Do you know why SUV’s are gaining popularity among car enthusiasts? SUVs are the favorites among car lovers today because they last longer, they run more efficiently, they look richer, and they command a higher resale value.
But, just like any other car, you only get these advantages if you treat your SUV the way it is designed to be treated. So, here are some helpful tips that will enable you to enjoy these advantages in your newly purchased SUV.
Learn how to use your SUV correctly
If you are new to SUVs, you may not be able to understand some of the subtle things about its performance and capabilities. Therefore, apart from reading the operator’s manual, you might have to ask the repair tech or any special technician of the car company to give you a walk through on your SUV’s capabilities.
This is an expensive car, with many new options that you are not familiar with. Rather than doing it by trial and error, which may result in damage or accident, just ask the tech man to teach you how to operate its many apparatus and gadgets.
Get acquainted with its maintenance schedule and strictly follow it
Even an expensive car equipped with all the expensive monitoring systems will eventually run down, if its preventive maintenance schedule is ignored. SUVs are very expensive to repair therefore, proper maintenance is imperative.
You should strictly follow the preventive maintenance schedule set by the car company. The SUV maintenance schedule is set up for your benefit, not theirs. This will ensure that you will have your SUV in tip-top shape every time you drive it and that you will be able to protect your car from unforeseen damages.
Don’t overuse it
Learn to respect your SUV. Of course, it is built to carry heavy loads and run long routes. But it also has a limit. If you always use it to its limits, you might find it getting old very soon.
So, learn how to load it. Balancing your load means a lot to its chassis, shock absorbers, braking system and a lot more. Asking the advice of the car company’s tech specialist will be a good thing before you drive home your SUV.
Brake early, but slowly
SUVs are heavier than bantam or passenger cars by as much as two to three times. As such, they need more braking power and braking time to get them to a full stop. Therefore, your braking distance should be increased, especially when the road is wet.
It should be indicated in your operator’s manual, but it won’t hurt you to ask the car tech man about this while you’re still in the car shop.
Drive your SUV according to the road condition
The engine of your SUV is much more powerful than the ordinary passenger car you’ve been driving before. You need to give proper respect to the huge monster inside your car. The road condition will tell you if you can put to use most of its horses.
Release its full power only when the road conditions are safe and ideal. Oftentimes, you only need to use a portion of its power to get to where you want to go. If not, you are courting disaster.
Always check your fuel gauge
SUVs are gas guzzlers. That is a given since the cylinders in their engines are larger. So, don’t let the pointer on the fuel gauge dive down below the red line before you gas up, or you will find yourself stuck in the middle of the road, with no gas to power up your SUV’s huge engine.
