Show Your Car Some Love This Valentine’s Day

You can’t beat that new car feeling. The first few weeks after leaving the dealership are what are known as the honeymoon period. You can’t get enough of your car, and you want to show her off at every opportunity. But over time, the passion starts to fade. You start becoming careless and don’t appreciate her as much anymore. You become sloppy when it comes to driving habits, as well as maintenance. So, how do you get the spark back?

Just because your car isn’t new anymore doesn’t mean you should stop caring. Your car deserves to be loved and cherished from the day you get the keys until you eventually part ways. This Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to start treating your car properly again. Here are some of the best ways to show your beloved car that you care on the international day of love.

1. Avoid driving over potholes, bumps and corrugations

In order to keep your car in tip-top shape, it is essential that you drive mindfully. This means staying on the lookout for any bumps on the road ahead, and doing your best to avoid them. Zooming over uneven ground can hurt your car in many ways, namely your suspension. Careless driving across prolonged stretches of corrugated surfaces works your dampers to the bone, generating intense heat that may actually end up cooking them if you don’t stop. Potholes can destroy good tyres and sometimes your alloys too when hit at speed. Large bumps can scrape your car’s undercarriage and ruin crucial components like your exhaust, which would land you with a hefty repair bill at the garage.

2. Don't drive it like you stole it

Ever heard the phrase ‘slow is smooth and smooth is fast’? Keep that in mind next time you take her out for a spin. Smooth and relaxed driving will do wonders for your brakes, tyres and your engine, prolonging their shelf life and saving you maintenance fees. This style also reduces your fuel consumption, which is better for both the environment as well as your pocket. Revving the engine hard and loud can put a real strain on your motor, especially if it’s a turbocharged one. We’re not suggesting you drive like an overly cautious bundle of nerves. But just don’t drive recklessly and arrogantly for the sake of shaving a few minutes off your commute, or simply showing off. 

Here are our top tips for cool, calm and collected driving:

• look ahead and at your surroundings
• prepare early to brake in traffic rather than slamming the anchors at the last minute
• accelerate steadily rather than flooring it, and using the correct 9 and 3 o’clock hand positions on the steering wheel.

3. Ignorance is not bliss for tyres

In order to function properly, tyres must be kept at the right pressure levels. Just because they look okay from the outside doesn’t mean they’re safe to drive on. Incorrect tyre pressure is in fact very tricky to spot visually, so eyeballing it isn’t good enough. Under-inflation increases rolling resistance which can cause the tyre to blow out entirely. Low tyre pressure also negatively impacts handling, potentially leading to erratic or unpredictable movements on the road. On the flipside, over-inflation makes for an incredibly uncomfortable ride, less vehicle control, impaired braking performance and excessive wear and tear. Use a gauge to check the pressure levels on a regular basis, and make adjustments as required.

4. Don't put off filling up

Do you leave it until the last minute to put fuel in your car? The next time you run on close to empty, think twice. When you’re low on fuel, air can be induced into the fuel system which creates big problems. The worst of which is the sediment that’s been hanging around for years could be sucked into the cylinder chamber, which could cost you a fortune in repair costs. Fuel systems do have filters but that does not mean you will have to replace a fuel filter or even the fuel pump. Diesel engines are prone to major issues if air fills into the fuel line, so make sure that the tank doesn’t go starved too often.

Keep the spark alive between you and your car by taking extra care of her this Valentine’s Day and beyond. Keep your gaze ahead, lose the lead foot, mind your tyres and keep your tank well fed. By switching up your habits, you’ll notice a change in performance and driving experience, and hopefully reignite the flame you once shared.

Sometimes of course, no amount of TLC will save your relationship. If it’s time for an upgrade, we recommend checking out Motor Matcher. At Motor Matcher, everything we do is modelled around providing customers with the right tools and empowering them with rich information, helping them make sound decisions when buying and selling cars. We offer a faster, simpler way to compare new and used cars online, creating an ideal and safe marketplace for all car buyers and sellers.

Visit our website today at www.motormatcher.com.au.