Car Servicing – How Do You Save Fuel?

No one likes to spend a chunk of change at the petrol pumps. Rising fuel prices, however, have spurred drivers to focus on how to improve their fuel economy. Nationwide, we can travel thousands of kilometres less each month during times of high fuel prices but we still need to drive (we are car-lovers after all!), so it makes sense to try and increase our fuel economy however we can.

Let’s look at a real life example. This man has one of those really big SUVs. Lots of kids and horses to haul around, you know. His family was planning a four day camping trip. Here’s what he did to cut his fuel costs:

First, he installed a new engine air filter. Then he had his service center change his oil, flush his cooling system and service his front and rear differentials along with the transfer case. He also made sure his tyres were up to the recommended pressure.

Now this cost a few hundred dollars. But keep in mind, it all needed to be done anyway – it was all scheduled, and some of the work was overdue.

So he headed out, loaded with six people and pulling a trailer loaded up with everything needed for four days of camping. When the trip was over, he tallied his fuel costs. Turns out, he got the best fuel economy on that vehicle up to that point. It had improved 25 percent! He saved $48.00 on that trip alone and the savings keep on coming every day.

Here’s a quick summary of what you can do to save fuel in your vehicle. First get caught up on your routine maintenance. Nearly every scheduled service item can boost your fuel economy . If it’s time for a service then get it sorted at Oil Changers. That’s one big item.

If your check engine light is on, have your service advisor at Oil Changers figure out why and fix it. Check engine light problems don’t help with your fuel economy.

Proper tyre pressure and wheel alignment can really help as well. Try not to carry around a bunch of stuff. An extra 50 kg or so can cost a kilometer per litre.

Now you may not want to hear this, but the single biggest fuel waster for most people is their right foot. Zooming away from stop lights can really waste fuel. Take it easy on our roads: don’t speed and plan ahead.

Finally, you may have noticed that we haven’t mentioned any magic pills or devices that will double your mileage. That’s because there aren’t any. Some may help a bit, but there are a lot of “miracle fuel saver” scams out there. Don’t shell out any to swindlers, you need it to buy gas!

Do some research and check with your friendly team at your local Oil Changers before spending your hard earned cash.

Oil Changers
www.oilchangers.co.nz

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