With the past month being Environmental Health Awareness month, this is a good time to ask yourself: “How environmentally-friendly is my car? “
While going “green” may not be an immediate priority, saving some cash should be. With Carbon Emission Tax on its way to South Africa, the less environmentally-friendly your car is, the more you’ll spend.
Motor vehicles can have a huge impact on the environment due to incorrect fuel consumption and emissions of air pollution and greenhouse gases. With maintenance and care, however, you can make sure you are driving responsibly when it comes to living “green”, said Founder and Managing Director of New Dimension Auto Parts, Jean du Plessis. You’ll also be keeping your monthly expenses down.
Also read: Improve your eco-credentials and drive greener
One of the biggest ways that you can make sure you are keeping your carbon emissions on the low side is to ensure that your car is fuel efficient.
“Fuel sources come directly from the environment so the more fuel we use, the more resources we use up. Your car can burn up to 30% more fuel if it isn’t being regularly maintained,” Du Plessis explained.
There are several things that you can do to improve your fuel efficiency, including:
- Check that tyres are adequately pumped up
- Check battery housing making sure your cables are secure
- Turn your car off rather than letting it idle
- Always change the air filter at service intervals
- Don’t skip a service, even the minor ones
- Utilise cruise control
- Check the fuel system regularly
- Use anti-freeze/summer coolant in your water source
- Replace faulty thermostats to ensure your car runs at its optimum operating temperature
- Replace worn shock absorbers to improve fuel efficiency and ride stability
- Ensure that all moving parts/suspension parts, such as ball joints or drive train components like CV Joints, are suitably lubricated with high-quality greases
Also read: Have you seen the new Toyota Prius?
Du Plessis said that it’s important to maintain and look after parts so that will last longer.
“Fewer replacements means less resources are used up, meaning good things for the environment. An added bonus is that your ride will be so much smoother,” he said.
Du Plessis added that there are other ways to make your car more environmentally-friendly. These include:
- Reduce your air conditioner use
- Keep your car load as light as possible
- Drive more cautiously and considerately
Source: Auto Parts
