Car breakdowns can be a real drain on your wallet. There are many that arrive without warning, but others are forged slowly through bad habits and practices without the driver realizing it.
And according to Felipe Sacristán, mechanic and educator of the Taller Redista channel, one of the most expensive ones starts right after you turn the key.
The 40-second rush that can end up costing thousands of euros
And yes, it has to do with starting the car in the morning. The reason is extraordinarily common: starting the car without waiting, without letting the engine settle, without giving the oil time to reach all the internal components, which at the same time is a matter widely debated among professionals and non-professionals.
Here we have the voice of a veteran mechanic: “When you start the car in the morning, you should always leave it idling for 30 or 40 seconds without revving. That will make the oil move through the whole engine and prevent things like this from happening,” explains Sacristán.
@tallerredista Consejo 25 #CONSEJO #taller #bmw #motor #coches #madrid #mecanico ♬ sonido original – Taller RedISTA
Beyond theory, which many defend, Sacristán resorts to a practical case; he simply records and shows a real client case whose engine ended up exposed on the workbench after years of repeating the same habit.
Why? Now, the theory: when a car sits idle for hours, much of the oil ends up deposited in the sump. When starting, the pump begins moving it again through galleries, channels and bearings to create the lubricating film that protects the metal parts.
There is a basic concept to understand: the process is fast, but not instantaneous. That means that if the driver demands effort from the engine as soon as it starts, some components begin to work before receiving optimal lubrication, and that’s when the problem appears. As Sacristán explains, the client explicitly admitted that his daily routine consisted of “starting and running off in the morning.”
Now, what does this habit materialize into? Mechanically, the result has been premature wear on the connecting rod bearings and on the crankshaft bearings, two elements that depend entirely on proper lubrication to survive. The situation reached such a point that it was necessary to machine the crankshaft itself.
He explains: “It has been necessary to machine the crankshaft to 0.25 because the client confessed that what he does in the mornings is start and run off.”
Beyond the damaged component, the problem with this type of failure is reaching it; machining a crankshaft involves opening the engine, dismantling numerous internal elements, replacing bearings, and performing precision machining work. Hours and hours of labor that naturally, substantially raise the final bill.
That is why Sacristán sums up the whole story with a sentence far simpler than any technical explanation: “A very expensive breakdown that can be avoided by staying calm in the morning.”
Images | TikTok, Unsplash
