Rough Roads
Unfortunately, many of our roads can be littered with potholes and more than a few feature some serious speed bumps as well. That’s life on the road.

Rolling over these hazards slowly is not a big deal, but hitting them at speed can cause a great deal of stress and even damage to your vehicles’ suspension. Driving over serious chop or speed bumps without slowing will at least accelerate the ageing of your suspension’s components, which means no matter how or why you do it, you’ll end up paying for it in the end.

Simply put, slow down. Turn off the radio and listen for squeaks and rattles. And take note of your steering wheels position while driving. Is it no longer centred? Does your vehicle “pull” to one side? If you notice any of these things, then it’s likely your driving habits have caught up with you and your car needs some immediate attention.

Stop and Go
Stop and Go driving is often not a choice. Those of us who live in large urban centres deal with it on a daily basis, but if you lose your patience and then accelerate and brake hard over and over out of frustration, you put unnecessary stress on your vehicle (and likely your fellow drivers as well).

City-bound vehicles wear out their brakes faster than rural or highway-driven ones. That’s a fact of life, but try to minimize your braking by giving the vehicle ahead of you more space. Accelerate and break as gently and smoothly as you can.

Stop and go driving can also contribute to your vehicle running much hotter than usual because when you stop in a crowd of idling vehicles, airflow is limited and temperatures rise. Again, just because your vehicle is getting hot doesn’t mean you should. Take it easy and if this kind of traffic is part of your daily routine, consider having both your brakes and cooling systems checked at every oil change. And listen to a podcast or audiobook to help pass the time.

Aggressive Driving
Aggressive driving behaviour such as speeding, rapid acceleration, racing from traffic light to traffic light and slamming on your brakes will have a dramatic effect on your vehicle’s cost of ownership.

The most obvious consequence will be how it affects your fuel bill. Research has shown that aggressive driving can increase your fuel consumption by up to 33%. This also means that if you drive calmly and smoothly, you could reduce your fuel costs by a third!

Tire Pressure
Most don’t think much about it, but drivers can also benefit greatly from maintaining a proper tire pressure. Low tire pressure will negatively affect your vehicle’s fuel consumption and wear out your tires much more quickly. Over-inflating tires will wear out the centre of the tread faster than the shoulders. Both are bad for the handling and performance of your vehicle and put you and your passengers at risk.

Protect your investment with some well-timed preventive maintenance. Click the SERVICE REQUEST button below if you’d like to investigate any of these potential issues on your vehicle.