A MECHANIC who has fixed millions of cars has said drivers are wasting thousands of pounds on a “silly myth”.
When asked if drivers should warm their car up before hitting the road, car expert Craig couldn’t say “stop” enough as it’s not necessary.
Mechanic Craig said drivers don’t have to necessarily warm up their carTik Tok @/walsallwood_tyre
He explained it all depends on the type of car and where you are driving off toTik Tok @/walsallwood_tyre
The mechanic, who works at Walsall Wood Tyre & Service, shared his advice when replying to viewers’ questions on TikTok.
Craig explained that you should warm your car up depending on how you’re going to drive it, where you are going, as well as the type of vehicle.
“Vehicles with turbos should always be left to warm up a little bit before you go and drive them aggressively,” he said.
“A lot of vehicles today, some of the Mazdas and some of the French vehicles, have a little blue coolant temperature light on the dash, which will stay on until your engines are upright in temperature.
“This is basically saying, you know, don’t drive too hard, let me get my emissions where they should be.
“Once everything is up to temperature and I am at running temperature, everything settles down and we all drive a lot better.
“So I would say no, you don’t necessarily need to let your car warm up before you drive it.
“But I’d certainly make sure it’s at running temperature.”
TikTok users left dozens on comments under Craig’s post on how they choose to warm up their motors.
“My old Land Rover needs at least 15 minutes before it will even move,” one wrote.
“I refuse to move without warming up and cooling it down,” a second commented.
A third replied: “I start my car, put my seat-belt on, sort music out on my phone then drive off carefully.
“I only start to drive harder once at temperature.”
Another added: “Mine has to idle for a bit to warm the car, then I try not to rag it until it’s at full temp otherwise it runs super rich and my mpg goes downhill fast.”
Another driving pro has revealed how using your brakes incorrectly is costing you £800 per year.
Motorists were warned these bad driving habits could be putting your car under unnecessary strain and damaging your brakes.
If your car break pads wear down through bad driving habits, you could be at serious risk and splash hundreds to fix it.
Luckily, a group of professionals warned of a money-draining mishap that car owners make.
First of all, drivers were warned against overloading their vehicle with heavy items.
Experts from RAC said: “The greater the weight, the more strain you’re placing on the brakes, suspension and drivetrain.”
Professionals claimed packing unnecessary loads could also leave you out of pocket by burning more fuel.
They explained: “Unnecessary items like golf clubs or gym gear in the boot of you car won’t add increased strain on your car’s parts.
“But it will affect your car’s fuel economy and possibly your car’s emissions output.”
Instead, it is advisable to leave the golf clubs at home when not needed and try to travel as light as possible.