If you are looking for a gas station to fill up your tank, you might be searching for the station with the cheapest prices or with easy access to get in and out quickly. But there’s another consideration that you might not have thought about before: if you see the refueling tanker at the station. It’s something that’s important to consider, because getting gas from a station which recently had its own tanks filled could mean trouble for your car.

Gas stations store their gasoline in underground tanks. Over time, massive amounts of sediment can stack up in these tanks over time. The process of refueling empty gasoline tanks can loosen and stir up this sediment and put it into the gasoline you get from the pump. Over time these sediments will sink back to the bottom of the tanks but are mostly likely to make their way through filters and into your car immediately after the underground tanks have been filled.

So if you see a large tanker filled with gasoline refueling the underground tanks at your local gas station, it’s a good idea to drive past it for a day or two until any loosened sediments have had a chance to settle to the bottom of the tanks again. You don’t want your fuel lines being clogged with that type of debris.

With winter weather fast approaching, many car owners are starting to think about preparing their cars for driving in cold temperatures, rain, snow and other adverse conditions. Drivers in the Midwest and East Coast should absolutely be ready for winter driving, but even drivers in places like California and Florida need to have their car ready for colder weather and heavy rain storms. Here are a few things to do to prepare your car for the winter months:

Replace your wiper blades: Having worn-out windshield wipers can make driving in rain, snow or sleet almost impossible and very dangerous. Unfortunately, most people don’t realize that their wipers need to be replaced until the first storm hits. Check your wipers to see if they are cracked or worn before bad weather conditions start.

Check your antifreeze levels: Many people only fill their coolant systems with water during the summer months when they “top off” their cars. However, this can leave you low on antifreeze, which is very important when cold weather hits. Make sure to flush your system and fill it with the proper amount of antifreeze before the cold weather strikes.

Switch to synthetic oil: Modern blends of synthetic oils help you to avoid “rough starts” in the winter and make it easier to get your car going first thing in the morning. Replace your regular oil with a synthetic before the winter, especially if you have an older car.

When most people bring their car into a mechanic or oil change place for routine maintenance, they simply drop the keys off and pay the bill after work is completed. They don’t think much about it and generally agree to whatever recommendations that mechanic might make about services to perform. This is a big mistake! Not asking questions or paying attention during even the most basic of car care procedures can cost you hundreds of dollars immediately or down the road.

Being a smart car owner means asking questions. Here are a few things that you should be prepared to ask your mechanic when you bring your car in for an oil change, tune-up or any other scheduled maintenance procedure:

• Are you putting the right oil in my car? If you have an older car, you will want to consider motor oils designed for high mileage vehicles. If you drive in cold weather or frequently haul things, you might want to consider different viscosity oil than what is standard for your model.
• Is it time to change my oil filter? A dirty oil filter can hurt your engine’s performance and rob you of gas mileage.
• Are my fluid levels where they should be? If your fluid levels are lower than would be expected for the amount of time between maintenance visits, this could be a sign that you have a leak or some other mechanical problem which is draining your fluids and could be something to look at.

Most people understand that it’s important to change your motor oil and other fluids in your car on a regular basis on order to keep your car running properly. While the old axiom of having a motor oil change every 3,000 miles might not hold true today with improvements in motor oil technology, it’s still a good idea to change your oil every 5,000 to 8,000 miles.

But your motor oil isn’t the only thing you need to be replacing on a regular basis in order to maximize the performance of your car. The air filtration system is an incredibly important part of the car’s internal workings but something that many people ignore. Cars need fresh air in order to fire properly, meaning that your air filter and other parts of the filtration system need to be checked and cleaned on a regular basis.

Simply making sure that your air filter is clean can improve your gas mileage by 10 percent or more along with reducing the wear and tear on your motor and improving your engine life. Every time you replace your motor oil, making sure you check your air filter. If it is simply clogged, the particles can easily be removed; older air filters will need to be replaced. It’s an easy and cheap way to improve your gas mileage and performance.

When it comes to most passenger cars, spending extra money on high-octane gas is a waste of money. Higher octane levels only benefit high performance vehicles which require a certain type of fuel and unless your car’s owner’s manual specifically calls for a higher octane gasoline, there’s no need to purchase it.

However, this doesn’t mean that the quality of gasoline doesn’t matter. When you go to fill up your car, it’s important that you go to a reputable gas station that is known for having high quality gasoline. Unfiltered gasoline can add sediments and other particles to your gasoline which can hurt your car’s performance or even cause damage.

If you’re unsure, ask the gas station attendant if their gasoline is filtered at the pump and how frequently the pump filter is changed. If you aren’t happy with the answer you receive, it’s a good idea to move onto another station.

With gas prices averaging around $2.75 a gallon nationwide, drivers everywhere are looking for ways to extend their gas mileage and save a few extra dollars each week. Purchasing a hybrid vehicle is a great way to save money on gas but not everyone can afford to buy a new car. If you want to get more mileage out of your existing vehicle, here are a few steps you can take on your own:

Put Your Car on a Diet: Extra weight inside your car means that the engine has to work harder to propel the vehicle, wasting more gas in the process. If you have a van filled with old vacation supplies, golf bags and other useless junk, chances are this is keeping you from getting the best gas mileage possible. A thorough cleaning that gets all of the extra weight out of your car will save you space and perhaps gas money as well.

