Jack's Body Shop

Three Myths about Your Car’s Engine

If people hear something enough, they’ll eventually believe it – just like the story about the woman in The Dalles, OR who tried drying her poodle off by putting it in the microwave, or the one where Walt Disney's head was cryogenically frozen. They’re called urban legends and are usually 100% fiction, but for some reason many people will swear that they’re true. We know here at [name[ that, just like any topic, the automtoive industry has its own myths and legends.

Three Myths about Your Car’s Engine

If you want your car to live a long and healthy life, check out these misconceptions about your internal combustion motor and become an more informed driver. Stats show that the average driver in the United States believes these myths, so Jack's Body Shop of The Dalles, OR is going to finally debunk them once and for all!

1. Warm up your engine before you drive: Today’s fuel-injected engines don’t need to be warmed up in cold weather. In reality, an idling car takes longer to warm up, thereby exposing the engine to more wear and tear than it would if you were simply driving around town. The old Ford or Chevy that still uses a carburetor would need to be warmed up, but anything built after 1990 is most likely have a fuel injected engine. So, you don’t have to sit there in the morning waiting for your car to ‘warm up’—just jump in and start driving.

2. Fuel additives are good for your engine: Sure, impurities in your gasoline can clog your engine, but since 1995, all gasoline manufacturers have been mandated by law to add detergents to their fuel to prevent buildup. That means there’s no true advantage to using additives. Many of these additives are not cheap and the manufacturers of them will scare you into using them—but don’t fall for it! Save your hard earned money by staying away from expensive fuel additives, because in reality, they won’t help your motor one iota.

3. Get regular engine tune-ups: Today’s tune-ups are little more involved than the fairly simple sparkplug and air filter replacements of the past. Everything else is automatically tuned up many times each day by your car’s onboard computer. Short of a checkup every 50,000 miles, you surely don’t have to head to the nearest repair shop in The Dalles just for a tune-up every 3,000 miles. Now remember, you still have to change your oil on a regular basis (look at your manual for how often), but paying for a tune-up every time you change the oil is overkill and not necessary. The tune-up companies will tell you different, but if you'd ask  Jack's Body Shop, you’d find out that most people tune-up their cars way too much.

Your car’s engine is the heart of your vehicle, and the most important part of any automobile. Take these debunked myths to heart, and you’ll save time, money, and headache by treating your engine right, and staying clear of these common, completely mythical claims about your car’s engine.