Speeding

We all know that speeding can reduce the fuel economy of your vehicle, but just how much of a difference does it make?

Saving time doesn’t always mean saving money, and in the case of getting to your destination quicker, it could cost you at the pump. Consumer Reports recently conducted a study to see how speeding affected fuel efficiency on various popular vehicle models and its findings may have you thinking twice before you speed.

Take the HondaAccord LX for example. According to Consumer Reports, driving at a steady 55 mph returned 49 mpg, but increasing that to 65 mph saw a return of 42 mpg. While averaging 75 mph, the Accord LX only got 35 mpg – a 29-percent difference between 55 mph and 77 mph.

Mathematically speaking, driving 200 miles at 75 mph instead of 55 mph will save you an hour of time, but will burn an extra 1.5 to two gallons of gas. For some people however, saving an hour of time is worth spending an extra five to seven dollars.

Lighting

An important pre-trip check should be exterior and interior lighting. Vehicle check lanes revealed an overall failure rate of over 25 percent in the lighting category. The Car Care Council reminds motorists to check their lights monthly. Other suggestions from the Council include turning on headlights both day and night. This helps define your car’s position on the road, and its distance from other drivers. When your vehicle’s lighting is defective, other motorists may not get the message that you intend to stop or turn. The end result could be disastrous.

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Extending the life of your car battery

One of the life sources of your vehicle is your car battery. Without it, you won't go anywhere. You want to make sure that this source is running at its peak performance. Here are ways you can lengthen the life of your car battery.

Get to know your battery:

Specifically, make sure you know when it was made and how long it’s likely to last.

Every car battery sold in the U.S. is stamped with the month and year of its manufacture. You’re looking for the first two characters in particular: a letter and a number. The letters, starting with “A,” correspond to months starting with January -- so “C,” for example, means March. The number is the last digit of the year, so “8” means 2008.

Sixty months (or about five years) from the born-on date is a rough estimate for normal battery life, but many factors can shift this figure one way or the other. Still, keep that date in mind if your battery starts to show signs of depletion.

Turn off your lights when you get home:

Probably the single most common cause of premature battery depletion is headlights and/or interior lights left on overnight, especially if you tend to be a regular culprit of this practice. Some newer cars have auto-off functionality, but most vehicles on the road still don’t, so it’s important to be careful here.

Use accessories sparingly when the engine is off:

Modern alternators have no problem keeping the battery charged when the motor is running, but if the motor’s off, power-hungry cabin technology can do a number on your battery in short order. A battery without the engine is kind of like a laptop without its plug: you’re on borrowed time, and the more you run that battery down, the less eager it will be to hold a full charge. Accordingly, try to limit the amount of time you spend using powered accessories with the engine off. We know it’s tempting sometimes to leave your passengers in the car with music or a movie playing, but you probably shouldn’t make a habit of it.

Monitor battery performance:

The best sign that your battery’s under the weather is slow “cranking” when you start your car. The usual cheery cranking noise will turn dull and lethargic; you might even find yourself wondering if the car’s going to start at all. The good news is that this doesn’t mean your battery is gone forever. You might be able to recharge it. But you shouldn’t knowingly leave your battery in a depleted state for more than a few days, because lead-acid batteries must constantly be kept near full charge to avoid a malady called “sulfated plates”.

Disconnect or “tend” the battery when parked long term:

If you know you won’t be using your car for a few weeks, it’s advisable to give your battery a rest, too, since a small amount of current continues to flow even if the security system isn’t armed. The old-school approach entails disconnecting the negative battery cable (typically marked by a big minus sign), which certainly helps but has the undesirable side-effect of wiping out all of your electronic settings. A better idea, if you can justify the expense, is to pick up an automatic battery charger, which maintains your battery’s charge and lets you keep all those settings, too.

Why Wax Your Car

When you apply wax to your car on a regular basis, it actually helps the paint last longer. If you recently got your car painted, waxing will be a good way to make the paint job look brand new for longer.

