Cut the Costs of Owning a Car or Truck
Cut the Costs of Owning a Car or Truck
Cut the Costs of Owning a Car or Truck
Useful tips that can help you cut your gas costs and reduce vehicle emissions:
Drive with care
Braking burns money. No, we're not telling you to quit using the brakes. But, if you find yourself braking hard frequently, you're probably not looking down the road far enough to anticipate what's on the horizon, or you're trying to drive faster than traffic's going to let you. Slow down and don't drive aggressively. You'd be surprised at how much cash you could end up saving.
Speeding costs money. For every mile an hour over 55 you travel on the highway, your fuel economy goes down by 2%.
Keep you vehicles as long as possible, and find a local mechanic you trust.
Based on total ownership costs over five years -- including insurance, fuel, repairs and depreciation -- the results are firmly in favor of hanging on to your old car. If your car is not covered under a warranty, it is a good idea to develop a relationship with one repair shop manager. Find someone that you like and trust and make sure he or she knows you are a faithful customer. A little effort will certainly pay off in the long run by saving you money. If you've ever had an unexpected emergency, it's always good to have someone on speed dial that can help you out quickly, and won't nickel and dime you.
Take the Junk Out of Your Car
The heavier your car is, the more gas it burns. An extra 100 pounds in your trunk can lower your gas mileage by 2%, and luggage on a roof rack can decrease your gas mileage by 5%, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
Carrying around items you don't need only will make your vehicle's fuel economy worse. Remove all the excess stuff from your car when you're not using it. If you can take your roof rack's crossbars off when you're not using them, do that, too
With gas prices this high, GPS navigation is your new best friend.
High fuel prices are putting the squeeze on drivers but there's not much we can do about it. Instead, let's focus on consuming less gas. GPS helps drivers get to their destination as quickly and safely as possible. The Aberdeen Group, an independent research firm, concluded in 2008 that a GPS fleet tracking system can reduce a driver's fuel costs by 13.2% on average.
For most people, once you have a GPS, you can never drive without it. GPS helps put an end to wasting time and gas on behavior like driving around in circles looking for your destination, and to backtracking because you "missed" a stop. Modern GPS navigation systems, such as the Garmin Nuvi 3750, have real-time traffic alerts, so the devices will calculate the best route for your journey.
For businesses, the savings can really add up. A GPS fleet tracking system has proven time and time again to reduce fuel costs. For example, if a fleet of 25 vehiclesreduced idling time by only 15 minutes per day, it could easily result in fuel savings of 562.5 gallons reducing costs by roughly $1,986 per year at current diesel gas prices. If you reduce idling time by 60 minutes, it would result in a fuel savings of 2,250 gallons at a cost of almost $7,500 per year!
Don't ever ignore the oil light, but you may be able to get fewer oil changes.
With oil, it's better safe than sorry. If your oil light comes on, pull over as soon as you safely can and turn off the engine. Don't drive the car without having it checked out. An old friend of mine ignored the oil light for a couple weeks and he had to place his entire engine.
With that said, oil is your engine's lifeblood and it's critical to change it. But doing so more often than your vehicle's manufacturer recommends simply doesn't always pay off. Everyone's vehicle is different, so use the manual's recommendations for oil changes. Some vehicle manuals may tell you to follow your car's electronic oil-use sensors rather than go by a specific mileage. I drive a BMW and it only needs an oil change once a year!
Regularly check your tire pressure.
You can improve your gas mileage by up to 3.3 % just by keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure. To check the pressure, look for the PSI values in your owner's manual or on the door frame of your car. The information is not on the actual tire.
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