Driving habits that damage your car

“If you want to drive your car for a longer time, do not share it with friends. They will drive it well when they are near you but the moment they are a kilometre away, the driving style changes and this affects the lifespan of the car,” says Mark Serwadda who has owned his Toyota Corolla, popularly known as Kikumi, for the last 12 years.

Charles Ofwono, a motorist, says when he is driving on a highway or any other road that has humps, he slows down so that he does not damage his shock absorbers and cause the steering wheel system to fall out of its initial position.
“When I had just bought my car, I never reduced the driving speed because its shock absorbers were strong to contain the humps’ effects. But when I realised they were getting worn out in a short time, I had to revise my driving ways. It also helped me reduce on service and maintenance costs,” Ofwono explains.

As far as driving is concerned, the way you drive your car does not only determine how long it lasts but how often you frequent the garage.

Revving a cold engine
Every time you get in your car in the morning to drive to work, it is likely that you will rev your engine simply because you want it to warm up faster. According to Jimmy Ssebadduka, a mechanic at Shell Jinja Road, the best practice is to start your engine and allow it to warm up for at least five to 10 minutes before setting off.

“When you park your car, the engine oil also cools down. When you start the engine and rev it the following morning, the oil would not have circulated throughout the engine to allow it perform well. When you rev the engine, you subject the engine piston rings to unnecessary friction and with time, they wear out. The engine seals also wear out when you make revving a daily habit,” Ssebadduka explains.

Instant or hard braking
In the event that you are driving fast and meet a hump, to prevent the vehicle from overturning, instant braking becomes the solution to controlling the car. Much as the vehicle will stop, the tyres will wear out faster, the brake discs will also dissolve faster than you had expected while the brake disc will also experience uneven wear and tear.

This means that if your brake pads were meant to serve you for, say six months, instant hard braking will reduce their lifespan to three or even less months. Your tyres treads will also disappear faster and before you know it, you will be digging into your pockets to have them replaced.

Also, hitting potholes and humps, according to Isaac Mujjawa, a mechanic in Makindye, subjects your rims to bends. Your wheel alignment system will also go out of shape. When you hit potholes overtime, each of your tyres will appear as it is facing in its own direction as you drive.

Overloading the car
Every car, regardless of where it was manufactured is made with the maximum weight it ought to carry. But because sometimes you want to move a lot of luggage or cargo without incurring any other costs, you overload your car.
“When your car is overloaded, your suspension system will wear out and this will increase friction between your tyres and the road. The car will become unstable and you will find a challenge in controlling such a car as you drive,” Mujjawa explains.

Resting your hand on the gearstick
When driving, ethically, your hands should all be holding the steering wheel regardless of whether you are driving a manual or automatic car. However, in some incidences, you will forget and rest your left hand on the gearstick. The disadvantage with this is that because your hand applies a certain amount of force on the gearstick for a long time, this force will cause wear of the gear shifting rod against the clutch plate in the gearbox.
With time, changing gears becomes challenging and this also shortens the lifespan of your gearbox.

Do not ignore warning signs
It is worth checking your owner’s manual to find out what the warning lights on your dashboard mean and familiarising yourself with the most serious ones so you know which ones to pull over and address immediately when driving.
If the following warnings appear on the dashboard, you are advised to stop and seek help from your breakdown provider or a reputable local garage:
•Engine/ECU
•Braking system
•Power steering failure
•Airbag
•Oil pressure
•Cooling system