The air conditioner draws its power from the engine which uses some gas, but with today’s cars, this use of gas is minute. The air conditioner can decrease the fuel economy of your car up to 20% in some vehicles, but it depends on the type. Driving with the air conditioner is more fuel efficient than driving with the windows down. Driving with the windows down creates drag which means that your engine has to work harder to keep your car at the current speed; this burns more gas than if you just ran your air conditioner.

In the long run, using your air conditioner is far better than any other means of cooling yourself off in the car, unless you’re driving in traffic. When you drive in traffic you aren’t going very fast so the drag on the car is minimal. In these cases, you burn more fuel running the air conditioner than having the windows down. That makes sense. When you drive on the highway you can use either the air conditioner or the “window down” method to cool yourself, because, honestly, there is no noticeable difference in gas usage at those speeds.

Here are some tips about you and the heat in your car. Before you get into a hot car, roll down the windows and let it air out. There is nothing worse than getting into a hot car, sitting on a lava hot seat, touching a super hot steering wheel, and breathing stuffy super heated air. Your car needs some time to cool down for itself and for you. Once you believe it is cool enough to actually sit on the seat, turn on the car and run the air conditioner on recirculation. This will help the car cool down much quicker, and you can be on the road fast without sacrificing a layer of your precious skin.

So now that you know the air conditioner can be your fuel efficient friend, maybe you won’t be so quick to turn it off or ignore it in favor off putting the windows down and choking on bugs. The air conditioner in your car burns much less gas than your window method, so give your air conditioner a chance and be cool in the heat.

1. Keep your vehicle maintained

Surprisingly enough, statistically the nation as a whole does not do proper preventative maintenance on their cars. Did you know that if your oil is dirty, you are getting less fuel economy? If you don’t want to change your oil so often, there are many new oils out now that last for five, ten, even twelve thousand miles before you need to change it. It may cost a dollar or two more per quart but in the long run, you save money.

Also, most Americans don’t tune their automobiles up as scheduled. I conducted a private study for one of the companies that I used to work and contacted over 1000 auto dealerships and independent auto shops throughout the United States and Canada. I spoke to the service managers in all of these shops and the answers were the same everywhere I called.

Most people simply refused to have their auto’s tuned up on schedule. The customer would have the auto repair that they were there for and simply nothing else done.

Did you know that a cold firing plug can reduce your fuel economy up to 8 gallons per mile? The manufacturer of your automobile placed a schedule of when the auto should have the plugs changed. For most vehicles, it ranges from 12,000 to 30,000 miles. You should have the plugs and wires changed on schedule. If you would like to get plugs that last longer, consider a good set of platinum plugs. You can get Bosch platinum+2 for only a dollar or two more per plug and platinum+4 for a few dollars more per plug.

Change your timing belt on schedule.

It is most important that you change your timing belt as scheduled. There are a couple of reasons for this. Number one, as the belt wears out, your fuel economy gets worse. The second reason is because if your car is a V6 or V8 with duel overhead cams (DOHC stamped on engine), if it breaks, you are going to have very costly repairs in the long run. 9 out of 10 engines that the timing belt breaks in with DOHC bends valves. This causes you to have to rebuild the heads or replace the heads at a very high price.

Change your air filter on schedule.

This is again crucial to the fuel efficiency of your automobile. Just like us, your engine has to breathe. Without a clean air filter, you will burn a lot more fuel because you don’t have the proper air/fuel mixture. It is usually recommended to change them every time you change your oil, however, you may consider purchasing a K&N filter or one from one of their competitors that doesn’t have to be changed but merely cleaned. This will save you a lot of money over the lifetime of your car, plus if it needs to be cleaned, you merely blow it out with compressed air.

Make sure you have your PCV valve changed on schedule.

For even some of the best people who take care of their cars, this is a critical step that is often overlooked. The PCV valve doesn’t cost but a dollar or two and usually last as long as your plugs do.

Do an upper-end cleaning on your engine.

This is where you have your intake and valves cleaned. A few years ago, the intake and valve covers had to come off the vehicle to do this. Now, you can buy the chemical at the auto parts store yourself and clean the intake in about 15 minutes. The chemicals have the directions for how to do it, but believe me anybody can do it, and you don’t have to spend up to $600 for a shop to do it for you. It will instead cost you about $8.

