How Does City Driving Affect Your Car?
Hello Torontonians! We’d like to share a little of the knowledge we’ve gained about auto repair in Toronto. Because even though we love our city, we don’t always love the way it affects our cars. The challenges of city driving mean that auto repair in Toronto is usually a consideration for a few key areas of your vehicle. We’ll show you where those areas are and what to do about it.
Road Quality
Some roads have potholes, some are pockmarked, and you’ll also encounter speed bumps from time to time.
How does it affect your car?
A bumpy ride can affect many different systems as your vehicle is jostled around. But it mostly means that when we perform auto repairs in Toronto, it’s frequently on the suspension. Your suspension takes the brunt of the impact (as it’s designed to do) and will more likely wear down quicker over bumpy roads.
What can you do about it?
Bring awareness to your driving. Help your car out by watching for potholes, avoiding them if possible, and taking it easy over them. Also, make note of any changes in your vehicle. If your ride feels rougher, you hear squeaking when turning, or if the nose of your vehicle dips when braking, then come to your local Master Mechanic and we’ll check it out.
Stop and Go Driving
City driving on an average day includes a lot of stop-and-go, but add an accident or other emergency and it can get ridiculous.
How does it affect your car?
Frequently stopping and starting will put more strain on your brakes. So inner city cars will wear out their brakes more often than cars with more highway mileage. And a car with damaged brakes is not a safe car.
What can you do about it?
If you have just moved to the city your routine auto repair in Toronto may be different. You should get your brakes Inspected more frequently, we suggest at every oil change to save you time by avoiding unscheduled repairs and downtime.
You should consider changing your driving habits, try to minimize braking by following the car ahead of you at a greater distance. And try to avoid situations that require hard braking.
Car Idling
Usually a symptom of stop and go heavy traffic, city drivers usually find themselves idling more often than other drivers.
How does it affect your car?
Slow moving or stopped traffic results in low airflow through your vehicle’s radiator which puts your engine cooling system to the test. Low or dirty coolant, poor drive belt condition or weak hoses can put your engine at risk of overheating which will result with YOU being the cause of a traffic jam!!
What can you do about it?
Unfortunately, not much besides avoiding heavy traffic. You just have to be more diligent in seeking auto repair in Toronto and have your vehicle’s cooling system inspected regularly. Regular preventative maintenance reduces the likelihood of you being stuck on the side of the road and the cause of a traffic slow down.
City driving means that you have to be a little more careful with your vehicle. But when you drive safely, listen to your cars, and schedule routine auto maintenance at Master Mechanic – you’ll be just fine.
