With gas prices on the rise, there is no better time than now to think about vehicle maintenance. “Proper car care is critical during the travel season,” said Rich White, executive director of the Car Care Council. “With gas prices exceeding an average $2 per gallon for the first time in history, performing a few basic, inexpensive maintenance checks will make road trips both safe and fuel efficient.”
In light of the higher gasoline prices, the Car Care Council suggests you pay attention to these items:
* Vehicle gas caps. About 17 percent of the vehicles on the roads have gas caps that are either damaged, loose or are missing altogether, causing 147 million gallons of gas to vaporize every year.
* Underinflated tires. When tires aren’t inflated properly, it’s just as though you are driving with the parking brake on, which can cost you a mile or two per gallon.
* Worn spark plugs. A vehicle can have either four, six or eight spark plugs which fire as many as 3 million times every 1,000 miles, resulting in a lot of heat and electrical and chemical erosion. A dirty spark plug causes misfiring, which wastes fuel. Spark plugs need to be replaced regularly.
* Dirty air filters. An air
filter that is clogged with dirt, dust and bugs chokes off the air and creates a “rich” mixture – too much gas being burned for the amount of air, which wastes gas and causes the engine to lose power. Replacing a clogged air filter can improve gas mileage by as much as 10 percent, saving about 15 cents per gallon.
Here are some fuel-saving driving tips from the Car Care Council:
* Don’t be an aggressive driver. Aggressive driving can lower gas mileage by as much as 33 percent on the highway and 5 percent on city streets, which wastes 7 cents to 49 cents per gallon.
* Avoid excessive idling. Sitting idle gets zero miles per gallon. Letting the vehicle warm up for one to two minutes is sufficient.
* Observe the speed limit. Gas mileage decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph. Each mile driven over 60 mph will result in an additional cost of 10 cents per gallon. To maintain a constant speed on the highway, use cruise control.
Source: copyrightfreecontent.com.
Few more tips which help you to keep your car in very good shape:
1. Clean your car inside and outside every month.
2. Change the oil every 8000-10000 km and use a reliable brand.
3. Check tire pressure every month and swap wheels every 8000-10000 km.
4. Change brake pads every 30,000-40,000 km or earlier if your brakes wear out.
5. Make sure the rearview mirrors are always in order.
6. Keep an eye on the interior of your car to maintain its high resale value.
7. Replace all the bad bulbs in the headlights as soon as you can.
8. If you are not going to drive the car for a while, make sure it is stored properly.
9. Change the air filter every 30,000-50,000 km or every year.
10. Make sure your car is ready for the cold winter.
11. Keep your engine temperature balanced by changing antifreeze every 20,000-40000 km or every two years.
12. Check if there are factory reviews of your car that you may not know about.
13. Check spark plugs every 30,000–40,000 km and be sure to change them every 70,000–80,000 km.
14. Prevent damage to your car by parking in the shade and using curtains on windows.