Keep Your Car Running Right: Properly caring for your car can increase your mileage by a mile per gallon or more. Underinflated tires are a major source of poor gas mileage – consult your car’s handbook for the proper air pressure. Dirty air filters or oxygen sensors can also rob you of gas mileage.

Use Regular Gasoline: Unless you are driving a high-performance car, you aren’t getting any benefits from paying extra for premium octane gasoline. Check your car’s manual for specifications but it’s a safe bet that the lowest octane gasoline is just fine for most passenger cars.

One of the latest advances in car tire technology has been the advent of “run flat” tires. These are tires which are designed to run for 50 miles or more after receiving a puncture that otherwise would lead to a flat tire. They are constructed from very stiff materials in the sidewall, allowing them to support the weight of the car even with very little weight. Run flat tires now come standard on new car models such as the BMW 3 series, Toyota Sienna and Chevrolet Corvette.

There are some disadvantages to run flat tires. For one thing, the stiff construction that makes them be able to run with little or no air also makes the ride occasionally rough and bumpy. In addition, many car owners have complained that the tires have uneven tire wear, leading to them needing to be replaced more frequently. Some tires need to be replaced every 15,000 miles while typical all-weather tires can last for 40,000 miles or more.

However, the safety advantages of run flat tires easily outweigh the potential drawbacks. A tire blowout can put you and your family at danger, especially if it happens on a freeway or other high-speed roads. Run flat tires will reduce the risk of this along with saving you the hassle of being stuck on the side of the road trying to replace a flat tire.

If your car isn’t starting the way that it should be, one problem could be your spark plugs. Spark plugs create an electrical spark inside of internal combustion engines, which ignites the compressed fuels and get the engine moving. If spark plugs are old or not all of them are working, this can create rough starts or make it impossible to fire the engine at all.

Most spark plugs should be replaced every 30,000 to 45,000 miles. However, the more expensive platinum spark plugs can last up to 100,000 miles before they need to be replaced. A rough start is a sure sign of old spark plugs but there are other signs. A lack of a spark can create poor fuel efficiency or cause your car to vibrate or even stall while idling or accelerating.

Finding out if your spark plugs need to be changed is easy. Any mechanic can quickly hook your plugs up to an oscilloscope to check their secondary ignition pattern. Worn spark plugs will cause a sudden spike in voltage that is simple to detect. Replacing spark plugs is cheap, easy and can have a major impact on the quality of your ride.

With the high cost of gas today, people are always looking for ways to save money on their fuel costs. Buying a hybrid or electric car is a great way to save on gas but even if you have an SUV there are some basic steps that you can take to save money on gas:

Use lower-octane gas: Using a higher-octane gasoline is only necessary if you drive a sports car, luxury vehicle or other car where a higher octane is specifically called for in the owner’s manual. For the vast majority of passenger vehicles, putting in the higher grade of gas is useless since there will be no increase in performance.

Park in the shade: Not only does parking your car in the sun during the summer months make your car uncomfortable but it also can cost you gas. Excess heat can cause your gas to evaporate from your tank. Parking in shaded areas can eliminate this problem (while also making your car cooler to drive).

Inflate your tires: Driving on underinflated tires makes your engine have to work harder in order to pull the car. Having your tires properly inflated can help improve your fuel efficiency by up to 15 percent.

Cars are a necessity of life which also frequently can be the bane of our existence. If they run properly, they are great. When they need service or quit unexpectedly, they can be nothing but frustration. This is usually compounded by the emotional toll taken in getting them serviced properly and at a reasonable cost.

With the expansion of the Web comes a site which offers all kinds of assistance. Find a reputable shop, get an estimate, track your service records, replace your owner’s manual, and even find shops while traveling. All these services are available at www.repairpal.com. Even better, they are all free just for joining. And the membership is also free.

When you join, you enter the data about your vehicle(s), such as a Acura TL . A list of repair shops which service your make and model are then made available. Many of the shops have ratings and reviews from previous/present customers.

Estimates of the cost of various services are readily accessible. There are even descriptions of problems and their solution services so you have an idea of what’s coming before you bring in the car. For instance, if your car is ready for an oil change , the description of the service to be performed and an estimated cost are both available. Or if the brakes are squeeking and your card needs a brake job, you can get an idea of the approximate cost, before you even call the shop. Imagine how much less stressful that visit will be!

The need for repairs while traveling can be another major headache. Once you are a member of repairpal.com, you have access to the same list of shops in most major markets such as Houston auto repair. This could easily be the difference between a wonderful vacation and one which taxes a relationship.

Rarely is there a free service that really lives up to its claims. Usually you get what you pay for. In the case of repairpal.com, you pay nothing and get exactly what you need to ease one of life’s major frustrations.