Owning a vehicle has become a necessity for many people these days. It has become a primary mode of transport, especially if one’s residence is not accessible to public transport and is far from the workplace.
However, vehicle owners must be prepared to bear a host of additional commitments that come with having a vehicle. Bank loan monthly repayments, vehicle services, vehicle breakdowns, insurance and roadtax annual renewals, toll payments, and vehicle fuel all add to your financial commitments.
Some of the commitments above are beyond your control, such as the bank loan repayment amount. There are also commitments that you can control, such as vehicle service cost and vehicle fuel usage.
In this article, Bjak will share a few tips to save money on vehicle fuel.
Reduce load in your vehicle
Some of us may be guilty of making our vehicles a storage place. Boxes, bags, shoes, and more stored in a car make a car a mess.
Stuffing items in your car may not seem dangerous as the things are safe. However, did you know that excessive carload can damage your vehicle in the long run? According to Automotive Fleet, an excess of 200 pounds (about 90.7 kg) can reduce fuel efficiency by a mile or about 1.6 km.
Besides causing your vehicle fuel to run out faster, excessive carload can damage the vehicle’s suspension system.
As such, please do not exceed the maximum carload. You may find it convenient to store many items in your car. However, doing that may require you to spend more money on your car repair for damage that could be well avoided.
Do not let the engine run too long while waiting
Do you need to park your car and wait for someone in your for quite some time? If so, turn off your engine to prevent it from running for too long.
Please do not turn on and off your car engine repeatedly while waiting as it can consume more fuel.
Turn off the engine if you are sure you will be waiting for a long time. Additionally, roll down your windows slightly to let air enter your car.
Adjust your air conditioner’s temperature
As the air conditioner is powered by fuel, ensure that you do not often set it to the lowest temperature.
A lower air conditioner’s temperature means more fuel consumption. As such, try to keep an average or slightly higher temperature to save your fuel. To keep your car less warm, so you do not have to set your air conditioning to the lowest temperature, park your vehicle in a shady area.
Do not accelerate suddenly
Accelerating your vehicle suddenly consumes more fuel.
Other than that, if you frequently press the brake and gas pedals in a traffic jam, that, too, will consume more fuel.
Therefore, do not make accelerating your vehicle a habit to save your vehicle fuel. Additionally, avoid driving during peak hours, if you can.
Service your vehicle as scheduled
Please do not miss any car service appointments as regular car maintenance is essential. Regularly changing engine oil, timing belt, coolants, and others are necessary for safe driving.
Other items that you should regularly replace upon inspection are the air filter and fuel filter.
Failure to replace the fuel filter regularly will burn fuel inefficiently. Inefficient fuel consumption may lead to the release of harmful gases into the air.
Follow fuel-saving tips
We hope the above tips can help you save more money on your car fuel.
In addition, you are advised to keep your car components in good condition to avoid any damage to your vehicle. To learn more car tips, feel free to take a look at past articles by Bjak.
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