“Busted!” 5 Popular Car Myths No Driver should Believe

As a driver, you must always be wary of false beliefs regarding your beloved automobile. The Internet is full of useful information that can help you improve your car’s aesthetics and function, but it also has plenty of myths that may lead to misguided maintenance and wrong driving practices. And although it is unlikely that believing in such myths will cause harm to your car’s metal parts, it’s always better to be on the safe side. Here are five popular car myths that you should not fall for:

The 3,000-Kilometer Oil Change Rule

This topic has been discussed so many times online that you can find dozens of other pages solely dedicated to debunking this myth. While the 3,000-Kilometer Oil Change Rule have been somewhat relevant for automobiles of the past, it actually no longer applies to the more advanced vehicles of today. In fact, the mechanisms and features of the latest automobiles are so efficient that some people rarely take their rides to the mechanic for an oil change. Just as silly as believing this particular myth, by the way.

Overdrive Makes you Go Faster

Many people think that the overdrive function are for instances when they need to release their inner racecar driver in the high way. As it turns out, “kicking it into overdrive” only cool when you say it out loud, but when you actually use it, you’re simply putting your car into a more peaceful state. The overdrive function exists to make cruising at higher speeds more relaxed and efficient by lowering the engine’s RPMs, resulting into less noise, vibration, and wear.

Cop Cars are Secretly Super Fast

Don’t get me wrong, cop cars are in no way slow. More often than not, they can catch up to most vehicles, even the ones being marked for speeding. However, there is no secret ingredient that makes police cars extra fast – although it’s still cool to imagine that there’s a microchip out there that can give your car a sudden surge of power and torque. We’re thinking that this mindless myth came into existence the moment Hollywood became obsessed with those endless, high-speed car chases.

Letting your Engine Idle to “Warm It Up”

One of the most common misconceptions when it comes to vehicles involves the need to warm up the engine before going out for a ride. Truth be told, there is no benefit from idling your car for more than 30 seconds after tuning on the ignition. Anything more than that and you could be doing more harm than good to your car’s engine. The best way to heat up the car is to put it in gear and start driving as soon as possible. This allows the engine to efficiently reach the heat level it needs to be in. Don’t you just hate it when a myth like this complicates simple practices?

Off-Brand Gasoline is Bad for your Car

There is no proof that using off-brand gasoline results in any negative effect on the engine of your car. The quality standards that off-brand gasolines need to meet are the same as those that are sold in popular gas stations such as Shell and Petron. Although expensive gasoline does offer additional benefits to your vehicle, this doesn’t mean that the cheaper alternatives are a dangerous choice. Chances are, you won’t even notice the difference.

These are five popular car myths that we can officially label as “Busted!” You’ll probably encounter a few more if you’re the kind of person who participates a lot in forums, so better gets your facts straight whenever you get tips from a stranger. Drive safely, everyone!