Spring/Summer

Higher prices at the gas pump are a fact of life today. Some commuters share rides to manage the costs; others take public transportation. But if you are like countless other consumers, you depend on your personal vehicle to get you from Point A to Point B. So the experts at the nonprofit National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) have assembled some easy-to-follow tips from on how to conserve fuel and make sure your car or truck gets optimal miles per gallon.

According to the nonprofit National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE), motorists can help the environment and their own finances by incorporating a few good practices. Regular vehicle maintenance and better driving habits are two simple ways any car owner can go “green” — both for the environment and one’s own wallet.

Here are a few specific, easy-to-implement tips from ASE:

Step-By-Step Instructions for a Complete Brake Job Using CRC Brake Maintenance Products

Statistics show that a third of all vehicle accidents and almost half of traffic fatalities happen at night. Most of these are usually blamed on reduced driver vision.

That’s why it’s so important to make sure you keep your headlamps as clear and clean as possible. At night, our visual perception can be reduced by up to 70%, so you can imagine how much harder it is to see the road ahead if your headlamps are clouded over or hazy. 

In today’s economy, people are keeping their vehicles longer and looking for smart, affordable ways to maintain them. Rust and corrosion are glaring examples of what can go wrong when your car’s painted surfaces are chipped or scratched. Sometimes the fight against rust feels like an uphill battle; but if you can help avoid the cause, you may be one step ahead of the game.

Water turns to a vapor or boils at 212°F.  For every pound of pressure we put water under, it raises the boiling point 3 degrees.  15 lbs of pressure would raise the boiling point of water from 212°F to 265°F.  (These numbers are all altitude sensitive.)  So 15 lbs of pressure created by the radiator cap multiplied by 3.5 degrees will move water’s boiling point upwards 45+ degrees. So under pressure, your radiator liquid will boil at 245-265°F and not at 212°F.

Here’s a hot tip about car batteries: Warm weather is the time for major car-battery problems. Heat, not cold, shortens battery life, says the Car Care Council. The average life of a battery is three and a half years, and even shorter in warmer climates.

When it’s hot outside, one of the last places you want to be is sitting in traffic without a properly functioning air conditioning (A/C) system. To help avoid this uncomfortable situation, the Car Care Council recommends having your A/C system checked annually to make sure it is functioning at its peak performance level when the temperatures are soaring.

With falling gas prices, many motorists will pack their cars and head out on a summer driving trip. But before even pulling out of the driveway, the Car Care Council recommends that motorists start their journey at its website, www.carcare.org.