Five Minutes a Month will Save Gas and Save Money
You may not know that your car may not be running as efficiently as it should. If your car is not running at its optimum then you are loosing fuel economy and money. If you invest just a few minutes a month you can prevent that loss.
On a monthly basis if you check a few simple things you can prevent gas robbing problems. In addition, as an added benefit, you might be preventing future costly repair bills.
More importantly, by performing this monthly check, you will keep your car is as safe as it can be. You can identify and correct problems that if left alone could lead to critical car failures that could end up causing accidents and injury.
Although most maintenance should be done by professionals, once each month you should do the following checks to identify and prevent problems that can cost you gas and money down the road: (excuse the pun!)
1. Check the pressure and look for signs of wear in your tires. Check for any objects that may have become embedded in the tire causing air leaks.
2. Check around the car and under the engine for fluid leaks. You can often identify the type of fluid that is leaking by its color. Oil is black, coolant is a bright greenish yellow, automatic transmission fluid is pink, and power steering and brake fluids are clear, with a slight brown tinge. All of these fluids are oily to the touch.
3. Check the level of your fluids. This would entail the engine oil, the engine coolant, the transmission fluid and the power steering fluid. Make sure you top off any that are low. Check with the owner's manual to make sure you are doing this properly.
4. Check under the hood for cracked or split spark plug wires, cracked radiator hoses or loose clamps and corrosion around the battery terminals.
5. Check for problems with the brakes. On a straight, flat and traffic-free stretch of road, rest your hands lightly on the steering wheel and apply the brakes gradually. If the vehicle swerves to one side, one of the brake linings may be worn more than the other, or the brakes may need adjustment.
6. Use a similar test to check for problems with wheel alignment. On a straight, flat and traffic-free stretch of road, rest your hands lightly on the steering wheel and drive at an even speed. If the vehicle pulls to one side, the wheels may be misaligned.
These are just a few basic checks you can perform on your car monthly. By doing this you will keep your car running at its peak performance. If your car is running at its best, it will save you gas, money and will keep you safe!
Scott Siegel is the author of a 143 page manual of automotive industry insider secrets on saving gas and dollars at the pump (beatthegaspump.com). Visit us to discover how you can get better gas mileage. Find out how to increase gas mileage.
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