A mechanic has issued a stark warning to drivers about the potential pitfalls of pressing a certain button on their car dashboards. Scotty Kilmer, a mechanic who has become an internet sensation for his vehicle maintenance tips, has shared another piece of advice as motorists navigate the winter season.
Scotty explained: “Today I’m going to tell you why you might think twice before tuning on your ECT power button on a modern car. In this Toyota, when you push the ECT power button, it puts your electronically controlled transmission into power mode.”
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He added: “Yes, you get more power, but you’re going to get worse gas mileage too. What it does is make your transmission shift at higher RPMs, the engine spins faster you use more gasoline. And with the price of gasoline these days you don’t want to use up more gasoline so my advice is only use that power button when you really need to.”
He further advised, “If you’re in a big hurry, to get out the way of a storm or something then go ahead but don’t make it normal practice or you’ll use more fuel and your engine and transmission will spin faster and also wear out faster.”
One driver responded to Scotty’s advice, saying: “If its not a performance car, just drive it and appreciate its reliability and low cost of ownership. Treat a good economy car right and it will take care of you good.”
One owner noted: “In the 2013 RAV4 it’s called the sport button, when I drive around town it is always in sport mode, I only use ECO when I’m going on a long road trip. Around town ECO vs Sport gas mileage really isn’t much of a money difference for me to worry about, but the added pep from Sport mode makes a world of difference for me.”