| | Total car care, basic car care, classic car care, professional car care, do it yourself car care,... Especially before winter car care is a story.
Car Care And The Environment
Car care is definitely a win-win situation. Besides
helping the environment, a properly maintained and operated
vehicle will run more efficiently, will be safer, and will
last longer--up to 50% longer, according to a survey of
ASE-certified Master Auto Technicians. The following tips
should put you on the road to environmentally conscious car
care.
- Keep your engine tuned up. A misfiring spark plug can
reduce fuel efficiency as much as 30%. Follow the
service schedules listed in your owner's manual.
Replace filters and fluids as recommended.
- Check your tires for proper inflation. Underinflation
wastes fuel--your engine has to work harder to push
the vehicle. Wheels that are out-of-line (as evidenced
by uneven tread wear or vehicle pulling) make the
engine work harder, too. Properly maintained tires
will last longer, meaning fewer scrap tires have to be
disposed.
Every ten days, motorists who drive with under-inflated
tires and poorly maintained engines waste 70 million
gallons of gasoline.
Car Care Council
- Keep your air conditioner in top condition and have it
serviced only by a technician certified competent to
handle/recycle refrigerants. Air conditioners contain
CFCs--gases that have been implicated in the depletion
of the ozone layer. According to the Environmental
Protection Agency, almost one third of the CFCs
released into the atmosphere come from mobile air
conditioners; some simply leaks out, but the majority
escapes during service and repair--so it's important
to choose a qualified technician.
- Do-it-yourselfers: dispose of used motor oil,
anti-freeze/coolant, tires, and old batteries
properly. Many repair facilities accept these items.
Or call your local municipal or county government for
recycling sites. Never dump used oil or anti-freeze
on the ground or in open streams.
Each year twenty times the amount of oil spilled by the
tanker Exxon Valdez in Alaska is improperly dumped into
America's environment by do-it-yourselfers.
Automotive Information Council
- Observe speed limits. Mileage decreases sharply above 55 mph.
- Drive gently. Avoid sudden accelerations and jerky
stop-and-go's. Use cruise-control on open highways to
keep your speed as steady as possible.
- Avoid excessive idling. Shut off the engine while
waiting for friends and family. Today's vehicles are
designed to "warm up" fast, so forget about those
five-minute warm ups on cold winter mornings.
- Remove excess items from the vehicle. Less weight
means better mileage. Store luggage/ cargo in the
trunk rather than on the roof to reduce air drag.
- Plan trips. Consolidate your daily errands to
eliminate unnecessary driving. Try to travel when
traffic is light to avoid stop-and-go conditions. Join
a car pool.
Remember, how your car runs, how you drive it, and how
its fluids, old parts, and tires are disposed of all have
serious consequences on the environment.
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