Stop Wasting Money When You Fill Your Car Up With Gas - Part 2

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As I stated in my previous article - It’s no big secret - gas prices are rapidly rising. This additional cost for fuel has become a financial burden for many consumers. This second installment to my first article gives more tips and advice on how to save money when filling your car up with gas.

Previously I mentioned the merits of performing regular routine maintenance on your vehicle. The benefit to do this will greatly reduce your fuel costs and save you money. It’s also a good idea to start a fuel log. The rational behind this is simple if you record all of your gas purchases and the mileage you travel you will start to develop the habit of knowing exactly how much that you are spending in fuel costs. Make sure to keep notes on where the cheapest gas stations can be found. You’ll want to use this log to see patterns of driving that you can change in order to cut down on your fuel costs.

Did you know that the average fuel economy of new cars and trucks in the United States and Canada has increased by over 130 percent for cars and 75 percent for trucks? This means that you are driving a better more efficient vehicle, which should equate to a lower fuel bill. However this depends on the level of maintenance you perform on your automobile. If you notice that your gas efficiency is decreasing it could be an indicating factor that your car needs servicing. Don’t hesitate to perform your routine maintenance. Do so will end up costing you more money then you need to spend on gasoline and could ultimately lead to more expensive car repairs.

Make sure to always purchase the freshest gasoline possible. You can do this by buying your gas at a busy service station. A slower station may not need to fill its underground pumps on a regular basis allowing for older gas to be present. Older gas can become contaminated resulting in less efficient fuel which means a higher gasoline bill for you.

Here’s a neat little bonus tip. When you have finished filling up your gas tank try turning the nozzle of the hose a full 180 degrees. This will drain a bit more gas into your tank; in some cases up to an entire half-cup that would otherwise be a bonus to the next gas customer. Over the course of a year an extra half-cup of gasoline will save you quite a bit of money.

One of the biggest gasoline money saving tips I can pass on to you deals with the octane of the gas you put into your car. Most vehicles in today’s society are built very efficiently allowing you to put 87-octane gas into them. Trust me when I tell you that your car doesn’t need the more expensive high-octane gas as long as you perform your routine maintenance. The amount of money you can save by switching to the 87-octane fuel can amount to a large sum within a year’s worth of driving.

Two final money saving tips I want to pass along include avoiding “topping off” at the gas pumps. When you purchase just a bit of gas at the gas station the pump doesn’t have enough time to really activate, resulting in short bursts of fuel that may short change you from the amount of gas that you are purchasing. The best time to replenish your gas tank is when you have half a tank or less left in your vehicle. Additionally try not to drive your car when the gas gauge is on empty. You may think that you using very little gas when your car is on empty, but you are in fact using more gas because your vehicle is running less efficiently as it tries to accelerate and decelerate in a normal fashion. Try to keep your gasoline level above the quarter tank marker.

If you take the time to use the tips presented in this article you will be able to spend less on your total fuel bill and have a little bit of extra money to do with as you see fit.