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Consumer Resources: Vehicle Maintenance

Car Care Aware

Taking an active role in maintaining your vehicle is best way to avoid costly repairs down the road. The Car Care Aware website, www.carcare.org, was developed to help you learn how.

Get your free printed copy of the Car Care Guide today!

This first-of-its-kind reference guide for motorists from the Car Care Council is now available to the independent market. Focus group research revealed that shop owners, counterpersons and technicians would find the guide valuable when discussing recommended maintenance and repair to their customers. Consumers interviewed agreed that they would trust information from a credible third party like the Car Care Council. The successful “Be Car Care Aware” consumer education campaign has d emonstrated motorists' interest in vehicle maintenance information and advice. The 56-page guide covers nine major service occasions and 12 component groups of the vehicle, plus service interval recommendations, a maintenance log and much more. Additionally, the guide now contains two new sections on fuel economy and environmental awareness.

Fuel Economy

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) produce the Fuel Economy Guide to help car buyers choose the most fuel efficient vehicle that meets their needs. The Guide is published in print and on the Web at www.fueleconomy.gov. For additional print copies, please call the EERE Information Center at 1-877-337-3463 or mail your request to EERE Information Center, 20440 Century Boulevard, Suite 150, Germantown, MD 20874.

Download the Fuel Economy Guide in PDF format.

Alliance to Save Energy, which is a non-profit organization that helps consumers and policy-makers make informed decisions about maximizing the potential of energy efficiency. This year, the Alliance is running the Drive $marter Challenge which successfully saved people hundreds of dollars last year through the use of simple driving and maintenance tips. On the website, www.drivesmarterchallenge.org, you can take the Drive $marter Challenge which is a fun way to see exactly how much money you can save based on the year, make, and model of your car by committing to do several gas saving actions. For instance, some of the tips you can find on the website are: * Tone down the road rage around town and you could save 5% of your gas, adding up to 55 bucks a year.

* A common one, but not taken that seriously at times, is to make sure your tires are inflated. This can save you around 3% of your gas, or $40. * “Ditch the junk in the trunk” and you could save $25 if you are hauling around an extra 100 pounds of stuff in your car. These are just a few of the helpful things the Drive $marter Challenge suggests. If you did the math, these three things alone could save you over 100 bucks a year.

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