Under the Hood – You and Your Car

With the recent jump in fuel costs, I wanted to bring back this article that gives you some ways to help save some fuel.

Some of the easy things you can start with are:

• Making sure your tires are inflated properly. If you don’t know the correct pressure, you can check the owner’s manual, the label inside the driver’s door, or you check with us at Young Automotive.

• Turn off the car if you need to stand still for a while such as at the bank drive thru or while waiting for a boat to pass through the bridge. My rule of thumb is if it is going to be over one minute of standing, I shut it off.

• Combine your trips to do multiple errands.

• You can ride share or car pool with co-workers.

• Go easy on the gas pedal and brake. Jerky driving can decrease fuel efficiency by up to 15 percent.

• Make sure the gas cap is tight and has a good seal.

• Clean the junk out of the trunk. Some people carry unnecessary, heavy items in the trunk. The more weight in the car, the more you’ll spend on fuel.

• If you have air conditioning, be sure to use it on the highway. Fuel mileage suffers when the windows are open due to the excessive wind turbulence.

• Shop aggressively for the lowest fuel prices without going too far out of your way.

These are a few things that would require you to bring your vehicle in to Young Automotive to get better fuel economy:

• Having your vehicle serviced if the “Service Engine” light is on or if your car is not running properly. These symptoms can end up being big wasters of gasoline.

• Performing engine tune-ups as recommended by your factory recommended interval or by your technician’s recommendation.

• Having your wheel alignment checked. We recommend an annual wheel alignment be performed. A misaligned vehicle has greater rolling resistance.

Also, with the increase of fuel prices, comes higher oil prices. Be sure to join our OIL Change Club. You can pre-pay for four oil changes, get the fifth FREE, and lock in the price you pay for the oil change service.

Fred Young is the President of Young Automotive, Inc., Sturgeon Bay. A 1982 graduate of Motech Automotive Educational School of Livonia Mi. and an ASE Master Certified Technician for over 25 years and an ASE Certified Automobile Advanced Engine Performance Specialist.