If most of your driving involves traffic lights, school drop-offs, shopping trips and crawling through peak hour traffic, your car is working harder than you might think.
A 20-minute drive across the suburbs can involve dozens of stops, repeated braking, constant gear changes and plenty of idling. Compare that with cruising along a highway at a steady speed and it’s easy to see why city driving puts different demands on vehicles.
Most modern cars handle it perfectly well. The problem comes when small signs of wear are ignored or servicing is pushed back because the car still seems to be running normally.
Here are some of the problems that are more common with regular stop-start driving.
Brakes Wear Faster
This one is fairly obvious – more stopping means more brake use.
In city traffic, you’re braking for traffic lights, crossings, roundabouts, turning vehicles and the driver who has decided to change lanes directly in front of you, all those small stops add up.
Brake pads gradually wear down, and eventually the discs can be affected too.
Don’t wait for your brakes to start making a grinding noise. A squeal, vibration through the steering wheel or a brake pedal that feels different can all be reasons to have them checked.
Your Battery Gets Less Time to Recharge
Short trips are hard on car batteries. Starting the engine takes a decent amount of electrical energy. The alternator then has to replace it while you’re driving. If you’re doing several five- or ten-minute trips throughout the day, there may not be much time for the battery to recover fully.
This can become more noticeable during colder weather or when you’re using plenty of electrical equipment.
If the engine sounds sluggish when you turn the key or press the start button, don’t brush it off. A battery that is struggling to start the car is giving you a fairly clear warning.
Clutches and Transmissions Take a Workout
If you drive a manual, stop-start traffic means plenty of clutch work. You’re constantly moving off, stopping, changing gear and sometimes holding the car on an incline. Spending too much time with your foot resting on the clutch can add unnecessary wear.
Automatic transmissions have their own challenges. They are constantly responding to changes in speed, acceleration and load when you’re crawling through traffic.
That doesn’t mean your automatic transmission needs special treatment every time you hit a red light. It does mean that following the manufacturer’s servicing schedule is important, especially when your car spends most of its life in urban traffic.
Short Trips Aren’t Ideal for the Engine
Starting the car and driving five minutes down the road doesn’t give the engine much time to reach its normal operating temperature.
Do this repeatedly and your engine spends a lot of time warming up rather than running at its intended temperature. That’s one reason a car doing relatively low kilometres can still need regular servicing.
Cooling Systems Work Harder in Traffic
Here’s something you might not notice while you’re sitting in traffic, your car isn’t getting the same natural airflow through the radiator that it gets at highway speed.
At low speeds, the cooling fan has to do more of the work. A healthy cooling system will handle this without a problem, but if there’s an issue with the coolant level, radiator, thermostat, hoses or cooling fan, sitting in traffic can expose it pretty quickly.
Keep an eye on the temperature gauge. If it starts running hotter than normal, don’t ignore it. An overheating engine can turn a relatively minor cooling system issue into a very expensive repair.
Tyres Take Plenty of Abuse Around Town
Urban driving means kerbs, potholes, speed bumps and plenty of low-speed turning.
All of that can contribute to uneven tyre wear, particularly if your wheel alignment is already out.
Have a look at your tyres every now and then. If one edge is wearing noticeably faster than the rest of the tread, there’s a good chance something needs checking.
Tyre pressures matter too. Incorrect pressure affects braking, handling and fuel consumption, and can shorten the life of the tyre.
Pay Attention to the Little Things
Most vehicle problems don’t start with a breakdown, they’re usually much less dramatic than that.
The engine takes an extra second to start, there’s a new squeak when you brake, the steering wheel vibrates or the temperature gauge sits somewhere it normally doesn’t. These small changes are big clues.
If you’re looking for auto repairs, Joondalup’s Carcare can inspect your vehicle and work out what’s behind the problem. Stop-start driving is simply part of owning a car in the suburbs. You can’t avoid every red light or pothole, but you can stay on top of the wear that comes with them.
If something feels different, get it checked. Book a service with us online now.