Whether it’s biting your nails or popping your knuckles, we all have bad habits. Those little things that we don’t think are that serious can create bigger problems down the road.

Bad Driving Habits

Another aspect of life that people have bad habits in, whether they know it or not, is when they are driving. No one is a perfect driver but there are driving habits that can cause serious car issues long term. Here are seven common driving habits that might be damaging your car:

1. Overloading the Car

Every car has a designated weight capacity, and problems can happen when that weight is exceeded. Overloading the car puts extra strain on the transmission and engine. Transmissions can experience increased wear and higher temperatures when they have extra weight. The engine also has to work harder to cope with the increased weight, which can lead to overheating, reduced fuel efficiency, and accelerated wear.

Along with engine and transmission issues, overloading the car puts excessive stress on the suspension system. This includes the shocks and springs, and as a result, the car’s stability and handling can be compromised.

2. Driving on Empty

It is not uncommon for drivers to wait until their gas light turns on to fill up their gas tank. Driving on empty can be extremely risky. Even if your car says it can run another 30 miles on empty, that is not guaranteed. You may run out of gas completely in dangerous spots if you choose to risk it, and there is no way to guarantee that you will stay safe trying to get more gas. 

Beyond safety reasons, driving on empty can damage your car. The risk of stalling, especially during uphill driving or sudden acceleration, increases if you are running on an empty tank. You may also see that your alternator has to work harder to generate energy and electricity that is needed to power the car, which can lead to increased wear and tear on the alternator’s components, potentially reducing its lifespan.

3. Slamming on Brakes

Being one of those drivers that is slamming on their brakes every few minutes is not only annoying for passengers, but it also puts stress on the car that can lead to damages. There are situations where slamming on the brakes is necessary to avoid a collision or accident, but frequently stopping quickly can lead to compromising the car’s safety, longevity, and performance.  

When a car brakes suddenly, it generates a sudden and intense friction that can cause excessive heat. This type of braking eventually leads to reduced stopping power, decreased braking efficiency, and the need for frequent replacements.

4. Shifting Without Stopping

One of the most common driving habits that people don’t realize is damaging their car is shifting without coming to a complete stop. This often happens when you back out of a parking spot and shift from reverse to drive. An abrupt shift can put stress on the transmission, causing excessive wear.

When improper shifting occurs, the fluid pressure in the transmission is disrupted, impeding on the vehicle’s ability to properly lubricate and cool the internal components. This problem often results in increased friction that creates overheating in the transmission and premature failure. 

5. Hitting Speed Bumps and Potholes Too Fast

It may be tempting to not slow down for speed bumps, but they are there for a reason. Speed bumps are often in school zones, neighborhoods, and parking lots to protect pedestrians who may be on the road. Going too fast over speed bumps causes the suspension to compress forcefully. Foregoing speed bumps can also lead to a rougher ride, increase risk of accidents, and reduced handling.

Potholes are another roadblock that can get in the way of a smooth drive. Potholes are formed by holes in the road that grow from weather conditions, heavy traffic, and natural erosion. Like going too fast over speed bumps can damage the suspension, potholes have the same effect. Since the car goes down into the pothole, tires can be damaged, along with cracked and bent rims. Potholes can occasionally appear quickly, but when you have time to react, make sure you give yourself time to safely avoid them. 

6. Ignoring Warning Lights

Warning lights are most commonly on the dashboard of a car, and they indicate potential dangers and maintenance needed for the car. These lights are indicators that different parts of the car need attention, like the brake system, tire pressure, transmission, battery, and oil levels. 

Ignoring these warning lights can lead to serious consequences that can lead to compromising the safety of the passengers, damaging the car’s systems, and potentially costly repairs. In order to avoid major damages to your car, pay attention to those warning lights and address them urgently if they appear.

7. Riding the Brakes

Riding the brakes means that you keep your foot pressed down on the brake pedal when no brake is needed, or for a prolonged period of time. Constant friction between the brake pads and rotors is created when you keep your foot on the brake. This generates brake fluid to heat up and boil, leading to brake fade, along with causing the brake components to wear down quickly. You can tell that your brakes are not being as efficient when it feels like a soft or spongy pedal feel, with increasing distance required to come to a stop. 

