Preventative maintenance is a subject that always brings up many opinions and many myths and truths. With this in mind, we will answer many questions, such as whether it is true that going down hills in neutral is what saves fuel, whether heavy cars really consume more fuel, and other popular questions that come up every now and then in everyday life. Are you curious and want to know what the biggest myths and truths about preventative maintenance are? 1. To save fuel, I need to go down hills in neutral: MYTH! Nowadays, when a vehicle goes down a hill in gear, the fuel injection is cut off immediately. If you disengage the gear, the fuel injection starts the engine. This movement prevents wear on your vehicle's brake discs and/or drums. If you really want to save money, go down hills in gear. Pay attention to the fuel you put in your car. Be careful with cheap fuel, unfortunately, a lot of alcohol contains a lot of water and a lot of gasoline contains more alcohol than normal. 2. I need to check my car's oil level weekly: TRUE! This is something you should pay attention to! The function of oil is to lubricate, protect, improve performance and make your vehicle last longer, so be sure to check the level every week to see if it remains normal. And always check the car with the engine cold and on level ground. 3. The gas in my car's air conditioning has an expiration date: MYTH! There is no expiration date and there is no need to change it due to lack of use. What happens is that it becomes necessary to replace it if a leak occurs. If there is no such problem or major problems, the gas should be valid for the entire useful life of your car. Leaks occur when there are problems with the hoses or reservoir. 4. If you have a gas-powered car, unfortunately not in our region, the car is more economical: TRUE! Compared to gasoline-powered vehicles, gas-powered cars have an average of 61% more fuel economy. 5. Flex engines end up becoming addicted to certain fuels: MYTH! We don't need to worry about this, because the car's system is already prepared to recognize the fuel used, so the necessary adjustments, such as ignition angle, fuel quantity, idle speed, etc., are already made automatically and there is no chance of addiction. Just a tip: if you change fuel, drive around 3km to 5km before parking the car for a long time, this helps the car to read it correctly and avoid problems when starting. 6. My car is heavier, so it consumes more fuel: TRUE! The data doesn't lie, for every 100 kilos the vehicle has, it will consume the equivalent of 1 extra liter of fuel for every 100 km traveled. So, if this is your case, be aware of this important detail! 7. The weather has gotten cold, so I need to warm up my car's engine: This is a MYTH in Flex cars! Currently, this function is already performed by electronic injection. And, thanks to the higher performance of the oil and fuel pumps, the lubrication and the dosage of the air and fuel mixture are ready for the next start. Just warm up your car while it is moving. Carburetor cars, on the other hand, do need to warm up a little more because they do not have the same compensation as electronic injection cars. 8. If I drive with the windows open, my car will consume more fuel: TRUE! When we drive at more than 80 kilometers per hour with the windows open, it will have more resistance and consequently need more energy to continue the journey, so higher fuel consumption is inevitably necessary. 9. If I accelerate my car before starting it, the system will lubricate itself: MYTH! In fact, by doing this, the cylinder walls will lose the lubricating oil where the gasoline is pumped, which will not be able to be burned and will run down the cylinders. This will actually be detrimental to the next starts of the vehicle. 10. I can calibrate the tires cold or hot and there is no difference: MYTH This is not quite the case. Regarding cold tires, hot tires need to be calibrated with compensations that vary from 1 to 5 PSI more. Therefore, be careful and do not calibrate in the same way. If possible, always calibrate with colder tires, that is, until the car has been running for 3 km, after which the tires will be warmer. There are many myths about preventive maintenance that seem to be true, but are not. And paying attention to the facts and performing maintenance periodically is essential for your car to always be new and, above all, for driving safely! ✅ River Auto Peças e Auto Center: 📍 Av. Cel. Joaquim de Oliveira Prata, 574/630. 📞 (34) 2103-0800. 📸 https://instagr.am/riverautopecas​ 👍 https://fb.me/riverautocenter​ 🌐 https://www.riverautopecas.com.br