Beyond MPG – Keeping Your Automotive Life Green
Keeping your automotive life green doesn’t mean trimming your car with Bermuda grass or just slapping a few green leaf stickers on the back. In fact, staying green is much more than just keeping an eye on your MPGs. It’s about maintaining and caring for your car in the most environmentally friendly manner possible while minimizing your environmental footprint. The following information can help lessen your environmental impact, no matter what you drive.
For starters, you might not want to wash the car yourself. As it turns out, washing your own car with a hose, bucket and rag wastes large amounts of water. The water runoff from your driveway can carry oil, salt and grease directly into local streams and lakes. Commercial car washes not only use less water, they also feature treatment systems that filter and reuse runoff water. If you still insist on washing the car yourself, park it on the lawn. The soil acts as a filter for runoff water before it reaches downstream water sources. Plants will also benefit from the phosphates in certain car wash detergents.
Keeping your car tuned up is another way you can keep it green. A properly tuned vehicle puts out fewer exhaust emissions than one allowed to fall out of tune. Most tune-ups involve the replacement of spark plugs, oxygen sensors, air filters and other basic performance and emissions related equipment. Not only will a tune-up keep exhaust emissions low, but it will also improve your car’s fuel economy by as much as 40 percent, according to the EPA. Regular tune-ups will also help your car maintain its original performance.
While you’re at it, have those fluids changed. Sooner or later, you’ll have to have your engine oil, engine coolant and other fluids changed, as these can wear out and compromise the performance of your car. An experienced auto mechanic at an automotive repair shop can easily change these fluids for you at a reasonable price, but if you plan to change the fluids yourself, make sure to do it in an environmentally friendly manner. Never pour your car’s fluids down storm drains or directly onto the ground, as these fluids can seep into and pollute groundwater. Engine coolant is especially dangerous, since it has a sweet taste that attracts animals and small children. Keep used fluids covered up in a sealable container and transport them to your nearest automotive parts outlet for proper disposal.