Save Money on Your Vehicle

These seven common driving habits may be damaging your car so it is important to be aware of them. Now that you know these habits don’t do any good for you, you can start implementing good habits. One of the best things you can do to maintain the condition of your car is to get it checked and repaired when needed. Fixing small problems will ultimately save you more money in the long run. 

Electric vehicles have seen a sweeping increase in the last few years, and all of the metrics indicate that they will only grow in popularity. There is a great appeal in a greener, cleaner method of transportation, but the surge of electric vehicles does lead mechanics to wonder how their careers will be impacted. In this article, we discuss how electric cars affect mechanics and the future of the industry.

The Benefits of Electric Vehicles

Electric vehicles wouldn’t be as popular as they are without a significant list of benefits. For starters, they provide a smoother experience on the road and have sleek almost futuristic designs. These are just the surface level benefits, however. Perhaps most important is the fact that electric vehicles are more energy efficient—as much as 85–90% efficient.

This efficiency is tremendously beneficial for drivers. It means major savings on fuel, averaging out around $800 every year, and the use of renewable energy, avoiding fossil fuel consumption. This in turn leads to reduced emissions. In fact, electric cars are nearly emission free, which is the reason so many legislative entities are so keen on them.

Maintenance for electric vehicles is also less expensive as electric cars need significantly less of it. Oil changes, muffler repair, and replaced timing belts and spark plugs are a thing of the past, and electric vehicles run more cleanly, cause less wear and tear. 

While electric vehicles are great for drivers and the planet, they don’t have the same appeal for mechanics, especially as we gain greater evidence for how electric cars affect mechanics’ job outlook.

Servicing Electric Vehicles

Servicing electric cars is a multifaceted process. In some ways, they still require traditional maintenance. Electric vehicles still need their tires rotated, their transmission fluid cycled, their suspension and brakes checked, and their windshield wipers replaced. In this sense, electric cars affect mechanics minimally, but that’s about where the status quo stops. 

While some of the components of electric vehicles are the same as those of traditional combustion engine vehicles, they have significantly fewer moving parts, approximately 100 times fewer. While traditional cars have about 2,000 moving parts, electric vehicles only support about 20. Of the parts that are removed, many are mechanics’ usual bread and butter:

• Fewer fluids, so no oil changes
• No engine, so no gaskets, cylinders, fuel filters, or fuel injectors
• No emissions, so no exhaust system or catalytic converter
• No belts, hoses, or chains

Because of the nature of electric operation, electric vehicles need less maintenance anyway, independent of fewer parts. Combustion is necessarily a very explosive process, and the engine and the rest of the vehicle take most of that backlash. Electric vehicles don’t have that problem, so the wear and tear is significantly reduced. 

The same is true of the brakes. Electric vehicles use regenerative braking, a process that converts energy from the brake pads into electricity to recharge the battery. All of these features combine so electric cars affect mechanics by giving them less to do.

Most of the maintenance electric cars require is of the software variety. Computer programming will be more relevant for such vehicles than traditional nuts and bolts knowhow. This will require a pretty dramatic adjustment of how mechanics operate.

How Will Electric Cars Affect Mechanics’ Work?

As mentioned above, the population of electric vehicles will only continue to grow. States like California are pushing to stop the production of new combustion engine vehicles entirely in the next 15 years. This will have a tremendous impact on mechanics in the workforce. In fact, the estimates for California anticipate that nearly 32,000 mechanics will lose jobs by 2040 if new combustion engine vehicles are discontinued. 

This is a frightening prospect for many in the automotive industry, but others have a hopeful view on how electric cars affect mechanics’ job outlook. Instead of looking at autocare as a dying trade, they consider the change as a chance to get out of their comfort zones and learn a new way of servicing cars. In their minds, the job hasn’t shrunk, it has expanded. 

This is born out by the fact that, in order to service electric vehicles, mechanics must maintain their fundamental expertise in mechanics in addition to adding an understanding of software engineering. Those who can adapt become a valuable asset and are often paid more. Maintenance of electric vehicles is becoming a mandatory requirement in many tech schools. Truly, a hybrid model is the way of the future.

