Car Tips #127: Common Car Myths That Are False – Pt 1 By Frank-Ling / Oct 13, 2015 share Facebook Twitter Google + LinkedIn Pinterest Email Share... Over the years everyone has picked up popular advice and information connected to common car myths. Lots of this car wisdom is useful and right, but a significant number of them are just plain wrong.One car myth is that larger autos, such as SUVs, are safer than standard passenger cars. This makes sense as the more metal you have wrapped around you, the safer it is in collisions or accidents.This is sort of true, but in reality SUVs don’t qualify as “cars," in the strictest sense, but as trucks. And trucks don’t have to meet the same safety engineering standards as passenger cars. So the short answer is "no" because they qualify as trucks.Leather Seats are Better Than ClothHere’s another piece of advice that seems correct on the surface, but this car myth couldn’t be further from the truth. It may seem as though leather seats will be easier to clean than cloth, but the truth is, there’s a lot of work maintaining leather seats.You’ll need to treat the leather at least 4-times a year, with special conditioners and cleaners to preserve it; your seats won’t adapt to temperatures easily so they will always be too hot or too cold, and most consumer leather seats are made from low-quality leather, which may not be worth the extravagant cost.Oh, did we mention that the great leather scent you smell on these seats is artificially added with chemicals?It’s OK to Sit in the Car While RefuelingA lot of people do this so they don’t have to stand in the cold, they want to take care of a phone call in the car, or just don’t want to stand around for five or more minutes waiting for the car to fill-up.Some car experts recommend against this for several reasons. First, if you aren't by the pump and something goes wrong such as the nozzle popping out, or some other malfunction, if you are in the car, you won't be able to address the emergency in time.Secondly, and you’ve probably seen this happen, a person may forget that they’re still connected to the gas pump and drive off...with the hose and nozzle still attached to the car. Embarrassing? Yes. Dangerous? It could be.Bottom line: don’t be lazy--stay outside your car until it’s filled up.Convertibles Are Less Safe than HardtopsBack-in-the-day this was absolutely true. If you got into a rollover accident, you would be in some serious trouble. But today’s convertibles are not your father’s convertibles. Modern ones are just as safe in side collisions as hardtops.And in the case of a rollover accident, popup rollbars automatically deploy to keep your head safe and sound—provided, of course, that you’re wearing your seat belt.Source: Supercompressor