6 Car Myths, Busted

There are some car myths that simply won’t D-I-E. Generations have passed, and still, these false beliefs continue to deceive unsuspecting victims into thinking they’re actually true.

If we’re going to rank the most mistaken beliefs related to automobiles and driving, then here are definitely the top ones we’re putting on our list:

1. You should warm up your car first by keeping it idle for a long time

No, you don’t, and you’re actually just wasting gas when you’re doing this. Truth is, automotive technology has gotten so much better that you just need to idle it for around 30 seconds. Anything longer than that is just money drained. We’ve written a long article about it here.

2. Premium Fuel makes your car perform better

This is a myth in most cases. We say most because there are some cases where it’s actually beneficial to use premium fuel for your vehicle. For instance, if your car’s compression ratio is above 11:1, or if it uses direct-fuel injection or turbocharged engines, then premium fuel can be beneficial to use. However, if it’s just a standard compression ratio (like 8:1), then you’re just wasting your money buying premium.

In short, a car’s engine is designed to work for a particular fuel. If its manual says to use ‘regular’ fuel, then use regular. If it says ‘premium,’ then go with premium. It’s as simple as that.

3. You need to change your oil every 4,000+ kilometers

You don’t need to religiously change your car fuel every 4,000 kilometers. A much better indicator of when to change it is to consult your car manual. It’s far more reliable to trust the one that actually manufactured it than relying on hearsay alone.

4. It’s better to buy gas from branded gas stations compared to the unbranded ones

Many of the gas stations we have right now import fuel from the same oil-producing countries. What’s more, they all follow the same fuel standard regulations in the Philippines. So basically, there’s no difference here–except perhaps on the engine-cleaning additives they may include in their formula.

5. Pumping gas on a specific time of the day will save you more money

They say pumping gas during mornings will save you money because they’re denser, which leads to more gas getting inside the tank. That’s not true.

However, what’s true is that pumping gas on a specific day–like Mondays or Wednesdays–will save you more money in the long run. Here’s the reason why.

6. Using your cellphone while pumping gas will make your car explode

This is another common fallacy that refuses to go to the grave. And while this can be true in extremely rare instances (such as if you have a defective battery that can cause a spark from your phone), using a regular, functioning cellphone (and its signals) isn’t really the cause when an explosion happens.  And the true culprits? They’re actually static electricity and fuel vapors.