With a lot of auto maintenance today, people use the facts and figures passed down by their parents or relatives. From when your car needs an oil change to how frequently you should fill up on gas, many of these once tried and true recommendations are now very outdated and no longer applicable. Let’s breakdown some of these car maintenance myths.
1. “Your car needs an oil change every 3,000 miles”
This is the most common maintenance myth. When your parents drove their first car, they were told to make sure they changed their oil every 3,000 miles. That was back in a time when the average vehicle had 13 MPG. Today, the average MPG has more than doubled. Needless to say, cars have improved leaps and bounds since the days when the 3,000 mile standard held true. Nowadays, some cars can go 12,500 miles without an oil change. In fact, the average car can go 7,500 miles before needing that visit. Of course, this depends on your car. Take a look at this website to find out how far your car can go before needing an oil change.
2. “You can only go __ miles when your gas light turns on”
You may have been told how far your car can go before the gas light turns on. Some people are told 10 miles and others are told 100. Similarly to the oil change myth, these are passed down from generation to generation without any updating. Some believe your gas light triggers when only a certain number of gallons are left in your tank or when you will run out of gas in __ hours. The truth is, there is no true standard for how long your car will last when that gas light turns on. If you want to know, head over to http://tankonempty.com/. There people report how many miles their car lasted after the gas light turned on. It’s not the most scientific process, but it gives you some idea of how long you have to get gas.
3. “You need to warm up your car before driving”
If you live in an area where you experience winter, you’ve absolutely been told to warm up your car for about 10 minutes before you have to leave. The thinking behind this is that the car will run better if it is warmed before you begin driving. The issue is that the absolute quickest way to warm your car up is to drive it. Think of it this way: would you warm up faster by standing in place outside or by running? The answer becomes clear when you think of it this way. Your car has to be actually running in order for the combustion engine to generate heat. The faster you go, the more heat your car generates. So it may not make your car run any better, but we all know that half the reason we let our car run in the winter is so that the heat is ready for us.
Have you been using these car maintenance myths to guide how you repair your car? Next time you need your car repaired, reach out to us at (954) 785-3784.