A MOTORS expert has issued an urgent warning over five common car mistakes that could cost you thousands.
When automatic cars first entered the market, many drivers thought that an auto ‘box was taking away control of their motor.
GettyMotorists have been warned over five common mistakes made when driving automatics[/caption]
But now, most motorists now prefer an automatic vehicle because it makes it easier to focus on speed and road position.
Now, motor experts at Slash Gear have revealed their best advice applies for those who drive automatics.
Shifting gears in motion
Rushing to shift from reverse to drive or the opposite may crack or chip gear, or in severe cases, cause your gear to explode.
Automatic transmissions aren’t designed to shift gears like this, so forcing a change while you’re in motion can seriously damage your vehicle.
This is because when you shift gears while in motion you use your transmission rather than brakes to stop the car – wearing out your automatic transmission band.
The transmission band is hard to access making its repair and replacement expensive and time-consuming.
Flooring it
While it may be tempting to put your foot down on the accelerator and floor it, this can be very bad for an automatic motor.
Fast and rough driving is the reason for many damaged transmissions in automatics.
And doing this from a complete stop is even more damaging to the transmission belt.
When people accelerate too hard or shift gears at high RPMs, it may result in a severely damaged transmission.
If it’s cold out, flooring the gas pedal will rev the engine before it has time to warm up and circulate fuel, which can damage the cold metal components.
It is best to drive with moderate acceleration, not too fast or too slow.
Leaving fuel low
Automatic transmissions rely heavily on fluid pressure to do their jobs properly.
When there’s a deficit of gas in the system, your transmission loses the extra power from the pressure, which can cause it to struggle and lock up.
This is why it is important to never leave fuel low and don’t wait til the last minute to top up your tank.
It’s important to note the meter on your dashboard is not 100 per cent accurate so stopping right before zero is near impossible.
Shifting to neutral while stopped
You should only shift to neutral if you’re going to stop for an extended period, say the experts.
Unlike with a manual motor, you don’t need to shift to neutral while you’re stopped and you can just stay in drive.
Shifting an automatic in and out of gear every time you stop will cause excessive wear and damage to the transmission.
And if you are at the stop light, neutral will not even save you any gas and will only put unnecessary strain on the gaerbox.
Also, if you accidentally step on the gas while still in neutral, you won’t accelerate properly and this could be dangerous.
Staying in drive while parked
Whenever your car is at rest outside of an active traffic zone, such as a parking space or a driveway, you should put your motor in park and take your feet off the pedals.
This is the best thing to do both for your transmission and your own comfort, especially if you’re going to be hanging around for a while.
If you leave the car in drive while you’re parked, the engine will stay warmed up, and if you do this frequently for long periods of time, the engine may start to slowly overheat.
An overheated engine is more susceptible to sudden hardware failure, so shift into park when stopped so it can take a proper rest.
It comes as motor experts revealed the five ways you might be ruining your car without realising.
Elsewhere, driving experts have shared their top tips for saving fuel.