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The Easy Way to Save Money on your car

June 26th, 2016

 

The biggest news story may be different every day, but there’s one topic that seems to come up over and over again – the price of fuel. If you feel like most of your paycheck goes into your fuel tank, this post is for you. Here are several basic things people can do to greatly reduce their fuel consumption, save money, and help the environment. You can really improve your fuel economy by how you drive – but first, here’s a review of things you can do for your car that’ll save fuel no matter how you drive.

The first one for drivers is keeping tyres properly inflated. That can save up to 2 kms/litre. Driving on low tyres is like driving through sand – your car just has to work harder. Most service centers will check your tyres for free, so just ask Oil Changers. Make a habit of checking your tyre pressure whenever you fill up. Most fuel stations have an air hose you can use for free.

Another important item is to keep your air filter clean. An air filter all clogged up with dirt and bugs doesn’t let enough clean air through to efficiently burn fuel. Using a dirty air filter will cost you quite a bit in reduced fuel economy. Worn spark plugs can cost more fuel. A spark plug can fire as many as 3,000,000 times for every thousand kilometers driven. Check the vehicle owner’s manual for replacement recommendations.

The biggest item is the oxygen sensor. This device provides the engine management computer with information it needs to fine-tune the fuel/air mix. When that’s messed up it can cost vehicles up to four kilometers per litre. Of course, there’s dirty or substandard oil. Dirty oil causes extra drag. The wrong grade may be too thick. That’s another 1/2 a kilometer per litre right there.

One item people seldom think about is their gas cap. A worn, loose or missing gas cap can cost more in fuel than you realise. Adding up all of these worn, missing or sub-par items leads to a significant increase in fuel economy! And with current petrol prices, the cost really adds up. Taking care of these simple maintenance items will save you at the pump. 

Now most vehicles aren’t missing on all of these items, but think about which ones might affect you right now! And don’t forget tune-ups, dragging brakes, low transmission fluid, fuel system cleaning, wheels out of alignment, PCV valve, fuel filter and other services spelled out in your owners’ manual.

Oil Changers knows all this stuff and can tell you when you’re scheduled to take care of each item. Create a system of your own to track your service schedules, or just use the computer system at Oil Changers – which may also be updated with recall notices and maintenance schedule items from your vehicle manufacturer.

Oil Changers
www.oilchangers.co.nz