Here are a few examples of stupid things that owners do with their car, and then regret it

As you know, the operation of a vehicle requires certain knowledge and ingenuity. Alas, in driving schools they only teach how to drive a car, but everything else falls on the shoulders of the car owner and the success of operation will depend solely on how competent and skillful the motorist himself is. This, of course, is good and there is something for all of us to strive for. On the other hand, there are also such motorists who are only interested in a car as a means of transportation and they do not like to delve into all sorts of nuances. Here, from such motorists, one should expect the greatest problems. Below I would like to talk with you about what stupid things car owners sometimes do with their cars and during operation, and then they bitterly regret it. However, I will make a mention of what motorists do not do, but it would be worth it. So let's go.

Improper heating of the car engine

Undeservedly little attention is paid to such a daily procedure as warming up the power unit, but meanwhile, there is something to be said about this. Of course, now most people warm up the engine, because it has long been known that without warming up, the power unit will serve less. But this is not the main thing.

Since we are talking about nonsense, the next one is the leader among them – giving gas to an unheated engine. Indeed, there is no better way to harm the motor. But, imagine, there are a lot of drivers who “warm up” their car in this way. It's just that they hear from the corner of their ear from everywhere that the engine must be warmed up before the trip, but at the same time they don’t bother to find out how to do it, so everything turns out to be a blunder – sometimes normal, and sometimes not very.

I return to gasping on a cold engine when the car is stationary. Indeed, increasing the idle speed of the engine can accelerate the coolant to operating temperature faster than it would with normal warm-up. But accelerated warming up does not mean that you need to touch the gas pedal. There is only one way to speed up warming up – by loading the generator so that it gently loads the motor itself, slightly increasing the speed of rotation of its crankshaft. Simply put, the activation of the heating of the seats, mirrors and rear window, as well as the heated steering wheel, if any, will help to warm up the engine a little faster – in general, we combine business with pleasure.

If, however, you will gas on an engine that has not reached its operating temperature, then you will accelerate the friction between the parts and significantly reduce their service life. The fact is that cold oil is very viscous and it does not spread too quickly through the engine, and increased loads will force the engine to wear out.

Therefore, if you often indulge in gassing at idle, then be prepared for scuffing to form on the cylinder walls, piston rings, valve stem seals to wear out quickly, liners to turn, and scuffs to appear on the crankshaft journals. This, I note – only predictable consequences. In fact, things could be much worse.

Sawing coils of springs

A very common phenomenon to this day, although at some point it seemed to me that this was already a relic of the past, because the BPAN era had completely exhausted itself. As you understand, young people indulge in this way. I don’t know how it will be correct to say – lowered or lowered basins, but the essence remains the same. It consists in the gross intervention of amateurs in the design of the suspension, which can have serious consequences – both for the car and for its owner.

Again, somewhere, someone said that an underestimated car will have a lower center of mass, due to which it will become more stable on the road, it will roll less, and the buildup will also decrease – this is how information is poured into the ears of those who have at least something he understands in cars. For the vast majority of fans of understated transport, in general, a few words are enough – it looks clearly, it steers sportily. So there is a tendency to underestimate the car.

Of course, the fact that the car is underestimated, sometimes, there is nothing to worry about. But only in the case when this is done correctly – special springs with a small amount of coil are used, short-stroke shock absorbers are installed. However, even such a minimum of money for lovers of lowered basins is not affordable, so they do it cheaply and cheerfully – they remove extra turns on the springs. The car and crouches – pleases the eye. And since there is no visual difference, why pay more?

This is the point of view and carelessness in the end. They lead to the fact that people begin to understand that the car has not become better controlled. Yes, banks are expected to become a little less pronounced. However, the buildup remained, the clearance became less, which is why now all speed bumps in the city are theirs. And it’s good if you can get away with only a shabby bottom, scratched bumpers and damaged thresholds. Much worse is that when driving through bumps at high speed, the likelihood of damage to the strut supports increases, due to which, when compressed, the shock absorber can pierce the wheel arch and fly out into the engine compartment or into the luggage compartment. This is due to the lack of adequate damping in the suspension, the reason for which is the reduction of coils on the springs.

There are also cumulative situations – damage to the suspension and loss of control over the car. As a result, this is either a departure from the road, or a collision with another car.

Washing the body in severe frosts

Severe frosts – this, of course, is a relative concept for a person. Much also depends on the humidity of the wind air, as a result of which the same air temperature will be felt differently. But in principle, there is not much difference for a car, and if it is -20 outside, then the effect will be the same on the coast of some ocean, in the taiga far from lakes and reservoirs.

What am I doing all this now? – ask you a question. In addition, it is not worth it in severe frosts – just below -20 degrees Celsius, wash the car body. Or, if you do, then after washing, thoroughly drying the bodywork and doorways, wiping with a cloth to remove water, and some downtime in a dry and warm room are a must. However, these are all ideal conditions that are rare in everyday life, unless, of course, you have an equipped garage with heating and a drainage system.

In practice, what happens is approximately the following – you stopped at a car wash, they washed your body, then hastily wiped it with a rag and you drove out into the street, where a hard frost reigns. Nobody will take care of your car.

Meanwhile, if you constantly practice “bathing” the car in cold weather, you should know that this does not have the best effect on the condition of the paintwork, as well as on the condition of rubber door seals, trunk and hood seals. It's simple – rubber bands that are not yet completely dried from water simply tan at low air temperatures and tear or lose their elasticity, which is not good. In this case, the function of the seals themselves will be impaired.

As for the paintwork, sudden changes in temperature negatively affect the condition of the varnish, due to which it can crack or gradually peel off the body. In principle, the same thing can happen with paint.

Therefore, wash your car more carefully in winter, otherwise, in a few years you will get a body with a lack of gloss and with a faded paintwork.

Lack of wheel balance

At this point, I would like to talk about what the driver does not, but again, out of his own stupidity. I now mean the reluctance to properly balance the wheels. But why do you need to carry out periodic balancing.

There is such a thing as imbalance on the wheels. It is quite easy to calculate it – with an increase in the speed of the car, the driver begins, as the steering wheel begins to tremble and vibrate more often. It is in the return from the wheels to the steering wheel that the imbalance of the wheels themselves is connected, and the tires themselves (hernia, damaged cord, severe tread wear, and so on) and the rims (deformation or too large a diameter of the mounting hole on the hub) can be to blame for this. Be that as it may, it is desirable to get rid of the imbalance, and the sooner the better.

But some simply ignore the problem that has arisen, as they say, and then reap the consequences due to their carelessness. First, and most importantly, the consequence is a deterioration in the behavior of the car at high speeds. Stable wheel traction is impaired due to the unstable contact patch of an unbalanced wheel with the road surface, which can cause you to lose control of the car in a turn.

In addition, ride comfort is also seriously affected. No one wants to feel the continuous shaking and rumble during a long ride.

In the longer term, the consequences look like this:

• Accelerated tire wear;
• Early failure of the hub and wheel bearings;
• Wear of ESP and ABS sensors;
• Deterioration of suspension elements;
• Wear of the steering elements, as well as the drive shaft.

Thus, if you are too lazy to balance the wheels now, then then get ready to pay for it with something else, and literally. By the way, I clarify – an imbalance on the wheels can occur due to snow and dirt sticking to the rims. Therefore, it would be nice to take care of cleaning the wheels after driving off-road or through snowdrifts.