Why doesn’t your car last long?

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This post was last edited by cflt111 on 2016-7-23 at 20:12. Why doesn’t your car last long? Every driver hopes that their vehicle can keep running smoothly for many years, without any problems, so as not to see their hard-earned money wasted. A car is considered a durable consumer good, but to what extent? 6 years? 8 years? 10 years? The actual lifespan of a car ultimately depends on the driver! With proper driving habits, it’s possible to use the car for 10 years, but some drivers, due to a lack of experience, engage in poor driving practices that severely affect the car’s performance and lifespan. If you want your car to last long, avoid behaviors that can damage it! The engine being damaged is often the result of high engine temperatures; once the engine overheats, it can no longer function properly, and even if it does manage to keep running, it still requires major repairs. In fact, there are signs indicating high engine temperatures, but some drivers ignore the dashboard indicators and the warning lights, until the car stops working altogether. There are many reasons for high water temperature: a leaking tank, a non-functional electric fan, insufficient engine oil, poor heat dissipation, the wrong gear selected, or the engine speed remaining above the limit for an extended period. Regardless of the cause, the most important thing is to check the dashboard. 　　Some drivers make such mistakes as forgetting to shift into P gear when parking; keeping the car moving at high speeds while in a low gear; or shifting from D gear to N gear while driving, as using the wrong gear can cause serious damage to the engine. And if the timing belt breaks, the engine is ruined. The timing belt remains safe for 80,000 to 100,000 kilometers; it needs to be replaced after that distance has been covered. Finally, try to avoid deep water; if the engine dies accidentally while crossing it, do not attempt to restart it forcefully, as this can easily cause damage to the engine. 　　The gearbox ruined by you! ● Manual gearbox Errors that occur with manual gearboxes include shifting while the clutch is partially engaged, which can lead to gear damage; some people shift too quickly, and although they may manage to shift into the correct gear, this can still result in gear damage. Another issue is shifting into reverse before the vehicle has come to a complete stop, with the gears still rotating forward, which often causes damage to the gears. With automatic transmissions, the better the car, the lower the chances of it being repaired – in such cases, the entire transmission assembly has to be replaced, which is very expensive! ● Automatic Transmissions: Pressing the brake while accelerating quickly at traffic lights keeps the vehicle in drive mode, which increases the load on the transmission. Switching from drive to reverse mode before the vehicle has come to a complete stop creates \"reverse torque\" that puts stress on the reverse clutch plates, leading to excessive wear of these plates. Accelerating before the engine has warmed up due to inertia also causes significant wear, just like in an engine. Using drive mode while going downhill results in many issues and accelerates transmission wear. It’s well known that shifting to a lower gear suddenly while driving at high speeds is also problematic. In that case, saying it’s not bad is just a lie! The water tank has been ruined by you! The water tanks used in cars are made from metal; aluminum water tanks oxidize over time, which reduces their heat dissipation capacity. Using antifreeze can extend the lifespan of these water tanks. Some car owners may think that if there is a lack of antifreeze, they can just add water and replace the antifreeze in winter, believing that this is fine. While adding water for short periods of time might be acceptable, doing so over an extended period can easily lead to blockages in the antifreeze system. Especially in winter, such blockages can cause the radiator to crack. 　　The chassis and tires ruined by you! Have you ever experienced this: when parking, there’s a clanging sound; when passing over speed bumps, there’s another clanging sound; while driving at high speed, there’s still clanging – and that’s how the chassis gets damaged. For rust on the chassis, it’s not a problem if rust spreads from the outside in; what’s really concerning is when rust spreads from the inside out. It’s very important to keep no water inside the vehicle. Those who often drive on the curb, over time, cause changes in the road conditions; this leads to problems such as deviation from the intended path, excessive vibration at high speeds, and wear on the tires. No matter what type of vehicle is being used or under what circumstances, such driving should be avoided – even off-road vehicles should slow down in advance if they encounter deep potholes in order to avoid them. Furthermore, turning the wheels in place places strain on the power pump of the steering system, shortening its lifespan and causing uneven tire wear, which leads to premature tire failure.