Make sure that your tires are in good shape and aired at your vehicle manufacturer’s recommended pressure.

The tire may say that you can inflate to 50 p.s.i., however, that is maximum pressure for the tire. If you look inside the driver’s door at the inspection tag from the factory, you will find the manufacturer’s recommended tire pressure. It is recommended because they have performed many tests to find where the car performs best at and found that the best performance comes from this setting.

Have your transmission flushed about every 30,000 miles.

This keeps the vehicle shifting properly and also allows you to get better fuel efficiency. A standard flush doesn’t cost very much and can make your transmission last up to three times as long as it normally would.

Last of all, make sure that you change your belt as scheduled.

As the belt gets older and wears, a certain amount of slippage occurs, ultimately making you have to run the engine harder. It is also a good idea to keep it changed on schedule because of the unfortunate event that it breaks, you lose your power steering, a/c, and alternator.

2. Consider doing a few modifications to your automobile.

There are a few mods that you can do to you auto that will save quite a few dollars at the pump.

The first thing that you can do is replace your muffler with a performance muffler. Yes, they are louder but they also let a lot more exhaust flow through. This ultimately means you pick up horsepower and also fuel efficiency.

Case study: 1995 Chevrolet K-1500. Replaced factory exhaust with Dynomax dual outlet muffler and actually picked up 28 horsepower on the dyno and almost 2.3 miles to the gallon of fuel.

The second modification that you can do is change your air intake system and put a cold-air intake on it. This is going to cost anywhere from $200-$500 for the do-it-yourselfers and $400-$1000 to have it done at a shop. It does increase horsepower and fuel efficiency, but in the long run, isn’t really worth the money unless you just want it.

The last modification that you could do is put a hydrogen fuel cell on your car. You can actually Google this, there was a case study performed and the video is on YouTube of a guy with a Saturn. He was getting 37 miles to the gallon at baseline. He installed the cell on his car and actually got over 62 miles to the gallon. That is an incredible increase in fuel efficiency.

Coasting down an incline can save fuel because the engine doesn’t have to work to keep the car moving. However, it is against the law in many places to coast down hill in neutral or with an open clutch due to safety concerns. Turning the engine off while coasting is not a safe tactic because power steering and brakes are lost and there is a chance of the steering wheel locking. The benefit gained from coasting is also lost because fuel must be used to restart it.

Another trick that is becoming popular among hypermilers is to brake only when necessary. The principle of this hypermiling driving technique is to conserve energy by reducing the need to accelerate again. Conserving forward momentum is a good strategy, but extreme examples such as taking curves at unsafe speeds and rolling through stop signs should be avoided.

By optimizing your traffic route you can travel a shorter distance or avoid stop and go traffic. It may even be possible that a slightly longer route is more fuel efficient than a shorter route if it has fewer stops. Traffic with frequent stops hurts gas mileage because it takes more energy to accelerate than to maintain a steady speed.

Since tires create rolling resistance relative to their contact surface, some hypermilers overinflate their tires in an effort to increase gas mileage. It will reduce the tires drag against the road, but it will also lower traction and cause uneven tire wear. Having to replacing prematurely worn tires will likely offset any money saved from the small increase in gas mileage.

While it’s true that drafting a bigger vehicle may decrease wind resistance against your car, it’s one of the more dangerous hypermiling techniques. Following a large vehicle too closely reduces your field of vision and gives you less room to stop safely. Other drivers may find this irritating and likely won’t understand that you’re trying to improve your gas mileage.

Driving the posted speed limit is one of the simpler hypermiling techniques, but is a safe way to improve fuel economy. Most speed limits will keep the cars engine in an optimal rpm range which means less wasted energy. Cruise control is not only a great way to maintain the speed limit, but is also the most fuel efficient way to maintain speed.

Hypermiling: The act of changing the habits of how you drive.

It sounds great, until I read about what habits they want you to change. Of course, there are many safe ways to drive smarter. But some of the tactics are not only unsafe, they are illegal in some states.

One method mentioned was to tailgate a semi truck. They create huge “air wakes” that reduce drag on your vehicle to almost nothing. But driving that close behind a semi-truck can be a very fatal concept. One sudden move by the truck, and you put your life, your passengers’ lives, other drivers lives and even that trucker’s life at risk.

