Green Car Care

OIL CHANGES

"The 3,000 mile oil change is a myth. This is what the State of California says. Or more exactly what the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) says. The fact is that most drivers (including myself) change their oil every 3,000 miles (or 5,000 km) even though many automakers now recommend service intervals of 5,000, 7,000 or even 10,000 miles for most modern cars.

Research by the CIWMB shows that nearly 3 out 4 Californians change their cars' oil before it is really needed. This generates millions of gallons of waste oil, a product which is potentially very polluting.

CIWMB has released a website that explains this "myth" and has a short list of recommended service intervals for common cars. For example, a 2007 Nissan Altima can have its oil changed every 3,750 miles (25 percent further than 3,000 miles), and a 2007 Chevy Malibu every 7,500 (150 percent more). The rule is that we all should check this figure in the owner's manual.

Please note that this figure also depends on your driving habits and the quality of the oil you're using. Changing oil too late is also a very bad practice, because not only you can damage your car engine, but it increases fuel consumption and reduces performance."

TIRE PRESSURE

Incorrect tire pressure is responsible for the production of an additional 18.4 metric tons of CO₂ which end up in the atmosphere each year.

We can translate the figure in to wasted fuel as well: about 8 BILLION (with a 'b') liters of fuel wasted per year. Moreover, 55 million tires per year are thrown away because of premature wear and tear due to incorrect pressure.

Under-inflated tires lower gas mileage by 0.4 percent per pound of reduced pressure.  If you're short 10 pounds of pressure,  you're losing 4 percent in fuel economy.  

The door to your glove compartment or the driver's-side door pillar should list your vehicle's appropriate tire pressure.

And remember, when the seasons change, keep an even closer eye on your tire pressure!  For every 10* drop, your tires will lose one pound of pressure.

CLEANING THE CAR

Empty out your trunk (and the backseat...).  Hauling around extra junk not only hurt's the aesthetic appearance of your car, it hurts your fuel economy.  Every extra 100 pounds of weight will reduce your fuel economy by 1 to 2 percent.  Weighted your car down for extra traction during the winter?  Take out those bags of softener salt once spring rolls around. 

Check out Huddler's green car care suggestions for a variety of waterless car washing products.

FILLING UP WITH GAS

Premium gas requires about 2% more energy to make than  is needed to make the equivalent amount of regular gas, and it may contain higher levels of MTBE, a chemical which can contaminate our water supplies.

Use regular gas, instead of premium.   Cars designed to take regular but filled with premium will release more unburned gas into the emissions system and interfere with its ability to prevent noxious discharge. 

And if your car calls for premium?  Cars less than fifteen years old have on-board computers that can regulate knocking even at lower octane levels than the manufacturer recommends.  Regular gas appears to burn  as cleanly as premium.  But if your engine begins to knock, you should increase your octane level.

Sources:

AutoblogGreen, Jan. 24, 2008

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