Glossy Finish - When you wax your car the shine and gloss of the paint will come back. Washing it simply removes the dirt but waxing revitalizes the paint molecules.

Stays Cleaner, Longer - The wax will actually repel the dirt you get on your car by simply driving it down the street. It also fights environmental pollutants and the sticky stuff from parking under trees.

Protect from the Sun - Think of it as a sort of sunscreen for your car. The wax acts as a barrier for your cars paint and deflects the suns rays. This keeps your cars paint looking better, fresher, longer.

Restore Life - A good waxing to your car can bring it back to life and restore the paint job that has faded due to temperatures and the beaming sun.

Say No to Water spots - Waxing will help fight against water spots that tend to form on older cars. A waxed surface encourages water to bead up, or gel, and run down the sides of the car and onto the ground.

Take care of your car after you get a new paint job to keep it looking its very best!

Maintenance Checklist

To keep you car running at it's best, here is a checklist of what should be done when your car hit's those miles.

Every 3,000 Miles: Change oil and replace oil filter, Check washer fluid level, Add fuel injector cleaner to fuel

Every Six Months: Check power steering fluid level, Wax car to extend life of paint/prevent rust

Every 5,000 Miles: Adjust clutch, if a manual transmission (some are self-adjusting)

Every 10,000 Miles: Inspect belts, Rotate tires

Every Year: Inspect brakes, Inspect hoses and clamps, Clean battery connections, Check brake fluid level, Check manual transmission fluid, Check coolant strength, Back-flush radiator from engine side with garden hose

Rinse off air conditioner condenser, buff plastic headlight assembly, if dull (to maintain good visibility)

Every 30,000 Miles: Replace spark plugs (some are designed to last up to 100,000 miles, so check to see what kind you have), Replace distributor cap and rotor (if applicable), Inspect spark plug wires (if applicable), Change transmission fluid, Replace oxygen sensors (for vehicles manufactured late 1970's to early 1990's), Inspect shocks for leaks and perform bounce test, Replace PCV valve, Clean throttle body

Every Two Years: Flush coolant system, Check battery electrolyte level

Every 40,000 Miles: Replace fuel filter

Every 60,000 Miles: Replace air filter, Change automatic transmission fluid, Inspect brakes, Inspect accessory drive belts, Replace timing belt, Have front end inspected alignment checked.

The Importance of Getting Your Oil Changed Regularly

It is absolutely necessary to get your oil changed on a regular basis to make sure your car remains in good working condition over time. The normal recommended interval between oil changes is every 3,000 miles for standard motor oil and every 6,000 miles for synthetic oil. Putting off an oil change is one of the worst things you can do, in part because of the wide array of benefits by putting clean oil in your car. To begin with, it improves engine performance, extends engine life, as well as improves the car's gas mileage. You can change the oil yourself or you can take it to a car maintenance facility and they can do it for you.

One of the first major benefits you'll experience from an oil change on a regular basis is a slight increase in gas mileage. As oil ages in your car, it begins to break down. As it breaks down, it creates friction between the moving parts of your engine. As friction increases, so does the heat produced. Mixing heat and friction will burn more gas, which in turn will decrease the number of miles your car gets per gallon of gas. This will cost you more in the long run because you'll have to go to the gas station to fill up more often.

The car only goes as far as the engine does, so if you want to extend engine life, a regularly scheduled oil change is the most inexpensive course of action. How your engine performs depends largely on the type of oil you put into it. If the engine is considered the heart of an automobile, then the oil is the blood. The engine will run cleaner and more efficiently. A cleaner engine runs much better than a dirty one can.

If you regularly put synthetic oil in your car during an oil change, the main advantage over traditional oil is that synthetic oil goes longer without having to be changed; normally, the recommended time lapse between each synthetic oil change is about 6,000 miles. In short, oil changes are absolutely necessary for the long term health of your car. No one wants their cars to break down at the most inopportune time, so remember to get the oil changed. An oil change can help your car continue to run as well as it possibly can, while also improving gas mileage and increasing horsepower.