If you bought a new car recently, there are certain habits you should not adopt for the sake of your car, or else you'd find yourself incurring unnecessary costs that could have been avoided.

A lot of people who have owned cars for a little longer might have experienced a number of issues with their cars without knowing the cause. A number of them even end up blaming the brand of the car for those issues. Though sometimes a car model could come with its weaknesses particular to that car make, however, more often than not, the lifespan of a car is greatly affected by how it is used and handled from the time it was bought.

For you to fully enjoy the durability and optimal performance of your car, you must be well aware of the consequences of certain practices done in the course of daily usage and maintenance. Here are 15 careless common car mistakes that will cost you:

15 Driving With A Cold Engine

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Motor experts recommend running your car and only letting it idle for 3 seconds. What happens when you drive the engine cold is that you're allowing more fuel into the combustion chambers. Another effect of driving your engine cold can be seen in the car's performance as it will reduce significantly over time.

RELATED: 15 Bad Things That Shorten The Lifespan Of Your Car

14 Driving With An Overheating Engine

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A car's engine could overheat for a number of reasons. There might be an issue with the engine itself, the car's coolant that regulates its engine's temperature is not circulating as it should, there might be a leak of the coolant or the general climate is too hot.

Whatever the reason may be, if you experience an overheating engine, you need to stop driving immediately, park your car and open the hood up to let out the heat to avoid damage on your car.

13 Ignoring Dashboard Warnings

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Your Dashboard is a direct means for your car to tell you what's going on inside of it. If you have a good grasp of what all the lights and indicators on your dashboard mean, then you must try not to ignore the warnings. The Empty fuel tank indicator has to be one of the most ignored warnings on the dashboard.

12 Shifting Into Reverse While Rolling Forward

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Choosing to reverse while driving or rolling forward can prove to be a costly move. In rare situations, your car could come out unscathed after pulling this, However, most times, doing this causes engine delay and issues with the transmission.

John Paul, AAA's car doctor of Southern New England said this: "For those less fortunate the transmission self-destructs, and in most cases will require a complete replacement."

11 Running The Tank Down To Empty

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Many car owners probably think they can get away with this because of the reserve tank in cars. What you might not know is that the reserve tank differs in size between cars. Notwithstanding, driving on an empty tank will only hurt your car as it can cause a clog in the fuel line and sucks money out of your pocket in the long-run.

10 Cruising Over Potholes And Speed Bumps

Cruising over Potholes and Speed Bumps
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Whenever you see a speed bump or pothole, the normal thing to do is slow down, or in the case of potholes, tactfully maneuver around it or over it. Charging at these things with high speed surprisingly causes so many problems all at once for your car. From shattered shock absorbers to suspension problems, this habit could end up costing you a fortune.

9 Ignoring Strange Sounds

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This is one habit a lot of car-owners with older cars are guilty of. You start to hear odd sounds but you think its nothing serious or you could manage it. Often times these sounds serve as warning signals and if promptly attended to, will save you a considerable amount of money in the long-run.

RELATED: 10 Most Common Mistakes Young Drivers Make

8 Defrosting With Hot Water

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During the winter, car windshields could get covered with thin layers of ice. Car-owners often resort to a 'quick' fix of defrosting the windshield with hot water or lukewarm water. It might seem like a logical solution, however, the boiling water can cause the windshield to crack because of the abrupt temperature change. It is always advisable to defrost with the car's engine or with an ice-scraper.

7 Not Using The Hand Brake

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Just for clarity's sake, if you drive an auto, putting your car in Park is not a hand brake. A handbrake is a lever-like feature that ensures the car is secured in place when parking. As a safety measure, it is recommended to always use your handbrake after parking to prevent the car from rolling away and inadvertently getting damaged or causing injury to others.

6 Using The Wrong Oil

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Generally, the viscosity of engine oil is of higher importance than the brand of oil. Engine oils these days are multigrade and come in different types of viscosity. Repeatedly using engine oil with the wrong viscosity could cause oil leaks, reduce your car's mileage and affect your engine's life span in the long run. One way to know the required engine oil specifications is by checking the car manual.

5 Pumping The Wrong Fuel

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This is not a habit but a mistake on the part of car owners. Pumping in the wrong fuel, that is, fueling a diesel engine with gasoline or a gasoline engine with diesel, can generate a lot of costs because the solution to the damage it causes after starting the car is usually a fuel system replacement. This calls for more caution when you're at the gas station.

RELATED: 25 Mistakes Drivers Subconsciously Make That Lessen A Car's Life

4 Using Winter Tires All Year Long

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There is a reason why there are specially made tires for different seasons. Winter tires are designed to be more flexible and relatively softer than other season tires. This exposes the tires to easy wear and tear on harder roads in warmer temperatures and will ultimately affect the car's overall performance. In essence, taking the time to mount the right tires for a particular season will save you a lot of money.

3 Waiting Too Long Between Washes

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You might not see any harm in letting some dirt stay a little too long on your car, it's just a little dirt, isn't it? The long term effect of this habit is that the exterior looks and paintwork will start to wear off, Thus; making the car look older than it should. Not only that, but you are probably putting your car's important parts at risk of erosion.

2 Washing And Detailing With The Wrong Cleaning Products

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Using cheap cleaning products or solutions for washing and detailing your car can cause your car's appearance to look worn out. The whole point of detailing is to restore the car to its original state or something close to it, so professionals have to use specific products when carrying out the deep clean. Taking your car to a reputable establishment for washing and detailing regularly can help reduce future costs.

1 Driving With Low Tire Pressure

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Consumer reports state: "No routine maintenance task is more important than keeping your tires properly inflated." Low tire pressure could lead to wear and tear of the tires, So if you have been wondering why you always need a tire replacement, this is why. You can always find guidelines on the correct amount of tire pressure needed for your car in your car's manual.

NEXT: 10 Mistakes Everyone Makes With Their First Car