Pain at the Pump Returning as Gas Prices Head for $3

Car Care Council Tips Can Help Save Money at Pump

BETHESDA, Md., Jan. 11, 2010; Consumers' chronic pain at the pump is returning with gas prices 67 percent higher than a year ago and probably heading back toward $3 a gallon soon. To help alleviate the pain, the Car Care Council offers some simple and inexpensive vehicle maintenance tips.

"You can't control the price of gas, but you can control how much gas you burn by performing proper maintenance and how you drive. Performing simple and inexpensive maintenance can save as much as $1,200 per year in gas costs," said Rich White, executive director, Car Care Council.

  The Car Care Council offers these gas-saving maintenance tips:
  --  Keep your car properly tuned to improve gas mileage by an average of 4
      percent.
  --  Keep tires properly inflated and improve gas mileage by 3 percent.
  --  Replace dirty or clogged air filters and improve gas mileage by as
      much as 10 percent.
  --  Replace dirty spark plugs, which can reduce mileage by two miles per
      gallon.
  --  Change oil regularly and gain another mile per gallon.

Driving behavior also impacts fuel efficiency. The council offers these gas saving driving tips:

  --  Observe the speed limit. Gas mileage decreases rapidly above 60 mph.
  --  Avoid excessive idling. Idling gets zero miles per gallon. Warming up
      the vehicle for one or two minutes is sufficient.
  --  Avoid quick starts and stops. Aggressive driving can lower gas mileage
      by 33 percent on the highway and 5 percent in the city.
  --  Consolidate trips. Several short trips taken from a cold start can use
      twice as much gas as one longer multi-purpose trip.
  --  Don't haul unneeded items in the trunk. An extra 100 pounds in the
      trunk reduces fuel economy by 1 to 2 percent.

The Car Care Council is the source of information for the "Be Car Care Aware" consumer education campaign promoting the benefits of regular vehicle care, maintenance and repair to consumers. For a free copy of the council's Car Care Guide or for more information, visit www.carcare.org.