Maintain Your Car Regularly
Simple maintenance will lengthen the life of your car, as well as improve fuel economy and minimize emissions.
Keep your vehicle well tuned
Be sure to check for worn spark plugs, dragging brakes, and low transmission fluid, have your wheels aligned and tires rotated, and replace the air filter if needed. A badly tuned car uses almost 10% more gas than a well-tuned car.
Get regular oil changes
In addition to making your car last longer, replacing the oil and oil filter regularly will also help fuel economy.
The "Check Engine" light means take your car in for service this week
Starting in 1996, the pollution control equipment of all cars have an “on-board diagnostic system” that reports malfunctions. The check engine light means there’s a problem somewhere in the system and that your car is not running as cleanly and efficiently as it should. Your mechanic can trace the trouble codes that caused the check engine light to come on and fix the problem.
Cars made before 1996 don’t have a warning light and need to have their pollution control equipment checked at least once a year. Be sure your mechanic checks the following:
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Radiator thermostat operating at correct temperature — if it’s too low your car never warms up and you waste gas
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Gas cap seals tightly — a poorly sealed gas cap allows gas to evaporate, wasting gas and causing smog
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EGR oxygen sensor check
Why drive around polluting the planet when it’s easy to fix the problem?