A second tip was to put your car in neutral and turn off your engine while driving. Power brakes and power steering both rely on the engine running to be effective. In some states, this act is illegal. The reason it is illegal is because it is very dangerous. If you have to take sudden action, you are less in control of your car than it was designed to be.

I have to go on the record as stating that there is nothing — and I mean absolutely nothing — that is worth putting so many lives at risk to save an extra mile or ten per gallon. Even if you save 200mpg, it isn’t worth it. There are, of course, smart ways to save money while driving.

Safe ways to save money while driving

The obvious way to save money while driving is not to. Walk, ride public transportation, or even a bicycle. I’ve mentioned on my blog ways to go without a car. But if you have to have a car, there are several safe and effective measures to save money while driving it.

1) Keep your tires properly inflated. Tires that are under-inflated can sap an extra 5mpg from your car. If they are over-inflated, you are at a much greater risk for blowouts and losing control on the road.

2) Maintain your car’s oil, belts and filters. It’s an inexpensive way to reduce your cars gas usage. A clogged air filter will take another three to ten miles per gallon off of your car’s mileage. But there’s more to it than that. Keeping your car’s oil, filters, belts and plugs maintained will take care of the majority of engine failures, which means a huge savings in future car repairs.

3) Drive the speed limit. Drive defensively, not aggressively. Driving aggressively will reduce your gas mileage and increse the wear-and-tear on your vehicle. But by driving the speed limit, you not only increase safety, you save money. It’s a win-win.

4) Keep track of gas prices in your area. You can find many gas-price-tracking sites online. Knowing which stations routinely charge less can save a few pennies here and there. Knowing what time the station chain raises and lowers prices. The station on the hill from our house is consistently lower, and after talking with the manager, I discovered that they always change the prices at 9am, 3pm and 9pm. By watching the websites, I can guess when prices are going to go up. If I fuel up at lunch, before the gas prices increase, I save even more.

5) Resist buying treats while fueling. When we stop for fuel, I have a soda addiction. My wife has to gently remind me so that I won’t go in and buy a soda while the pump is running.

LOSE WEIGHT

Weight is one extremely easy way to increase a car’s fuel economy. it has been estimated that for every 50 pounds of weight shed from a vehicle, fuel efficiency is increased 1%. For the lone commuter, this could be as extreme as removing back seats and floor mats. Additionally, all those plastic covers in one’s engine bay can be removed (make sure they are purely aesthetic and not functional; most are just for looks). Of course, losing weight oneself will also help. Saving gas can be another incentive for dieting!

INSTALL PERFORMANCE PARTS

If you are mechanically inclined, there are many aftermarket parts out there for most vehicles. Many of these are easy and/or cheap to have installed. Hi-flow air filters and intakes are probably the most popular, but there are other options. Hi-flow air filters likely do improve performance, but this may also come along with an INCREASE in gas usage, rather than a savings. Lightweight pulleys, alloy wheels, and performance ignition (such as high performance spark plugs, ignitions and coil packs) are all ways to get more bang for your buck. One must also consider however the costs of the products versus the savings in gasoline.

USE SYNTHETIC MOTOR OIL

Perhaps the easiest way to operate a vehicle more efficiently is to use synthetic oils. Not only do engines require motor oil, but transmissions, differentials, and power steering boxes do as well. Using approved synthetic substitutes will reduce friction and heat, which in turn will help a vehicle run more efficiently. Additionally, synthetic fluids tend to last much longer than conventional ones, which can likely save money in reduced maintenance costs over the years.

In Nz, there has been some serious and fatal automobile accidents caused by a number of factors including fatigue (e.g. sleep loss) alcohol and drugs and speed.

In 2009, based on data produced by the Ministry of Transport, fatigue taken into account 8% of all fatal crashes between 2006 and 2008. By age, where fatigue (directly brought on by the motive force) led to fatal car crashes, 3% from the drivers were aged between 15 and 19 in contrast to those aged 20 to 29 (24%) 30-39 (22%) 40-49 (16%) 50-59 (15%) and people aged over 60 (19%) years.

Between 2006 and 2008, 14% of road deaths was related to alcohol and drugs. Of all deaths (197) caused by drunk or drugged drivers, 38% were aged between 30 and 49 years in contrast to 36% aged 20 to 29 years.

