REVEALED: Five bad habits Irish motorists have that is ruining their vehicles

Motorists across Ireland have been urged to stop making five common mistakes which could be ruining their vehicles. 

Bad habits include attaching heavy keyrings to a car key, shadowing the clutch and resting a hand on the gearstick.

Jake Smith, director of Absolute Reg said: “There are several bad driving habits that motorists would’ve picked up over the years, and some that even new drivers can be guilty of.

“Anyone who has heavy keys or decorations on their car keys should take them off, as the pressure put on the ignition could cause problems to the engine.

“Another bad habit motorists should stop is driving over potholes - in situations when it is safe to do so, you should avoid potholes on the road otherwise your wheels, tyres and underneath your car could become damaged.”

Here are the five ways drivers are damaging their vehicles without realising:

Heavy car keys ruining the ignition

Attaching lots of decorative keyrings onto the set of car keys could cause the ignition to stop functioning. The constant downward pressure from heavy keys on the vehicle can cause damage to the delicate components of the ignition, causing further problems to the engine and potentially failing to start the car again.

Resting on the gearstick

Keeping your hand on the stick can cause unnecessary damage to the gearbox, meaning the vehicle may stop working efficiently. Issues with gears could cause cars to shake or jerk whilst driving.

Riding the clutch

Drivers should kick any bad habits of keeping their foot on the clutch after changing gears. This is called riding the clutch, and will likely lead to excessive wear which means it’ll need repairing more often.

Driving over potholes

It’s best to swerve around potholes rather than driving straight over them, when it is safe to do so. Potholes can cause damage to the underneath of the vehicle if driven over at speed, as well as scraped wheels and cuts to the tyre.

Ignoring dashboard lights

It might be tempting to just ignore any warning lights on the dashboard, especially if you’re unfamiliar with what they mean. But any lights should be investigated as soon as possible in case a bigger problem arises.