Taking good care of your assets is fruitful in the long-term. When you maintain a house properly, you get a great retail price for it. When you take care of your body, you live a healthy life free from many diseases.
Similarly, when you take good care of your car, it not only saves you a decent amount of money in terms of service and maintenance, but the lifespan of the vehicle also increases.
A well-maintained car gives excellent performance when driving. The engine remains problem-free, and the mechanic trips are cut short, which is why it is essential to understand what could be harmful to your ride.
7 Things You Must NEVER Do In Manual Car!
1. Never Rest Your Hand On The Gear Stick
When you use the gear-stick as a handrest, the selector fork (stationary within the manual transmission) is pushed against the rotating collar. It then presses into the gear that the driver wants to choose. The selector fork can then cause premature failure of the gear-stick.
2. Never Keep Your Car In Gear At Red Lights
If you live in the city, you are likely to come across a traffic signal approximately every 1KM more or so. What many drivers don’t know is that keeping your car in gears at a red light wears and tears the clutch. Hence, the vehicle must be put in neutral every time the vehicle comes to a stop.
3. Never Rest Your Foot On The Clutch Pedal
Another common mistake many manual transmission drivers make is resting their foot on the clutch. Relaxing the leg can cause the clutch to engage partially and can result in slippage. It also leads to a reduction of the car’s fuel efficiency because of loss in transmission energy. Nonetheless, it also wears out the clutch.
4. Never Brake Without Clutch
The clutch is an integral part of a manual car as it helps with the gear engagement. It also plays a vital role in toning down the gears when needed to stop. However, drivers need to make it a habit of not disengaging the clutch until the very end when hitting the brakes.
Keeping the engagement going for as long as possible helps the driver use as much of the natural resistance of the car as possible, creating a shorter stopping distance and reduced wear on the brakes.
5. Never Hit The Gas Pedal When The Engine Is At A Low RPM
Hitting your foot on the gas pedal makes your car go faster. However, when the car engine is at a low RPM, running the clutch will cause significant engine problems in the long-run and will kill the engine’s lifespan.
6. Never Use The Clutch To Hold The Car On A Hill
Assume for a moment that you are stuck in traffic while ascending on a hill. You need to make sure at this point that the vehicle doesn’t start rolling backward. To avoid this, many drivers hold on the clutch biting point so that they are kept in a steady incline.
However, what many drivers are unaware of is that by doing this, they are burning the friction material on the clutch as it spins at a particular speed. At the same time, the engine’s pressure plate moves at another speed-level.
Instead, apply the handbrake to keep your car still until it’s time to move off. Moreover, the vehicle can roll backward and crash into the driver behind if the biting point is not found on time.
7. Never Coast In Neutral To Save Fuel
Many drivers opt for fuel-saving tactics as a way to save some money. Unfortunately, those tactics end up harming the vehicle and causing them to spend a significant amount on repairs. One such common practice is coasting in neutral gear coming down from slopes and hills.
This practice is highly unsafe as drivers do not have complete control over their vehicles in neutral gear. Also, with upgraded engines in modern cars, coasting is no longer a fuel-saving method.
Stay safe and stay tuned to Brandsynario.
