The world is so full of myths and folk stories that sometimes it’s hard to know the difference between what is true and what is not. Let’s take a look at 10 car myths and sort fact from fiction! Your car will thank you for it.
Manual transmissions offer better fuel economy than automatics.
Back in the day when automatic transmissions were new, the manual transmission was better for fuel economy. But, technology is of course, always evolving, and now this is not the case. These new advances in technology have allowed automatics to be just as, if not more, advantageous in comparison to manuals.
You should let your car warm up for several minutes before driving.
Yeah absolutely, if you are driving a car made in the 80s. Oh, you aren’t? Then maybe not. The U.S. Department of Energy says that most manufacturers recommend driving slowly off after about 30 seconds. When you drive the car the engine warms up faster, reducing emissions and fuel costs.
Your non-premium car will run better on premium fuel.
The word ‘premium’ makes everything sound enticing, but in fact, using premium fuel on a non-premium car is just a plain waste of money. According to the Federal Trade Commission, you should only use the fuel that your car manual tells you to. Premium fuel will not offer any benefits for such a car at all.
Modifying your car will void the warranty.
The parts on your car that you have altered won’t be under warranty, but you can find peace knowing that the rest of your vehicle is still protected.
You get more for your money when you fill your gas tanks in the morning.
Some people think that because the mornings are cooler, the gasoline will be able to stay denser and therefore you get more fuel per gallon. Whilst cool temperatures do keep gasoline denser, the fuel is stored underground anyway so the temperature rarely changes.
Hiding behind a car will protect you from gunfire.
Hollywood films have told us that if you hide behind a car, you are protected from gunfire, but this actually isn’t the case. It does, of course, depend on the power of the bullet, however, a lot of new model cars do not do well under fire.
Red cars are pulled over for speeding more than non-red cars.
Red is the fastest color, right? Well actually no, color does not make a difference at all. If you have a car which can achieve high speeds rapidly, like the Mercedes Benz SL Class convertible, then you might be more at risk because speeding is easier to achieve.
You need to change your oil every 3000 miles.
If you have a vehicle that was made in the 70s then sure, changing it every 300 miles won’t go astray. Nowadays this is a complete myth. If you want to know when to change your oil simply check your manual.
If you use your cell phone whilst pumping gas, it can trigger an explosion.
We’ve seen it in the movies before, so it must be true! Well, apparently there actually hasn’t ever been a documented incident where the use of wireless phone has been the cause of a fire at a gas station.
A bullet to the gas tank will cause a big explosion.
Mythbusters proved this one to be a myth on an episode where they shot at a gas tank with pistols, shotguns and a 30-06. The gas simply poured onto the ground.
BMW drivers are the biggest jerks on the road
Apparently, this myth is supposedly true! A 2012 traffic study suggested that BMW’s were the worst at letting pedestrians cross the road.
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