Some 182s from the 70's (and Cardinals too) have the tanks set up where both tanks are connected to the same vent and consequently the fuel system in flight can get itself into a situation where one tank is literally being siphoned to the other in flight when the selector is on both, so some folks just automatically use the separate right and left selection.
Cessna Pilots Association has a good write up on this and how to work on it to minimize it with the help of your mechanic, but...
They also point out that if you look at all of the fuel diagrams from the start of the 182 line of aircraft up to the modern ones, Cessna kept adding cross-over vents and lines in an attempt to fix what ultimately is a vent/pressure issue between the tanks, and in the process of doing that they created some almost unstoppable fuel paths between the wings until fuel is really really low.
So basically, putting the fuel selector on left or right *sometimes* isolates the tanks from each other but the later in model year you go, it becomes worthless.
You either fix the vent positions and make sure the lines are free of obstructions/kinks while also testing the "emergency" vents in both fuel caps (there in case the main vent isn't working, the little "rubber" part gets pulled open by too much "suction" in the tank to keep the bladders from collapsing inside the wing -- until you get to the wet wing models) -- or you just live with whatever you get on the "both" setting.
I tend to just leave mine on both, unless there's a huge imbalance during a long XC or I want to stop *some* of the cross feeding on an uneven ramp.
We had to move the only vent on the left side a bit up and twist it inward to properly "hide" it behind the strut -- CPA calls out the Cessna document on the issue and that's the number one thing I see on other Cessnas that contributes the most to the problem. Cessna's doc gives measurements for how much of that vent tube should be in the airflow down to one-hundredths of an inch, which gives a clue as to how touchy it is, and just hammering around in slow-flight versus cruise is going to change the pressure and flow of air into that vent tube anyway... You'll only ever get it "just right" for a particular cruise airspeed.
After a long high-speed descent and jump out quick, you can often hear that the system got a bit pressurized and there will be gurgling and bubbling noises at the vent if you listen closely. Especially a bladder system. Too much of this flexes the bladders a bit each time you fly so getting that vent behind the strut at the level flight attitude and cruise speed is critical -- if you're nitpicky about things.
If you ever have a serious in-flight pressure buildup from the vent, you can "blow out" the vents in the fuel caps and sometimes send amazing amounts of fuel overboard. Hard to see in a high-wing too. Might even just not see it and wonder where all the fuel went after a flight. That scenario should be a big red flag anytime (way higher than normal fuel burn) but some folks can't/won't track it. (When was the last time you saw a real fuel burn chart over time for a rental for example?)
Due to a safety discussion with my co-owners and because our home hangar is generally level, we also don't bother with left/right when parked on the ground as long as we're not fully topped off and concerned about the typical small leak from the vent -- which can turn into a siphon and drop an impressive amount of fuel on the hangar floor if it gets a little stuck open.
The reason? Leave it in a position where if the next guy to go flying forgets a checklist item he's not sucking fuel from an empty tank for takeoff.
Short-circuit that accident chain, basically.
Same reason we leave the cowl flaps open in the hangar. Outside I close 'em to avoid the nesting birds and critters from being too tempted. Still have to look in every orifice, but it's just another "courtesy" thing we do.
So, even within the same type, you'll find little differences like the bejillion cross-feed paths in the mid-year and beyond Skylanes.
Bottom line is: Know your particular aircraft's fuel system.