Let’s face it, we’ve all heard our fair share of car care tips from family members and friends. However, there are a lot of car care myths out there! The reason these myths spread is because with every myth comes an ounce of truth. Thus, it can be difficult to separate the truths from reality because they are completely believable. While most myths aren’t dangerous, they can cost you money that you otherwise could have been saving! Here are some of the biggest car care myths that circulate over the years.
1. 5000 km oil changes
The rule of thumb that’s gone around for generations is your oil should be changed every 5000 km, while others say 10,000 km. The truth is, neither of these are accurate. Your best bet is to simply get your oil changed when your car needs it. No two cars are alike, and neither are their driving conditions. This is why you should pay close attention to what your specific car requires. A Ford F650 is going to have different oil change requirements than your average Honda Civic. Regardless of what you drive, you should regularly check to see if your oil needs changing as opposed to only doing so every 5000 km.
2. Premium fuel is better than regular fuel
This car care myth is simple: If your car runs on regular fuel, using premium fuel is much more beneficial. People tend to alter this myth slightly, treating premium gas like a “treat” for your car. However, the truth is, most cars are designed with regular fuel in mind and running premium will do absolutely nothing to change that. Premium fuel experiences fewer pre-ignition problems, making it ideal for high compression engines. However, your standard engine won’t have these problems, so it isn’t exactly necessary. You can use premium if you wish, but it’s not going to do anything other than cost you more money at the pumps.
3. Warm up your engine on cold days
The reason this car care myth continues to make its rounds is because it was once true. However, today’s modern cars, and those made over the last couple of decades, no longer need long warm-up periods in cold weather. 10-20 seconds is more than enough time to get your engine properly operating, However, longer times won’t hurt and will benefit the driver by simply warming the interior. Few things are worse than a cold steering wheel and seat. Remember, as we said before: Don’t rev a cold engine!
4. Winterizing your car requires special maintenance
We have written in the past about winterizing your car, which may play into this myth. Winterizing your car involves a series of tasks that you can perform (and have an expert perform.) There are no special skills required, and it’s not much different than any other maintenance. If a mechanic tells you that you need to winterize your car, they aren’t selling you anything tangible. All they will do is perform their regular services during the change of seasons!
5. You MUST replace tires in pairs or quads
While it is generally advised to replace tires in pairs or quads, it is definitely not a requirement. Your tires will wear down differently based on usage. For example, if you make lots of left turns, your front left tire will wear down faster than the other three. Therefore, it is recommended to regularly do a tire rotation by swapping your front left with your rear right. This allows the usage of the tires to be balanced. Now, when you decide to actually replace your tires but only have the budget for one, you should replace the most worn tire first. It is more beneficial to replace two, but one will do just fine.
6. Using dish soap to wash your car
It can be understandable as to why people believe this myth. Car manuals always suggest using a “mild” soap when washing them, and dishwashing soap does, in fact, say mild on it. However, this is not advised. Dishwashing soap will actually leave your car too clean by washing away the protective wax from the vehicle’s exterior. This will, in turn, speed up rusting! You should only use a washing liquid specifically designed for your vehicle, so it’s worth the research.
Remember to not believe everything you hear when it comes to caring for your car. Many of these car care myths will actually result in you spending money that you could have otherwise saved. Speaking of saving, one of the biggest myths is that you can’t save on car insurance. Get a quote from isure in minutes to see how much you can be saving on your insurance policies.
