Believing these common myths could actually lead to car troubles down the road.
11 Common Car Myths Debunked
Published on Feb. 19, 2025
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Premium Helps Performance
False! This gas may be more expensive, but that doesn’t mean it’s purer or cleaner than the regular gas that you fill up with. This gas is used for particular cars that need fuel that is less combustible, but it won’t make any difference to your normal vehicle.
You’ll know if your vehicle requires premium gas by reading your manual. If your car’s engine requires a higher-octane level then you should use premium. If not, don’t waste your money!
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Replace All Tires at the Same Time
Sure this logic could make sense, but it’s actually not needed. Just because one tire needs to be replaced doesn’t mean you need to fork over the money to replace all four. As long as the tire is the same brand, model, and size, you are good to go! Here’s how to change a car tire if you’re stranded.
Note: This only applies if you do not have an all-wheel drive vehicle. In that case, it is recommended that you change all of your tires at the same time.
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Driving with My Truck’s Tailgate Down Is More Fuel Efficient
Popular Mechanics tested this theory and found that the truck had more drag with the tailgate down versus up. However, they did find that replacing the tailgate with a mesh did prove to be fuel-efficient—equally on par with driving with no tailgate, or driving with the hardcover top and the tailgate up.
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I should change my coolant fluid and air filters when getting my oil changed
The mechanic may recommend you to change these out “while they’re at it”, but in all honesty, you may not need to change them out quite yet. An oil change doesn’t garner a need to change out your coolant fluid and air filters. Instead, check your car’s manual to see what the proper timing is to replace these instead of getting ripped off by replacing them too often.
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Electric Cars Are More Likely to Catch Fire
Not true! In 2012, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration did an investigation on this, concluding that electric vehicles do not “pose a greater risk of fire than gasoline-powered vehicles.”
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Change Your Oil Every 3,000 Miles
That’s right, you can actually wait longer until filling up with fresh oil. Modern cars can go as far as 10,000 miles without fresh oil.
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You Don’t Have to Change the Oil
Yes, you do! Although some people tried to prove that cars do not need oil changes, this is certainly a myth that could lead to a failure of your engine. By not refreshing your car with new oil, your dirty oil will stop lubricating the engine and will cause it to wear and fail.
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Warm Up You Car Before Driving in Cold
This age-old practice of warming up your engine before driving is no longer true. It’s actually bad for your car to let it idle. It puts extra fuel into the combustion chamber, which can get into your cylinder walls. Without gasoline, the oil won’t dissolve. So it’s actually recommended to wait a mere 30 seconds before driving since gasoline will do the work of warming up your engine for you. This is due to the change of the types of cars people acquire these days.
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Jet Fuel Will Make My Car More Powerful
Although it may seem that this fuel is powerful compared to normal gas, it actually won’t do your car any good. One gas station in New Jersey made this mistake by filling up cars with jet fuel, which resulted in numerous cars stalling out.
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You’ll Get More Gas if You Fill Up in the Morning
Mornings are a bit cooler than midday—so when the air is cool, gas is denser, right? Well actually, the temperature of the gas doesn’t change much when the air is cooler, which means you really aren’t saving any money when filling up in the cold. Gas temperature should be relatively the same 24 hours of the day, which means waking up super early for a gas run isn’t making any difference for your wallet.
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If You’re About to Collide with a Moose, Speed Up.
Okay, okay, this one is a bit crazy. But this is a myth that has been tested and busted! When accelerating, the whole top of the car can bend in and the damage could be much worse compared to hitting your brake. This could also do some serious damage to your roof.
