An Eco-Friendly Guide to Caring For Your Car

Are you concerned about the environment? Perhaps you recycle, compost, reuse and upcycle. It makes sense to do your part for the planet, with global warming speeding up and ice caps melting. There are many things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint, but did you know that you can be eco-friendly while looking after your car? This helpful article will share how, so read on to learn more. 

You can do your part for the environment by having your car regularly maintained and serviced by a licensed and qualified mechanic. Tasks like oil changes, brake inspections and replacements, filter changes, and steering alignment will all ensure that your car consumes fuel more efficiently, thereby reducing your carbon footprint and making your daily commute more eco-friendly.

In addition to this, by servicing your car every six months or 10,000 km, whichever comes first, you’ll extend the life of your vehicle and ensure that it doesn’t break down. That way you won’t have to buy a new vehicle and contribute to the polluting supply chain of vehicle manufacturing.

Did you know that you can purchase eco-friendly car cleaning products such as car wash, wax, and other necessary products? This is one way to make your car cleaning routine eco-friendly, as you don’t have to worry about toxic cleaning chemicals going down the drain as you clean your car every few weeks. You can buy these online, and can likely find them at your local auto shop, too. For a streak-free finish, consider using the best towel to safely dry your car to avoid scratches and water spots.

Suppose you’re time-poor and don’t have the time to clean your car. In that case, you can book a mobile car detailer who uses environmentally friendly cleaning products, which you should be able to find through a Google search. 

Your vehicle’s tyre quality and condition drastically impact your car’s levels of fuel efficiency. After all, making your tyres move is the main goal of the combustion engine process, and the better they can turn and move while gripping the road, the more efficient your car’s fuel consumption will be. 

Worn-out or bald tyres will cause additional friction while driving, so your motor will work harder and burn more petrol to move your card forward. 

Another factor that will impact your overall fuel economy is what is called sidewall flex, which is the amount that tyres bend when cornering. Worn-out tyres will flex more. This means that your car will have a tough time recovering from the physics of a turn and will work harder to counteract the motion. Again, this causes your engine to work double time and burns more fuel. 

This means that if your motor works harder to counteract worn tyres, it burns more fuel and releases additional emissions into the atmosphere. If you are environmentally conscious, you should make sure that your tyres are in peak condition to reduce your carbon footprint.

You can check your tyres’ tread yourself using a basic tool like a car inspection mirror can help you spot wear in harder-to-see areas, or have them inspected by your local mechanic to ensure they’re up to scratch.

Avoiding speeding and reducing any unnecessary acceleration and braking are the keys to fuel-efficient, environmentally-conscious driving. The best way to do this is to change up through gears as quickly as possible and drive in the highest possible gear for your vehicle within the current speed limit. If you drive an automatic shift, ensure that you don’t slam the accelerator and instead maintain a smooth acceleration pace.

Also, maintaining an appropriate and safe distance from the car in front of you will help prevent abrupt braking and needing to accelerate back up to full speed once the car ahead of you moves forward. All of this will conserve fuel and help you to be an eco-friendly driver. It will also help to avoid unnecessary wear and tear on your engine, tyres, brakes and other systems and parts of your car.

As an eco-friendly car owner, you want to avoid carrying a heavy load around in your vehicle. This is because unnecessary weight will strain your suspension and cause you to consume more fuel. If you do need to carry heavy things, spread the weight out evenly instead of putting it all in the boot. Roof racks might be a good idea, too. 

This helpful article provides an eco-friendly guide to caring for your car. We’ve covered regular servicing and maintenance, car cleaning products, tyre wear, mindful driving, and carrying heavy loads. Follow these tips for guilt-free, green car ownership. 

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