There is no escaping it: things work better when you take care of them. Something most of us can relate to is our computers. You’ve probably noticed how they get slower and slower over time. It takes longer to start up and programs take forever to load. Eventually, many of us just get a new computer at our nearest computer store. But computer experts know that there are things you can do to delay the need for a new computer purchase. You can run utilities that clean off temporary files and clean your memory registry. You can optimize your hard drive and a number of other things.
What you’re doing is maintaining your computer to make it efficient. It’s the same thing with your vehicle and getting better gas mileage. You maintain it to make it more efficient. It works the way it was designed to and that means it uses less fuel while you drive around the city. And you save money along the way.
Things That Prevent Better Gas Mileage
- increased friction
- inefficient fuel combustion
- heavier weight
Addressing Friction Facilitates Better Gas Mileage
Anything that increases friction increases drag or load on the vehicle engine. It has to work harder to overcome the drag ? and that takes more fuel. The first thing that comes to mind is engine oil. Low oil means there’s not enough to fully lubricate the engine so there’s more friction. Dirty oil won’t lubricate as well as clean oil. The same principles apply to transmission fluid. Getting your oil changed and transmission serviced on schedule at Davies Auto Care will reduce friction and help you get better fuel economy.
Another friction related problem is under-inflated tires. When your vehicle tires are low on air, it’s like driving on ca highways through sand ? your vehicle has to work harder to move every mile. Check your tire pressure at least once a month.
Wheels out of alignment and dragging brakes also increase friction. And your tires and brake pads will wear out much sooner as well. At Davies Auto Care, we provide quality brake and wheel alignment services.
Improving Fuel Efficiency
Let’s move on to Fuel. You have to get the right amount of clean fuel to the combustion chamber at precisely the right time. A dirty fuel system has varnish and gum interfering, and the fuel injectors may be unable to deliver the correct amount of fuel at the right pressure ? and in the spray pattern ? that the engineers intended. A regular tune-up at Davies Auto Care will get all of that working right and really improve fuel economy.
Replacing your fuel filter on schedule will help keep your fuel clean. Replacing a sticky PCV valve will allow unburned fuel from the engine to be returned to the intake system to be used. Replacing worn spark plugs will burn your fuel as efficiently as possible.
All of these things can help you save money on gas. Drop by Davies Auto Care’s workshop and we’ll help your car get better mileage.