Transcripts

Lauren Fix:
If you have a check engine light it can affect your fuel economy by up to forty percent and that's pretty serious; it could be something simple like a gas cap - it could be something more involved like an engine problem and that will really cost you a lot of money - the longer you wait the more it costs.

Lauren Fix, Spokesperson for the Car Care Council, says it very often is just a loose gas cap that kicks on the check engine light, so check that first. Another way to save money on gasoline…

Is to use a green oil and what that really means is to use a full synthetic oil. It costs a little more but you're not using fossil fuels - you don't have to change your oil as often, less emissions, better performance, slightly better fuel economy.

As we head into the warm weather months, what about running your car's air conditioner?

If you're driving under forty-five miles per hour, you can have your windows down and it'll be better savings for you on fuel mileage than it would be if you've got the air conditioner running. However, once you go over forty-five miles per hour the aerodynamics of the car come into play and therefore the windows should be up.

If you're in the market for a new car and you're thinking hybrid, remember today they're not the only choice when it comes to fuel efficiency.

You can get a Toyota Corolla that gets thirty-five miles to the gallon or a Honda Accord that's getting the thirty's easily or a Toyota Yaris - there's a lot of vehicles that get really good fuel economy that are not hybrids.

You can link to the Car Care Council website from ours: somethingyoushouldknow.net I'm Mike Carruthers and that's Something You Should Know.