Saving Money Through Proper Maintenance

There are many things you can do to save money once you have paid off a cars loan, or purchased your car at the end of a lease. There are also some myths. Let’s focus on some of the easiest ways to save money.

Probably the number one thing to consider when thinking about saving money once your vehicle is in your name is maintenance of the engine. Simple things such as changing your oil every three thousand miles is important to longevity of your motor.

There are service intervals listed in your owners manual that are important to follow. These are easy to let lapse but are critical to saving you money. Tune-ups are another area that are sometimes overlooked, but can save you money in the long run. Fuel is extremely costly these days, and scheduled tune-ups help by keeping your engine in efficient running condition. On some vehicles part of a tune-up, or even a full tune-up, is possible at home, depending on how comfortable you are using tools. Fouled spark plugs are a leading cause of poor fuel mileage. Bad plugs are inefficient at burning fuel which means unburned fuel escapes the engine and is hard on the supporting systems. This is only one example, other areas to inspect are the spark plug wires, distributor cap, fuel filter, fuel cap, and air cleaner. There are other areas to inspect depending on how your vehicle is equipped, the internet is a good resource for information on your specific vehicles needs.

Maybe the simplest thing you can do to save yourself some money over the life of a car is to monitor the vehicles tire condition. Studies have shown that the majority of tires on the road have low tire pressure. There are two things to keep in mind when maintaining tire pressure. First, make sure you have a quality gauge. There have been many tests showing the inaccuracy of the gauges found at gas stations. Don’t trust them. Buy a decent gauge, generally you get what you pay for. Second, inflate your tires to the pressure printed on the label on the door jamb of the drivers door. The pressure listed on the tire may not match up with the needs of your vehicle, be sure not to over-inflate the tires however as this can create a hazardous condition.

Follow these steps and save a few bucks!