Most owners mistreat their cars

 Are you running your car ragged?

Chances are, you might not even know it if you were, a recent AAA survey indicates. Some 62 percent of motorists run their vehicles hard but just 6 percent know they do.

That means almost two in three people often drive:

• Fewer than five miles in normal temperatures or less than 10 when it’s freezing.
• In stop-and-go traffic in hot weather.
• Slower than 50 miles per hour over long distances.
• On roads that are dusty, muddy or have salt, sand or gravel spread on them.
• Towing a trailer, carrying a camper (if a pickup truck) or with items latched to a roof rack or stowed in a carrier.

Now, many motorists know they drive like that, they just don’t know that they ought to be replacing parts and fluids more often, AAA says. Owner’s manuals usually list two different maintenance schedules — one for normal driving and one for severe workouts.

So most cars likely don’t get the upkeep they should.

How about that. Looks like I’ll be going over my maintenance recommendations.

• AAA statement