If you drive on those great “roads” we all love so much, your car is being battered every second it’s on the road. Every physical impact has an effect on your car. Even with the best gas shock absorbers and careful driving, “wear and tear” is under way. If you’ve ever been stunned by the amount of work involved in a car service, you may have made a few basic mistakes. It’s important to know how to recognize those mistakes and minimize the damage.

The sad truth is that cars need to be well maintained just to survive the roads.  Even the really tough, high-grunt old cars aren’t invulnerable. (Actually, with their comparatively primitive suspensions, they’re more at risk from the sort of battering roads dish out). Add some “iffy” driving habits, and you’ve got a car that’s old before its time.

Driving yourself to death?

Even good drivers can destroy their cars simply with bad habits:

• Leadfoot driving- The driver who puts a lot of pressure on the brakes, not surprisingly, is the one most likely to have brakes with serious problems.
• Sleep-driving- Like sleepwalking; this is a state where you don’t know what you’re doing or why you’re doing it. Many drivers don’t adjust to driving conditions, and mindlessly drive along not paying attention to road conditions, any signs of car issues or anything else.
• Cheapskate driving- Well, who needs brakes, steering and wheels that work, anyway? Those things cost money, and that doesn’t grow on the trees cheapskate drivers run into because their steering, brakes and wheels don’t work, either. The other description for this driving habit is “suicide”.
• Marathon driving- The marathon driver doesn’t know when to stop. They’ll drive around the country, and not notice the car is falling to pieces. They can achieve more damage to their cars in one road trip than other people manage in a lifetime.
• The “know-it-all” driver- The car know-it-all, like all other know-it-alls, is so convinced of their own expertise that they never ask for any advice about their cars and won’t even take professional advice. In the auto industry they’re for some reason considered to be idiots.
• The backyard car DIY genius- These guys can fix anything to the point that the car is a mobile time bomb, as well as just a bomb. They think they’ve achieved something if the car is capable of movement. There’s a good reason these guys aren’t registered mechanics, and it’s because they’re morons. This is a driving habit similar to Russian roulette.

• The car insurance ignoramus- This strange species of driver believes all insurance assessors are blind and know nothing about cars and can’t tell when a car is held together with Band-Aids and unbelievable optimism. The fact is that car insurance isn’t some sort of lucky dip, and neither is car servicing.

The bottom line- Car wear and tear should be considered as dangerous as a bullet heading your way. Take the hint. Keep your car well serviced.