5 Free Ways to Improve Your Gas Mileage

1.      Remove excess weight

Is your trunk still full of chairs, umbrellas, and other toys from a summer of fun? As sad as we all may feel that summer is over, it’s time to lighten your car’s load and put the toys back in storage for the winter. Extra weight from all those items makes your car’s engine work harder and use more gas. Removing these items will improve your gas mileage and multiply your gas savings over the winter.

2.      Avoid idling

Any time your car is idling, it is literally earning zero miles per gallon – it is simply burning gas unnecessarily. Turn your engine off if you’re waiting for longer than 10 seconds. If you’re waiting for someone in the parking lot or picking up your kids at school, turn off the engine and save your gas for when you really need it. You should also warm up your engine by driving your car instead of idling.

3.      Check your tires

Proper tire inflation can improve gas mileage by an average of 3.3%. Underinflated tires waste an approximated 200,000 gallons of gas per day in the U.S. Use your car’s recommended tire pressure (typically found in the user’s manual) and immediately inflate any low pressure tires to avoid ruining your gas mileage.

4.      Get that “Service Engine” light diagnosed and fixed

Malfunctioning sensors on your car can do seriously damage to fuel economy. Your car’s computer doesn’t know how to run efficiently with bad information, and goes into a default (guessing) mode to keep things running. Leaving these issues unresolved can drastically reduce your gas mileage, costing you more money in fuel and potentially damaging other components. Make sure to get your car inspected regularly to avoid having this happen to you. Fixing a serious issue (such as a faulty oxygen sensor) can sometimes improve gas mileage by as much as 40%.

5.      Replace your air filter

If your air filter is more than a year or 20,000 miles old, it is likely dirty enough to measurably decrease fuel economy. Replacing a clogged air filter can improve your vehicle’s performance and enhance gas mileage (think trying to breathe through a straw while climbing stairs – that’s what your engine is doing with a clogged filter) . If you’re not sure of the health of your air filter, bring it by to get it inspected!

You’d be surprised how much of an impact these 5 tips can have on improving your gas mileage and saving you some serious cash at the pump. Keeping your vehicle properly tuned is critical for both your safety and for maximizing your gas mileage. If you’re not sure what state your vehicle is in, we here at World Class Auto Repair in American Fork are offering $9.99 Stop & Go Inspections between now and December 15 (normally $47). We’ll inspect your brakes, battery, & alternator PLUS a 50-point Car-Safe Inspection! Make sure to stop on by before December 15 to get your car inspected and everything up to date and ready for this winter weather!

Give us a call today at 801-756-2661 or stop on by at 337 W. Main St, American Fork, UT for world-class service without the hassle.