Wednesday, March 31, 2010

How to save gas and money.


As we approach summer months gas prices are on the rise. It’s the time of year when we do the most driving. There are many things you can do aside from buying a more fuel efficient car that can help cut down on gas expenses. Here are some tips to help you conserve gas and money.

1. Less acceleration – A car consumes more gas as it accelerates. You will not get anywhere any faster with that extra speed. Drive the speed limit. Try taking off smoothly and slowly when leaving a stop light. It’s not a race, the fastest person across the intersection is just wasting more gas. Drive the speed limit. Keep at a steady pace, if you’re stuck in traffic try to use the brake less by paying attention to the cars ahead of you and keeping at a good distance.

2. Revving is not cool – Revving your engine just stresses the engine especially when the engine is cold but even if its warm, you’re wasting gasoline not to mention the wear and tear on the engine.

3. Turn off your air conditioner – This is a tough one especially if you’re living in Arizona. When your air conditioner is running you get much worse mileage. Use your air conditioner sparingly. If you have a lower setting, use it. Turn it on until your car gets cool and then use the fan to circulate the cool air. Don’t run the air conditioner while your windows are open. Turn off the air conditioner 5 minutes before you get to your destination and try to park in a shaded area. Remember to open your window at low speeds and using your air conditioner at high speeds gives you better fuel economy.

4. Check tire pressure – Under inflated tires increases fuel consumption so check the air pressure on your tires more frequently. Keep your tires on your car inflated to the manufacture’s recommendation.

5. Idling is not for the car – Try not to idle your engine for long periods of time. When you turn a car on, it uses a bit of gas but when your car is idling, it uses a fixed amount of gas over a period of time. If you foresee your car idling for more than 1 minute, you should consider turning your car off. Pay attention to those times you’re waiting in line or waiting in a driveway.

6. Don’t fill up when the price is high – If you need gas and the price is high, fill with what you need and then return when the gas price drops if at all possible. Filling up at high prices only let the gas companies know that you are willing to pay ridiculous prices for gas. Study the gas patterns of your area. Quite often gas prices go up on a Friday going into the weekend. If that’s a consistent pattern make a habit of filling up on Thursdays.

7. Keep your car tuned up – Cars that are not maintained and are in poor running condition use more gas.

"We hope that these tips will not only help reduce emissions but will leave you with extra change in your pants pocket. Looking for a late model, reliable vehicle? Check out our inventory at http://prudentvaluecars.com/

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Keeping your car engine clean.


Not only can a clean engine increase the resale value of your car should you consider reselling it but it’s also a great way to keep watch for any service issues and also ensures that your used car will run smoothly for years to come AND let’s not forget how good it will look when you open the hood of your car.

Before you start you must take these precautions – Refer to your vehicles service manual for any cleaning instructions or precautions for your particular engine. Always wear good eye protection when using chemical agents like engine degreasers and you MUST disconnect your vehicle’s negative battery cable.

To begin, you should start the engine and let it warm up for a few minutes and then shut it off. This is done in order to soften up collected grease and grit in your engine compartment. Remember that your engine should be warm and not hot. You should be able to hold your hand to the engine without burning it.

You will want to cover all electrical and mechanical components beneath the hood to protect them from water damage. You will also want to tighten all caps, the power steering cap, the windshield washer fluid cap, battery filler caps etc.. It’s a good idea to cover the distributer, coil, air intake/air filter and oil dipstick/breather with plastic baggies sealed with rubber bands.

An engine degreaser is a great agent that will help remove the grease from your engine parts. Spray all over the engine and engine compartment with a non petroleum based degreaser. Using a degreaser too often can cause the rubber to break down, especially if it is petroleum based. Citrus based degreasers may require a little extra elbow work but they are worth it. They will not harm the paint or the finish on aluminum components and are biodegradable. Start from the bottom and work your way up. Wait 3-5 minutes before you scrub the heavy dirt with a towel or brush. Once the whole engine is clean, rinse thoroughly with water.

Remove the plastic baggies and dry off any collected water. You may want to start the engine and let it warm up in order to dry off any moisture in the engines sensitive components.

You can apply a thin coating of non-silicone lubricant to all hinges, throttle cables, cruise control cables and top off all fluids.

Your hard work has now paid off and you’ve got yourself a shiny engine compartment.

Go to http://www.prudentvaluecars.com/ for more useful information!

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Removing your car from winter storage.


Getting your car back on the road is always a little trickier than storing it properly. It’s a job that most car owners must deal with but here are some pointers on how to get your car ready to hit the road again.

Change the oil and oil filter. If you’ve changed the oil before putting the car away, you’ll be in good shape when it’s time to start it up again after a long winters storage but before starting the car, check the oil level on the dipstick first and then recheck it again once the car has been idling for a few minutes.

Remove the spark plugs and squirt a small amount of motor oil into each cylinder to pre lubricate the engine. We know that access to the plugs may be difficult in some cars but this is critical to and helpful in prolonging your engine life.

When storing your vehicle you may have disconnected the battery so you’ll obviously need to reconnect the battery if this is the case. If the car has been stored for a year or more, you may need to purchase and install a new battery.

You’ll want to check the tire pressure before getting your car on the road. It is critical to have properly inflated tires as this ensures the best possible contact between the tire and the road. Read your owners manual to find out the proper pressure. Properly inflated tires will also improve gas mileage.

Check all vital fluid levels including coolant, power steering fluid, transmission fluid and so on..

Also, you may want to check underneath the car to confirm that there are no leaks that need attention.

Drain and properly dispose of any gas in the tank. This may seem like a terrible waste but bad gas means trouble.

Now you can give your car a good wash and wax, don’t forget the inside and enjoy your ride!

Visit us at www.prudentvaluecars.com for more information.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Why purchasing a used car is a good idea?


Does everyone deserve a new car? The answer is ABSOLUTELY, however purchasing a quality used car from Prudent Value Cars will save you money in more ways than one and here are some ways how:

Used cars are priced significantly lower than newer cars so not only will you save money on the purchase price of the car when but you will also save money over the entire time you will own the vehicle. Prudent Value Cars only sells top quality pre-owned cars with low kilometres and premium safety checks.

Every used car that is sold by Prudent Value Cars has 30 day free bumper to bumper warranty on all mechanical. If something goes wrong, we will fix it! There is also a one year powertrain warranty.

Insurance rates are also generally lower for older model cars than for new vehicles.

A new purchased vehicle will lose it’s depreciation by approximately 30% the moment it is driven off the lot. Prudent Financial will ensure you are driving away with a top quality car by providing you with a full history report of the vehicle you are purchasing.

Prudent also offers flexible financing and is a one stop shop that offers all kinds of credit for car loans, personal loans and also home equity loans.

Please visit our website at www.prudentvaluecars.com