Also,speeding taken into account 32% of all deaths from 2006 to 2008. Fatal crashes where the the motive force was driving too fast, a third of the drivers were aged between 20 and 29 years in contrast to more than a third aged 30 to 49 years.

Between 2004 and 2008, 404 people every year, normally, have been killed on Nz roads. This year, up to the end May, 181 people have died on our roads. Of the 38 deaths in May, 26 were killed in open road crashes.

A guide to driving safely on Nz roads

Although, Nz is a small country, driving on our open roads between cities along with other destinations could be hazardous. Therefore, it is crucial, especially for visitors on long term flights, to rest first before they attempt to drive. Additionally, think about the following tips about road safety:

drive around the left-hand-side of the road
give way to your right
drive towards the weather conditions
by law, drivers and passengers must wear seat-belts or child restraints all the time
do not drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs. the effects can be very serious if you are caught by police
stick within the speed limits.

Tools needed:

Item to become fastened with nuts and bolts
Torque wrench
Torque angle meter

Instructions

1. Obtain the specifications from the strength of fastening for the faster that you have got for tightening to understand the right value for the torque for that particular fastener. These values are usually given on pound per square foot. Check if the angle value in degrees is also given. If you are using the incorrect values the product you will fasten will get damaged.

2. Go ahead and take two pieces to become fastened and fasten them. Then tighten the fastener using a standard torque wrench to the torque given in the specification. Now fix the torque angle meter on the head of the fastener. Now place the standard torque wrench around the torque angle meter.

3. Now tighten by turning the standard torque wrench while using specifications to achieve the figure succumbed it. The meter will indicate the strength in degrees. You need to watch the angle meter cautiously to get the correct value on it. You are able to finish the task when the required torque angle is obtained. When you have more fasteners in the same application make sure that you tighten these to the same degree or at least as near as possible.

1. Safety of Gears

In manual transmission the gears get engaged in the shift fork while the automatic transmission includes a torque converter along with a group of planetary gears that controls the ability transfer towards the wheels. When gears engage the transmission oil lubricates the wheels. The particles created because of deterioration from the wheels contaminate the transmission fluid requiring fluid changes often to remove the particulate matter.

2. Acting as a lubrication for parts

The transmission fluid lubricates all of the moving parts active in the process of power transmission and lubrication result in the parts to reduce wear and tear. As the new oil works at low temperatures making less wear and tear the frequent changes of transmission fluid makes vehicle transmission systems to last for very long.

3. Improvements to filtering effects

When transmission oil is changed the filter also offers to become changed in case it’s a filter which has paper. A mesh could be reused. The new filters filter better making longer life spans for the transmission systems.

4. Maintenance of gaskets of fluid pans

Once the transmission fluid has been changed the technician will normally consider the seals from the pan. If leaking he’s the possibility to replace it all.

5. Need for maintenance at the correct time

With a new study the changing of transmission oil has less frequent. Newer and more effective models of cars recommend oil change only after every 100,000 miles while there are other manufacturers state that their cars need no transmission oil changes. The best is to take your vehicle to the agent from the manufacturer and get the details from their technicians.

Instructions:

Whenever you park your car go to well lit areas to park. Avoid dark remote places as thieves love deserted places to do their job. Put up all the shutters and lock all of the doors. In case you have anything that will attract thieves you are able to hide them within the trunk. Whenever you leave valuable things within the car that may be seen externally they become catalysts for thieves to break in. Check books cameras and things like which should continually be hidden. A simple item just like a lunch cooler shouldn’t be left to be seen by an outsider. I heard a story of theft from a friend recently that her stereo set being stolen from the car. The thief has had the lunch cooler too to like a cover to use for the stereo.

If you possess the possible ways to do those purchase alarm system which is a system to protect vehicles against theft. It has some other facilities too. This vehicle home security system has the capacity to track a car when it’s stolen. It may provide the tip to the police to apprehend the thief and obtain the vehicle released.

In case you don’t have a garage, use a motion sensor in your house. You are able to prevent car theft with it to a large degree. This is the best option whenever you do not park your vehicle in a garage. Park the car as close as you possibly can to the house. The drive strategy is the best place. Anyway if you have a motion sensor installed it’ll turn on the sunshine the moment it detects any movement.

