas runs low, the car must use this dirtiest gas as its fuel. As that happens, this sediment gets stirred up and
drawn into the fuel system. Yes, your fuel filter is designed to catch this, but some very small particles will slip through. What does slip through will get into your injectors and start to block the tips. Also, your fuel filter is now getting blocked with this junk, meaning you will need to replace your filter sooner than normal. Another thing to consider is that in winter, moisture will condense from the air in the tank and this can freeze up your fuel line on a cold
morning.

Jack-rabbit starts and hard braking. For some drivers, especially those living or working in cities, stop and start driving is a fact of life. For others, the way they stop and start puts a lot of unnecessary stress on their vehicles. Drivers who enjoy accelerating and then stopping quickly between lights may like the adrenaline rush it provides, but their vehicles do not like it. Neither does their wallet. Frequently flooring the vehicle first of all wastes expensive fuel and also puts a heavy strain in the motor. And all that heavy braking puts a lot of excess wear on the vehicle’s braking system, prematurely wearing the pads and possibly warping the brake rotors. Instead of the hard starts and stops, smoothly accelerate and anticipate
stopping. Your engine, brakes and your wallet will appreciate it.

Revving your engine. Fans of the film franchise “The Fast and the Furious” may love to rev their engines just like their favorite movie stars. But in real life, such actions are pointless and potentially very harmful to their vehicle. This is especially true when a vehicle has just been started and the engine is still cold. Revving the engine while still cold means the engine oil has not been properly circulated throughout the engine and this can result in
serious premature engine wear. If continually done, you will end up either with a very expensive repair bill for your engine or a bill to replace it with another one. 

Another thing to consider with all the  turbocharged and supercharged engines on the market is the stress and wear this puts on those parts. Most turbocharger manufacturers recommend about a minute warm up, especially in cold weather, before putting the car in gear and pulling out.  Additionally recommended from these manufacturers is that after any sustained  run, give the engine about 30 seconds at  idle before shutting of the ignition to allow the turbocharger to cool slightly and give it fresh lubrication.

Remembering these few simple tips can add miles to your vehicle’s life and save  you significantly at the gas pump.

This week’s recalls:
344,187 2007-2008 Honda Odysseys:
Due to a combination of system
components and software, the Vehicle
Safety Assist System (VSA) may apply the
brakes unexpectedly. Result: The vehicle
may suddenly and unexpectedly brake
hard, and without illuminating the brake
lights, increasing the risk of a crash from
behind.

2,618 2012-2014 Ford Focus Electric
Because of potential loss of power to
the wheels while driving, caused by
software anomalies associated with the
power control module and is accompanied
by a “Stop Safely Now” warning in the
instrument cluster.

176,000 2012-2014 BMW 320i, 328i, 320i
xDrive and 328i xDrive Sedans, as well
as the 2014 328i xDrive Sports Wagon;
2012 and 2013 528i and 528i xDrive
Sedans; 2013-14 X1 sDrive28i and X1
xDrive28i vehicles; and 2012-14 X4
sDrive28i Roadsters. 
Models involved in the recall all have turbocharged four-
cylinder, 2-liter gasoline engines. Because
of insufficient lubrication to a vacuum
pump, it can lose the power assistance in
braking. The driver can still stop the car in
the event of a loss of power braking, but it
will take more force on the brake pedal.