Keep your Vehicle in Good Working Condition
Vehicles that aren’t well cared for are going to end up using more gas than those well maintained. Don’t wait until your vehicle stalls on the highway or it won’t star to give it some attention. Preventative measures work very well when it comes to vehicle operations and to how much fuel they will use.
Make sure you take the time to get your oil changed regularly and to keep it full of the necessary fluids. It can save you money if you are able to take care of these things on your own. If not, make sure you schedule regular appointments. It is a good idea to have your oil changed every three months or every 3,000 miles. Go by which one of them takes place first.
Some people put on a great deal of miles each month while others don’t. Track this information so you don’t have to guess when your oil needs to be changed. If it takes you a year to put 3,000 miles on your car you certainly don’t want the same oil running through the engine.
It is vital to use a good quality of oil in your vehicle. This will help keep various aspects of it operating like it should. Check your oil often too just in case it gets low in between oil changes. When you buy oil look for the brands that offer energy conservation ingredients. This will reduce the amount of friction that is created and thus improve your fuel conservation.
Pay close attention to the grade of oil you use as well. Each vehicle has a standard type that is recommended so find out what it is. You may be able to still have a good operating vehicle with a different grade but it will result in your vehicle burning more fuel.
Pay attention to changes in how your vehicle sounds or operates. If you can hear noises that it wasn’t making before you need to have a mechanic check it out. This can prevent you from more serious damage that will occur if you don’t. It can also save you money of gas because you may have something wrong that is using more.
For example you may have a bad fuel injector. This means every time you start your vehicle more gas is being pushed through the valve than there should be. As a result of this you will be using excessive fuel.
Any time you can smell gas when you start your vehicle this is likely the problem. Your car will still operate but you won’t be as fuel efficient as you would be otherwise. Some people blow of such concerns as they don’t notice any difference in how their vehicle operates.
When you stop to consider how many times in a typical day you start your vehicle, that is quite a bit of fuel being wasted. Each of the fuel injectors can be replaced at a cost of about $80 including labor so it is well worth the investment. The repairs can easily be done in an afternoon for you so it won’t mean you are without your vehicle at all.
One of the most serious types of vehicle repairs that needs to be done to save you fuel is replacing a bad oxygen sensor. This can result in your car using about 40% more fuel than it should. That is an unbelievable amount of it that you will be losing out on.
While a new oxygen sensor can cost a couple hundred dollars, you will be spending at least that much in additional fuel. The amount of time it will take you to waste that much fuel depends on how many miles a day you drive. It is more cost effective to drop that money into replacing the part than it is to continue paying for gas almost twice as often as you should be.
For most vehicles, an air filter only costs about $3 or $4. Yet it will allow you to have about 10% more fuel efficiency on your vehicle. As a standard practice, you should have this checked each time you are either changing your oil or having someone do it for you.
Even if your air filter doesn’t look bad you should replace it every 3 to 4 months. Some people find that it is just as effective to take theirs out and to blow it out with pressure from an air compressor. It depends on how much effort you want to put into the process.
Both seem to work equally well though as long as the air filter isn’t torn or damaged. Make sure you carefully inspect it before you place it back into the vehicle. If you decide it does need replaced it is essential that you use the right size of filter.
They all have numbers on them that you can get from the internet, books at the automotive section, or you can have someone at the counter look it up for you. Many of them look similar in size so don’t assume which one fits without comparing the numbers first.
Many people check their tires on a regular basis to ensure they aren’t wearing unevenly or needing to be replaced. It is also important to check the amount of air in each of the tires. They should be within a couple of pounds of each other. You will save more fuel if you make sure this is the case.
It will also allow your tires to last longer so that will cut down on the expense of replacing them as often. Tires aren’t cheap so this is one expense you don’t want to have to cover if it isn’t absolutely necessary. Besides not having enough pressure in your tires is a road hazard and you don’t want that on your mind when you are driving.
You don’t want to have too much air in them either as that can become a very serious road hazard for you as well. Refer to your owner’s manual or look up the information on line so you can have the right amount of pounds in them. You should carry a tire gauge in your glove box for easy access.
Doing so will allow you to check the pressure in your tires when you are at home as well as when you are fueling up. It isn’t always easy to visually see that there isn’t the same amount of pressure in the tires so make sure you check.
These gauges are simple to work. You just place them on the valve and the stem will move out to show you how much air you have. If you have too much air then remove some of it. Then recheck with the gauge to make sure you didn’t let too much of it out.
When you add air you want to do so only a bit at a time. Check it with the gauge to make sure you are on target. Most convenient stores and gas stations have air you can get for free or for a deposit of a few quarters. Make sure you find a place to add air as soon as possible for safety and for maximum fuel efficiency.