gas prices

3 Ways To Save Gas

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3 Tips To Save Gas

As fuel prices go higher, our customers are asking about how they can save gas. There are lots of opportunities to save money with your vehicle:

  1. Keep up with the standard maintenance of your vehicle. The better operating condition of your vehicle, the better your gas mileage will be. Tire pressure and alignment are good examples of services that can improve fuel efficiency.
  2. Reduce your speed and acceleration. We know it might take the fun out of driving, but the harder you push that pedal to the metal, the more fuel you are burning.
  3. Share a ride. Car pool. Team up with co-workers and family members to share trips and commutes.

At Dearholt AutoCare, our commitment is to keep your vehicle in the best condition we can and keep you informed of how you can improve vehicle performance. Schedule your service today.

505.857.0868

Ownership, Maintenance & Repairs

► When buying a car, look for models that offer the best fuel economy in their class. For most drivers, an optional larger and/or more-powerful engine is unnecessary.

► Maintain your car according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. Modern cars don’t need “tune ups,” but regular service will ensure optimum fuel economy, performance and longevity.

► Take your car to a repair shop as soon as possible if the “Check Engine” light comes on. This indicates a problem that is causing excessive emissions and likely reducing fuel economy.

Serpentine Belt

Serpentine Belt

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Accessory Belt

You know that long belt that snakes around the front of your engine?  It’s called the serpentine belt.  The belt’s driven by the engine as it turns.  It powers your alternator, air conditioning compressor, and power steering pump.  On some vehicles it also runs the water pump, radiator fan, and power brakes.  Sounds like a lot of important stuff doesn’t it? They should call it the Accessory Belt!

If your serpentine belt were to break, your battery would die in a few miles.  If it runs your fan or water pump, your engine could overheat.  And steering and braking could be more difficult.  Obviously, the best thing is to replace your serpentine belt before it breaks.

Check your owner’s manual for when it’s recommended to replace your serpentine belt – or just ask your service advisor.  He can inspect the belt as well to see if it’s in trouble.  You may have been told to look for cracks in your belt to see if it needs to be replaced.  Of course, cracks are still a concern, but modern belt material doesn’t crack as often as old belts did.  What we look for these days is the thickness of the belt.  We have a special little tool that measures the depth of the grooves in the belt to see if it needs replacing.

A worn belt can slip or be misaligned, putting undue stress on the accessories it runs.

Now you can imagine it’s important for the belt to be tight, so there’s a tensioner pulley on your engine that puts pressure on the belt to keep it at the right tension.  The spring on the tensioner wears out over time so we recommend replacing the tensioner pulley at the same time as the serpentine belt.

Replacing your serpentine belt on schedule, or when an inspection warrants it, will keep you from an unexpected breakdown.

Do I need a Wheel Alignment?

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Why total alignment?

  1. Reduce Tire Wear – Improper alignment is a major cause of premature tire wear. Over the years, a properly aligned vehicle can add thousands of miles to tire life. Many tire are replaced prematurely du to adverse wear.
  2. Better Gas Mileage  – Gas mileage improves as rolling resistance is minimized. Total alignment sets all four tires parallel, which along with proper inflation, minimizes rolling resistance.
  3. Improved Handling  – Does your car pull to one side? Do you have to turn the steering wheel to keep your car traveling straight ahead? Many handling problems can be corrected with an alignment service.
  4. Safer driving – A suspension system inspection is part of the alignment procedure. This allows worn parts to be detected before they fail and cause costly problems.

Our shop uses four precision cameras to measure the position and orientation of targets mounted on each wheel of your car.

The aligner uses this information to calculate your car’s current alignment measurements and then compares these measurements to the manufacturer’s OEM alignment specifications. Schedule your alignment check today.