Car Care Tips
Here at Manchaca Service Center, we want our customers to be in the know. We want you to understand why and how your tires wear, how to get the best gas mileage, and overall how to get the most out of your tires. Hopefully, with these helpful tips you will be able to improve gas mileage, reduce tire tread, and understand when and why your car needs to be serviced:
Driving Habits
- Keep your car clean. Mud can weigh a lot and slow you down.
- Consolidate your errands and daily trips. Restarting your engine uses a lot of gas, so this will help save you money.
- Avoid air conditioning (if possible in TX heat).
- Make sure not to throttle the gas or brake pedal… Gradual changes in speed use less gas.
- Do not idle for too long. Turn the engine off if have a lengthy wait.
- Clear out your trunk. More weight = more drag.
- Avoid high speeds. You can improve your gas mileage 15% driving 55 mph rather than 65 mph.
- Use cruise control if you have it. Maintaining a constant speed improves your gas mileage.
Car Maintenance and Care
- Change your fluids on time. And every time.
- Change your regular oil every 3,000 miles or 5,000 miles for synthetic.
- Change antifreeze fluid every 30,000 miles.
- Change brake fluid every 30,000 miles.
- Change transmission fluid every 30,000 miles.
- Maintenance check every 15, 30, 60, and 90,000 miles.
- Replace your air filter every 12 months or 12,000 miles.
- Replace your fuel filter every 2 years or 24,000 miles.
Tire Maintenance and Care
- Every 6 months or 5,000 miles, rotate your tires.
- Once a week, check your tire pressure. Low pressures can affect gas mileage and handling. Check your tires when they are cold, waiting at least three hours after driving.
- Make sure your wheels are properly aligned. If they are badly aligned, it will lead to dragging of the vehicle.
- Be sure to check your spare tire every couple of months keeping it properly inflated so it is ready should you need it.
- The penny trick can be used to determine if the tread on your tires is low. To do this, take a penny and put the president’s head into one of the grooves of the tire tread. If part of his head is covered by the tread, your tires are okay. However, if you see all of his head, it is time to replace. If the tread is worn down to 1/16 inch, tires must be replaced as soon as possible to be safe.
Gas Mileage Tips
- Checking/ changing your air filter every 6 months will keep your engine running smoothly and improve fuel economy.
- Don’t top off… any additional gas you try to put in is just going to seep out.
- Tighten the gas cap. Gas can evaporate from the gas tank if it has an escape.
- Try to find shade. The Texas summer sun evaporates fuel from your tank.
- Use the right oil. Using the manufacturer’s recommended grade of motor oil can improve your gas mileage by 1%-2%.
Servicing Your Vehicle
- Replacing the spark plugs in your engine regularly so the air/ fuel mixture will burn cleaner and more efficiently.
- Improve the intake/output system. Allowing gas to get in and exhaust to get out, you will improve the gas mileage and overall performance.
- Use high-quality oil or synthetic motor oil to reduce friction.
- Always check your oil. Low oil makes your engine work harder.
- Dirty filters can increase the amount of fuel you use by as much as 10%.
- Check your tires regularly to ensure they are fully inflated and alignment is good.
- Get regular tune-ups and maintenance checks. Damaged spark plugs or transmission problems can also cause poor gas mileage.
