Regular maintenance is necessary in order to maximize your fuel efficiency, extend the life of your car, and to ensure the safety of all of the people in your vehicle. Preventative automobile maintenance is also far less expensive than repairs after damage has been done.

In order to ensure that consumers are aware of these facts, the Car Care Council has declared that April is National Car Care Month.  To celebrate National Car Care Month, several of our dealerships are offering specials and incentives (visit their website specials pages for more information)!

Another important date this month is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22, 2010. 

Everyone has already learned that combining errands, gradually accelerating and braking gently can increase fuel efficiency, and reduce the impact of your car on the environment.  But did you know that regular maintenance is another way to improve the environmental impact of your vehicle?

• Getting a tune-up can improve gas mileage by 4% (and repairing a serious problem like a faulty oxygen sensor can improve mileage by as much as 40%)!  A well-tuned engine delivers the best balance of power and fuel economy and produces the lowest level of emissions.

• Replacing air filters can improve gas mileage by as much as 10% and provide more power to the engine.

• Checking the cooling system (thermostats, radiator caps, etc) can reduce emissions and improve efficiency by as much as 1-2 miles per gallon.

• Changing the oil can increase fuel efficiency of 1 mile per gallon!

• Under-inflated tires create rolling resistance, which means it takes more gas for your car to run properly.  The Car Care Council estimates that 2 billion gallons of gas could be saved each year if the tires on all Americans' cars were properly inflated. (For more information about extending the life of your tires, ask your service managers about nitrogen.)

• Checking the gas cap is another simple and effective way to increase fuel mileage and protect the environment.  The Car Care Council estimates that 17% of the vehicles on the road have loose, damaged or missing gas caps, which means that about 147 million gallons of gas vaporizes every year!

All Jim Ellis Dealerships recycle tires and dispose of used fluids in the cleanest, most environmentally-friendly manner possible.   While Chevy is bringing out the Volt, Porsche the hybrid Cayenne, and our Audi and VWs sell Clean Diesel TDI models, we understand that our industry is not easy on the Earth. We take pains to ensure that our business is.