The experts with the Car Care Council suggest these tips to turn your car into a mean, green driving machine – for your wallet and the environment.
Use your air conditioning only when needed. Parking in the shade and using a reflective windshield shade can help your car stay cooler when parked, meaning it takes less to cool it off when you get back in.
Follow a vehicle service schedule including fuelsaving steps like keeping tires properly inflated,
replacing air filters regularly and using the correct motor oil. Routine maintenance helps reduce emissions and fuel consumption, saving money at the pump.
Recycle or properly dispose motor oil, tires, batteries, fluids and other vehicle components to
help protect the planet when performing vehicle maintenance or repairs.
Drive green and recognize that how you drive has a lot to do with fuel economy. Avoid sudden
starts and stops and go the speed limit. Jerky and aggressive driving decreases your miles per
gallon (MPG) and increases wear and tear on your vehicle. Minimize unnecessary miles by
combining errands in one trip.
Perform needed maintenance. Providing general maintenance and having clean air filters will help your car pollute less and burn less gas. With a proper tune-up, you can save four percent on the cost of gas and up to 40 percent by replacing a faulty oxygen sensor. Simply changing the car’s air filter can improve vehicle performance.
Lighten the load by getting the junk out of the trunk and the excessive things out of your car.
Extra items weigh the vehicle down and cause an increase in gas usage. Of course, emergency items such as a spare tire, flashlight and a first-aid kit should always have a place inside your car.
Check your vehicle’s gas cap and avoid unnecessary fill-ups. Loose, damaged or missing
gas caps cause millions of gallons of gas to evaporate into the air every year. Topping off your
gas tank when filling up your car can also release harmful vapors into the environment.
The Car Care Council’s free customized service schedule makes it easy to be green, drive smart and save money. For more information about this schedule, tips on environmental awareness, as well as the popular digital Car Care Guide, visit www.carcare.org.
DID YOU KNOW? Proper tire pressure can improve gas mileage by 3.3 percent or 10 cents per gallon.
When filling up your car, remember to stop when the nozzle shuts off! Topping off the gas tank can release harmful vapors into the environment and waste money. Remember, your tank needs some extra room to allow the gasoline to expand. Some pumps engineered to protect the environment draw extra vapors back into the pump, meaning you pay for more gas than you are getting, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
