Maintain Your Car
On the Road
If your car is not in top operating condition, you use fuel inefficiently and waste money. The following list of tips will help you to reduce your long-term car maintenance costs and minimize harmful exhaust emissions that pollute the air. Proper and regular maintenance will also help to extend the life of your vehicle and make it worth more if you decide to sell.
For further information on maintaining your car, please consult Natural Resource Canada's Office of Energy Efficiency (OEE).
Tips
•Service your vehicle regularly, making sure to get an oil change and a tune-up. Familiarize yourself with your owner's manual so that you are aware of your car's specific maintenance requirements. Quick Fact: 1,2,3,4
•Keep your car tires correctly inflated to the manufacturer recommended pressure. Make sure tires are cold (stationary for 3 hours or driven less than 2 km) when checking. Quick Fact: 1,2,3
•Check tire pressure regularly, especially after there has been a sharp drop in temperature. During winter, cold temperatures decrease the air pressure in tires, adding to the resistance caused by snow and slush.
•Make sure your radiator, coolant, transmission fluids, brake fluids, and power steering fluids are not leaking. Check that your battery terminals and air filters are clean and the drive belts are tight. Quick Fact:1,2
•Check your brakes and wheel alignment to see if they need adjusting. You can do this by resting your hands slightly on the steering wheel on a flat stretch of road and watching to see whether the vehicle pulls to one side. Make adjustments if necessary to improve the smoothness of your car's ride and save fuel.
•Monitor your car's fuel efficiency. If you are going to the gas station more frequently, something might be wrong with your car.
•Purchase motor oil rated as “energy conserving." Using the lowest multigrade of oil recommended in your owner's manual could improve the fuel efficiency of your car, particularly when starting it when it is cold.
•Ask your mechanic to inspect your air conditioning system in the spring to fix any CFC leaks that might be contributing to the depletion of the ozone layer.
•Participate in Environment Canada's LET'S DRIVE GREEN free vehicle emissions inspection clinics held every summer in communities nationwide.