Some mechanics, especially veterans of the industry, are electing to maintain the same work instead of learning the ropes of the new kind of car. This is understandable, since learning a whole new skill set can be difficult. Traditional vehicles with combustion engines are not going away any time soon, so this reticence in some may not be a problem. However, in order to stay relevant in the changing climate, it is wise to keep up with the changing times and embrace, not fight, how electric cars affect mechanics.

Damage to a windshield is both irritating and unsafe. The initial moment of a rock striking the glass is startling, and subsequently having to see the evidence of the impact every time you drive can be a source of frustration. While it can require a lot to crack a windshield because they are built to endure, there are several factors that can do the trick. Be aware of these to be safer on the road.

Examining Different Types of Window Damage

Let us first start by explaining what we mean by “crack a windshield.” Windshield cracks are streaks in which the structural integrity of the glass has been compromised. There are many different varieties, usually classified by where the crack occurs. Windshield cracks usually cannot be repaired. 

The other major type of windshield damage is the chip. Chips are smaller, describing just the spot of impact where the glass was damaged. Chips are often caused by rocks or gravel which are kicked up by the tires of other vehicles. Chips (or rock chips) can often be repaired before they worsen. They should be attended to early on.

Pressure, Temperature, and Moisture—A Triple Threat

Pressure, temperature, and moisture are the three elements most likely to crack a windshield. Here we discuss them in detail. However, there are other contributing factors to windshield damage. Sometimes the problem is rooted in a manufacturing defect. In other cases, dirt and debris wedged between the layers of the glass can pry them apart.

How Much Force Is Required to Crack a Windshield?

Impact is the number one cause of windshield damage. It is responsible for the majority of rock chips especially. It can seem incredible that so small a thing as a pebble could damage a windshield of laminated glass. In fact, the amount of force required to break vehicular glass is approximately 20,000 to 24,000 pounds per square inch (psi) of pressure. That amounts to about 60 pounds of force. 

Unfortunately, smaller objects like gravel on the road don’t have to pack a wallop of quite that size to do the deed because they have a smaller surface area. Projected pebbles essentially drill into the glass. 

Other kinds of pressure can also crack a windshield. Dry windshield wipers can gouge or scrape your glass. If the windshield is already damaged, ordinary pressure like wiping it down by hand or the typical bumps and jostling of driving can make cracks and chips worse. 

How Hot Does It Have to Be for a Windshield to Crack?

The way temperature can crack a windshield is a two-fronted battle. On one extreme, hot weather can soften the interior plastic layer of the windshield and make it easier to break. On the other hand, cold weather can cause the glass to contract, and if the windshield already has cracks or chips, contraction will exacerbate the damage.

The biggest temperature-related problem for windshields is rapid change. If a cold windshield is suddenly exposed to hot water or hot air from the car’s vents, cracks are inevitable. These commonly occur parallel to the bottom of the windshield and are likely to spread each time the temperature is uneven.

How Can Moisture Crack a Windshield? 

Cars and trucks are meant for outdoor use, right? So how can moisture (which is everywhere outside) crack a windshield. The phenomenon is most common when damage is already present. If a windshield is already cracked or chipped, water can seep between the layers of the laminated glass and pry them apart. This is a bigger problem if the water reaches its freezing point. 

Can a Cracked Windshield Shatter?

Windshields are designed to survive a lot of damage, but as we have discussed, they are not invincible. Each time a windshield sustains damage, it is exponentially more likely to take on more. This is because each crack or chip weakens the glass and overall structural integrity.

Unfortunately, when the strain becomes too much, a cracked windshield can shatter. However, even in such dramatic cases, the windshield is not likely to pull away from the vehicle’s frame. This is because of how windshield glass is constructed. 

laminated glass, of which most windshields are made, is made up of two sheets of glass and a thin film of plastic in between them. Windshields are also secured to the vehicle with strong urethane adhesives. These are specifically designed to block out road noise and exterior moisture and to keep the windshield from shifting in the frame. 

Even if the windshield doesn’t break inward, it is not wise to drive around with a cracked windshield. Any crack compromises a windshield’s structural integrity, and it is better to take care of any windshield damage before it becomes too serious.