How to save money the next time you stop at a petrol station?
9. Keep an eye on your fuel consumption
The more aware you are of the amount of fuel that you use the more you can do to try to reduce your fuel costs. If you notice that your fuel efficiency is decreasing it could be an indicating factor that your car needs servicing.
Make weekly comparisons with your fuel log that you keep in you car to see how much your fuel consumption is going up and your mileage per gallon is going down.
If you are finding that you are constantly seeing less and less performance from your car and spending more for fuel at the fuel pump then you'll know that you need to take action so that you can start seeing a savings in your fuel economy rather than a constant deficit.
10. Buy fuel from a busy station
Try to buy your fuel from a fuel station that is consistently busy and therefore has its underground tanks filled on a regular basis.
Fuel stations that are slow will have fuel that has been sitting in underground tanks for longer periods of time, leading to fuel contamination.
This contamination can mean that the fuel you are purchasing is less powerful than fresh fuel and will decrease your fuel economy.
Try to time your visits to busier fuel stations at those busy times but make sure that you're not in a rush to get anywhere.
If you're late for an appointment you may find yourself giving up in frustration if you have to wait to purchase your fuel and then find yourself moving over to a fuel station that has a higher fuel cost for the day.
11. Turn the nozzle
When you have finished filling up your fuel tank try turning the nozzle of the hose a full 180 degrees.
This will drain a bit more fuel into your tank; in some cases up to an entire half cup that would otherwise be a bonus to the next fuel customer.
Once you get into the habit of turning the hose you'll find yourself doing it without thinking. That extra half cup that you get each time that you fill your fuel tank can add up to a lot of extra fuel at the end of the year that you never have known about.
12. High octane fuel
For most cars these days, buying higher octane fuel is a waste of your money. Regular unleaded has approximately 87 octane already and is fine for your vehicle.
By avoiding buying high octane fuel you'll be saving a large amount of money over a period of time. High octane fuel is always more expensive at the fuel pumps so the next time that you feel guilty for filling up your SUV with regular fuel you can be assured that no harm will come to your vehicle.
Octane is simply a measurement of how difficult it is to ignite the fuel in your car and has nothing to do with the quality of the fuel. If you are experiencing engine pings, rattles, or knocks you can switch to high octane fuel.
However, you shouldn't be experiencing any of those knocks and rattles if you are keeping your vehicle maintained and making sure that you don't miss those scheduled maintenance checkups.
If you are driving a new model car you definitely shouldn't be hearing any pings or rattles and if you are you should take your vehicle to a mechanic.
13. Avoid topping off
Try to avoid topping off at the fuel pumps. When you purchase just a bit of fuel at the fuel 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 fuel that you are purchasing.
The best time to replenish your fuel tank is when you have half a tank or less left in your vehicle, or when you find a fuel price that you just cant afford to miss.
14. Avoid running your fuel tank too close to empty
Keep your fuel level above the quarter tank mark if at all possible.
15. Avoid buying fuelohol
You should never purchase fuelohol for your car since it contains only two-thirds of the energy of fueloline.
This means that you would need to buy much more fuelohol to go the same distance on a tank of fueloline.
Fuelohol is a mixture of ethanol (alcohol made from grain) and fuel, and is used by some farmers to help cut the amount of pollution in the air.
Even if you are traveling and it seems like the only fuel choice for miles is fuelohol try to avoid buying this type of adapted fuel.
16. Avoid buying fuel from a just replenished fuel station
When a fuel station has its underground tanks filled, the particles at the bottom of the tank are stirred up.
These particles can become mixed in with the fuel that you are putting into your car, which can lead to efficiency problems. The particles can clog your fuel filter, causing your car to stall and start with some difficulty.
If the fuel station that you have decided to stop at has the lowest fuel price in your area you may want to think about taking the time to come back at a later time rather than stopping at the next fuel station that is offering a higher price for fuel.
17. Keep your car well tuned
One of the best things that you can do is to keep your vehicle as well tuned as you possibly can. This means taking note of those regularly scheduled maintenance checkups that you so often ignore. Studies indicate that a car with an engine that is poorly tuned will increase the amount of fuel consumption from 10 to 20 percent.
Information found at www .fueleconomy .gov/ shows that when you tune up a car that is due for a checkup or one that has emissions problems, you can increase the fuel mileage by up to 4.1 percent.
Pay attention to the signals that your car is giving you. When the red message light on your dashboard lights up letting you know that its time to check your gauges make sure that you have your car looked at as soon as you can.
If you are uncertain when the last time was that you had your car serviced you may be able to contact the mechanic that last did the work for you.
If they keep accurate records your mechanic will be able to give you a date for your last maintenance visit and help you schedule a new one at the same time.
18. Change the oil in your car
Change the oil in your car on a regular basis. When you keep the oil in your car clean you reduce the wear that is caused by friction in the moving parts of your cars engine.
Keeping track of your last oil change will save you money at the fuel pump and increase your fuel consumption. If you are reluctant or unable to change the oil in your car on your own make sure that you fuel up at a fuel station that offers you full service.
This way you can ask the fuel attendant to help you fill your car with fuel as well as take a look under the hood of your car to change the oil.