Top 5 Car Maintenance Myths Busted

Steer Clear Of These Car Maintenance Misconceptions:

Our cars are more than just a sedan for us. They are those magical machines which take us to our offices every day, assist us on weekend shopping and act as a reliable partner on road trips. So, naturally we invest a lot of time, energy and money in its proper care and maintenance, lest it becomes subjected to any problem and our daily routine gets disturbed. But no matter how aware (or unaware) you might be about your car servicing requirements, you definitely would have heard few myths and ardently followed them while wasting money along the way.

Various thumb rules for car maintenance and care have been passed down for generations and followed religiously. Little did we bother to know about the reality behind them but rather, continued being the prey of money centered marketing agencies.

However, to give you a reality check, here is the list of top five car maintenance myths busted and unveiled:

Car Maintenance Myths

# Myth 1: Engines work well with high octane gasoline

You might have heard this many times. High octane engines make your car run faster and smoother. Moreover, it gives your car a better mileage and correspondingly more power. But in reality, this conception is nothing better than the number of crocodiles that you have killed. The bigger is the number is, the better.

Reality check: Apart from a few sports utility vehicles that specifically require high octane gasoline, all other cars can manage well with basic or premium gas. This myth could not have profited anyone more than gas stations where apparently people are ready to pay more uselessly. High octane gasoline does nothing better than simple gasoline apart from digging a hole in your wallets.

# Myth 2: You need to change oil after every 3000 miles.

This is one of the highest regarded and believed misconceptions. Changing car oil after every 3000 miles greatly increases the efficiency and working capacity of the engine right? Wrong! Though this step does not pose any harm to your vehicle but neither does it do any good. You’ll end up paying more for the car servicing unnecessarily as your car can manage another 3000 miles without it, quite well.

Reality check: So many efforts have been done by people to bust this myth. And its intensity can be measured by the fact that there is a Wikipedia page specially dedicated to it. This 3000 miles thumb rule was ardently followed in 1970s when engine oils were just developing. But like anything else, oil technology has improved to such a great extent that now, your vehicle can run smoothly for over 6000-7000miles without an oil change. So, instead of wasting your money on unnecessary repairs, invest it somewhere else!

# Myth 3: You need to leave your car engines on, before driving on cold days

This misconception is fairly believable considering the fact that there are some parts of the world where vehicle engines or oils are not very effective. However, for the most parts, this has become a useless myth expanded too much out of proportion. On a cold day or rather any other day, engines work with the same efficiency and power.

Reality check: Idle engine takes far too much time to warm up. This way, it is subjected to colder conditions than it does when you simply start it and run the vehicle. Therefore, it is far better if you run your car on lesser speed than leaving it idle altogether. This way, you are not just wasting gas but also subjecting your vehicle to unnecessary wear and tear.

# Myth 4: You need to replace the filters every time you change oil

There are multiple types of filters such as oil, fuel, air, etc which require replacing. But that does not mean that you need to go about such replacements every time you go for oil change. This would do nothing better than building huge car servicing bills.

Reality check: You need to replace those filters only when they incur some problem genuinely or stop working at all. You car service center might try to convince you that filter change is essential but until you feel completely satisfied with the reason they are citing behind it, do not opt for it. This is their trick to earn some easy money.

# Myth 5: Warranty plans

Your car manufactures might try to convince you to opt for monthly servicing in order to continue your warranty. They might even ask for some advance payment which can assure free services as when you require. But reality is not so expensive.

Reality check: You are entitled for all damages until your warranty period expires irrespective of the fact that whether you pay for car servicing or not. In addition, rather than getting your car serviced from such expensive stores, you can get them from any efficient service like Wantirna South Car Service Center which are very pocket friendly. You can ask from your neighbors and save money from such useless overhead expenditures.

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