Cutting The Cost of Running a Car

Owning and running a car is an essential but expensive part of life for many of us.

Today, with soaring fuel prices, US gas at $4 a gallon and diesel in the UK at a pump price of up to 1.30GBP a litre (that equates to over US $11 a gallon) any way of reducing these costs must be considered.

Here are some of the ways this can be achieved.

*Use water with your fuel. Bizarre but true. This is a process where the hydrogen in water can be utilised to improve your MPG. Most cars can be converted using simple DIY instructions.

*If you run a diesel car or truck huge savings can be made by learning how to make your own Bio Diesel from recycled vegetable oil.

Detailed instructions are available to show you how. You can also buy commercially produced equipment to make the whole process easy.

*Convert your car to run on LPG (Propane). Converting a car in the UK costs around 1500 GBP and with LPG at the filling station at 50p a litre it must be an option worth considering. Be sure to use an approved LPG installer.

All the above methods not only save you a great deal of cash, but they are extremely good for the environment.

Both Bio Diesel and LPG are clean burning fuels which cause less wear on your engine and emit greatly reduced levels of harmful gases and carbon particles. This means they are not only saving you money but they are helping to save the planet.

Although the above projects are achievable by most competent DIY car owners, please take expert advice before attempting them yourself.

All these require a certain amount of technical knowledge but the following tips can be used by anyone.

*Cut the Air Con. Air Conditioning can add 10% to your fuel consumption.

*Make sure tires are inflated to the correct pressure and that they are wearing evenly. (Your local tire service centre can check and adjust wheel alignment.)

*Improve your driving technique. Savings of up to 20% can be achieved by going easy on the gas and brake pedals.

*Keep the speed down. Breaking speed limits burns more gas.

*Taking care of and maintaining your car is one DIY job that can save you a deal of money.

You will-
*Avoid costly breakdowns.
*Save on hefty garage bills.
*Reduce fuel consumption.
*A well-maintained car is always more economical.

Even if you're not inclined to work on the car yourself, knowing how it works will save you from being ripped off by the mechanic, telling you the car needs major repairs, when a few adjustments will do the trick.

But to do all this you have to know what you're doing, if only for reasons of safety.
This knowledge you can get from one of the many excellent service and repair workshop manuals available.

These manuals are written so that the novice can follow the step by step instructions.
Each task is also rated by its degree of difficulty, ensuring you don't tackle anything too ambitious.
Each manual is written specifically for the model of vehicle to which it relates.
When ordering be sure to have your vehicle details to hand.

Acting on any one or more of the above tips could considerably help your motoring budget.