Go Green With These Car Care Tips

Although St. Patrick’s Day has come and gone, we thought we’d stick with the spirit of the holiday by discussing some “green” car care tips.

Proper Tire Care – Taking care of your tires is one of the easiest ways to improve your fuel efficiency. The farther you go on a tank of gas, the better, for both you and the environment.

The easiest way to make sure your tires are properly inflated is by checking your tire pressure regularly. You can check the pressure in just a few seconds with the help of a pressure gauge, so get in the habit of checking your tires twice a month or before a long road trip. Your tires are more susceptible to pressure change as the weather warms and cools, so keep an eye on your tires as we embark on another interesting Minnesota spring.

Oil Care – Replacing your oil at the recommended intervals is another way to improve your car’s overall performance. Many mechanics will tell you that regular maintenance and oil changes are the best way to extend the life of your vehicle. Consider getting your oil filter changed when the oil is getting replaced. If your filter is clogged, your fuel efficiency will decrease.

Also, whether you change your own oil or take it into a shop, make sure the old oil gets recycled. Car oil can be very detrimental to wildlife and ecosystems if it is disposed of irresponsibly. Ask your mechanic what they do with the oil, and if you preform the job yourself, hold on to your old oil until you can get it to a proper disposal location.

Tune Up Time – As we noted above, regular maintenance is the best way to keep your car in optimal shape, but it is also important to quickly fix issues when they arise. You wouldn’t wait a week to go to the doctor if you broke your arm, so don’t hold off on fixing your muffler if it breaks.

As is the theme with these tips, neglecting to fix something that is negatively affecting your fuel efficiency is not only harmful for the environment, but also bad for your wallet. Putting off some maintenance might seem like you’re saying money, but if the problem snowballs into a larger issue or if you are ticketed for a motor vehicle violation, your expenses are going to skyrocket.

Green Car Products – There are plenty of car parts on the market that are better for the environment than others. For example, your can buy low rolling resistance tires, which help improve your fuel economy, or you can purchase green products like environmentally friendly windshield wiper fluid or antifreeze. Better yet, purchase one of these environmentally friendly vehicles!

For more information about what you can do to “go green” when it comes to auto care, give us a call or stop on in to our shop today!