Earth Day is Perfect Day to 'Be Car Care Aware'

It Pays to Make Your Car More Environmentally Sound

BETHESDA, Md., April 11 -- With National Car Care Month and Earth Day both being held in April, motorists now have the ideal occasion to make sure their vehicles are environmentally friendly and running efficiently to save money at the gas pumps, according to the Car Care Council.

"Poor vehicle maintenance directly impacts the environment, with 10 percent of the nation's automobiles causing 50 percent of the automotive pollution," says Rich White, Executive Director of the Car Care Council. "With skyrocketing gas prices, people are wasting more money and polluting the environment if their vehicles are not running properly."

The Car Care Council estimates that more than $62 billion in vehicle maintenance and repair is not performed every year, evidence that there is considerably more that consumers should be doing to insure their cars are not wasting fuel or harming the environment.

"For example, nearly 150 million gallons of gas vaporizes into the air every year because of damaged or missing gas caps," said White. "This wasted gas not only has an effect on the environment but also has people spending more money at the gas pump."

In addition to the gas cap, the Car Care Council recommends checking the following items to keep a vehicle running at peak fuel efficiently:

  * Under inflated tires -- When tires aren't inflated properly it's like
    driving with the parking brake on and can cost a mile or two per gallon.

  * Worn spark plugs -- A vehicle can have either four, six or eight spark
    plugs, which fire as many as 3 million times every 1,000 miles,
    resulting in a lot of heat and electrical and chemical erosion. A dirty
    spark plug causes misfiring, which wastes fuel. Spark plugs need to be
    replaced regularly.

  * Dirty air filters -- An air filter that is clogged with dirt, dust and
    bugs chokes off the air and creates a "rich" mixture -- too much gas
    being burned for the amount of air, which wastes gas and causes the
    engine to lose power. Replacing a clogged air filter can improve gas
    mileage by as much as 10 percent, saving about 15 cents a gallon.

The Car Care Council is the source of information for the "Be Car Care Aware" consumer education campaign on behalf of the automotive aftermarket industry. The purpose of the campaign is to provide timely and accurate information about the benefits of regular vehicle care, maintenance and repair to consumers. For more information about routine vehicle maintenance and how to "Be Car Care Aware," log onto http://www.carcare.org/.