Whether your buying a secondhand Audi through private car sales, used car websites, seized property auctions, a used auto dealer or purchasing a repo car, make sure to make the type of car or truck valuation which will avoid a second hand auto sale that leads to the financial pitfalls and heartaches of buying a second hand car lemon.

To begin with, a good start to a car or truck valuation will necessitate accessing a Kelley Blue Book and NADA car or truck guide. They’re excellent car price guides for accurately measuring market value and Audi prices. Of course, you’ll want to verify VIN’s in the very start, in addition to, carefully inspect for just about any signs that would implicate past damage using the vehicle. More specifics on that later.

Surprisingly, a good number of those in search of reliable used cars somehow seem to miss the most basic aspects of determining the need for a used auto sale and find yourself scratching their heads later when dealing with the reality afterwards. Having a reasonably detailed secondhand Audi car or truck checklist in your possession, and using it, will assist you to avoid this.

When you become serious enough about the vehicle you’re looking at, purchasing a Carfax report is worth thinking. The approximate $30 investment is worth your piece of mind. It is very important to be sure you have access to a valid clear title. No in transit, to become issued at a later date, title shenanigans is going to do, no matter how attractive an Audi car or truck seems to you. Sometimes the owner, either unintentionally or intentionally, might have title issues that are tough to resolve. So, don’t hand over any cash until you’ve inspected the title for any signs of tampering or invalidation.

Having a reasonably qualified person go over the secondhand Audi you’re interested in can save you a considerable amount of future headache. Paying an expert for a small charge to accompany you is better still. Most likely, you can an expert to get this done for you for $100 or less. Regardless of how “good with cars” you may think you’re, people who earn their residing in the profession can recognize otherwise undetectable signs of damage, abnormal wear or disrepair that you would easily miss.

To go combined with the above, here are an additional 20 checkpoints which get you began on successfully executing a used car valuation of the secondhand Audi you might be considering:

If all VIN stickers from the doors, hood, trunk, dashboard do not match then the vehicle might have been wrecked or stolen
New carpeting for no apparent reason could indicate the vehicle continues to be flooded or not taken care of
Check for excessive exhaust appearing out of the muffler system.
Evidence of leaks or hand applied seal material to plug up window leaks.
Auto transmission fluid ought to be pinkish or perhaps a very light reddish color. If dark red or a brownish or smells burnt this may indicate that the transmission may be worn or even damaged.
Engine oil should be an even brown color. If it’s in any way a milky looking brown, that will indicate that the oil is mixed with engine coolant. Big problem.
Check for loose or crooked windows, or power windows that are not working. Motors are very expensive to replace.
Check the pedals to find out if they’ve been replaced from wear or damage. Not a good sign as to the deterioration from the vehicle.
Check full functioning air conditioning. Let it run.
Rusty disk brakes and drums would Indicate the car has sat abandoned for a while or may have been flooded.
When you move or jiggle the steering wheel backwards and forwards there should not be any play or odd noises of any kind.
Bald or uneven tire wear could be a sign of a bad alignment, possibly resulting from a wreck.
Look for excessive dimples, dings, dents, scratches or paint chips. Provide the bumpers attractive over. Do your inspection during hours of sunlight.
Variations in paint thickness. This would require a digital thickness gauge.
Look for fake airbag covers. Vehicle history will tip you as to what to consider.
Be looking for for any paint over-spray along windshield, engine compartment, traces inside door edges and along door seams.
Feel around door edges for proof of leftover masking tape from body work or doors that don’t fall into line properly.
Determine if there is excessive mileage for the car’s age. You can deduct $.10 to $.15 per extra mile in the price of the automobile.
A rebuilt title lowers the need for the vehicle by 30%. The vehicle report should indicate if it is the case
Look for just about any frame irregularity which may indicate involvement inside a major accident Provide a good look along the vehicle for straightness.

In case your vehicle interest involves private car sales, or any kind of interaction that deals with a used car owner directly, don’t be intimidated or respond defensively if they appear slightly delay by your intention to execute a highly detailed vehicle inspection.

It’s good policy to see the owner beforehand of your inspection agenda. Question them directly in advance to determine whether they have trouble with it. If they display any manifestation of reluctance or hostility toward the idea, this could be an indication of a shifty deal in the making also it might somewhat be a good time to sound retreat and live to fight another day.