Car myths I believed for years that turned out to be wrong
Everyone's uncle has a few car rules he swears by. I followed a lot of these for years:
- Warm up the engine for 5 minutes: On modern fuel-injected cars, 30 to 60 seconds is enough. Then just go easy for the first few km.
- Put it in neutral on downhills to save fuel: Most modern cars shut off fuel completely when you coast in gear. In neutral, the engine actually burns fuel to keep idling, and you lose engine braking as well. On ghat roads it's even worse.
- Change oil every 3,000 km: This made sense for older engines and oils. Your manual's interval is usually a lot longer. If you drive mostly in heavy city traffic, though, that counts as severe use, so go for the shorter end.
- Premium petrol gives better mileage: Only if your engine is designed for it. If not, you're just paying more for nothing.
- Pressure-wash the engine bay to keep it clean: It soaks the connectors and sensors, and a week later you get random warning lights.
- Nitrogen in tyres is a game changer: The pressure does stay a little more stable. But checking normal air once a month beats nitrogen you never check.
Which one did you believe the longest? Mine was the neutral one. I did it for years.