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Maximising Fuel Economy

Fuel pump
Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash

The blog this week is about how you can maximise your tank of fuel in your Volvo or Toyota. Everyone is trying to save money at the moment, interest rates are rising, fuel bills are rising, food costs are soaring, insurance costs are rising etc so when it comes to owning a car, we need all the help we can get to keep costs down. Read on to find out more:

There are plenty of changes you can make to your driving habits to help your Volvo or Toyota run more efficiently.

  1. Drive less, walk more

It’s as obvious as it sounds, but the best way to save on petrol costs is to only use your car when you really need to. The best way to start is by leaving the car at home for short trips to the shops or the school run and instead walk, cycle or use public transport. This will of course have the added benefit of helping you to adopt a healthier lifestyle. It is worth noting as we have in previous blogs that if you have a DPF filter on your car and are only using it for short trips you could run into issues with it being unable to re-gen which in turn will lead to blockages and a very expensive repair bill – so be mindful to ensure that you use your car for longer speedier trips to allow for the system to carry out regular re-gens.

  1. Check your tyres

Make sure your tyres are inflated to the recommended level – research carried out by a leading tyre manufacturer found that drivers are currently wasting almost £1 billion a year on excess fuel by driving with under-inflated tyres. We have said on so many blogs in the past that you should be checking your tyres regularly. It takes a few minutes a month but could save hundreds of pounds! Under-inflated tyres also affect your pocket in other ways. You will find yourself replacing your tyres much more often because of excessive and uneven premature wear. Driving with under-inflated tyres could also put strain on other parts of your Volvo or Toyota causing damage that could easily be avoided. If in any doubt as to the correct tyre pressure either check your owner’s manual or pop into your local independent garage, such as ACC UK Ltd, Volvo & Toyota Independent Specialists of Farnborough, Hampshire who offer free tyre and battery checks.

  1. Lighten the load

Cut down on excess weight in your car by removing any heavy items from your boot before setting off - the heavier the car the more fuel will be used so it makes sense to ensure your boot is as empty as possible. There is no point in carrying around the golf clubs all week if you are not using them! It is important to remove your bike and roof racks when you’re not using them to help reduce wind resistance - another factor in increased fuel consumption. You will be amazed at a) how much quieter it is in the car with these gone and b) how much fuel you will save.

  1. Stick to speed limits

The faster you drive, the greater the fuel consumption. A leading breakdown organisation recently carried out research which showed that driving at 70mph uses up to 9% more fuel than at 60mph and up to 15% more than at 50mph, whilst zooming around at 80mph can use up to 25% more fuel than at 70mph. We thought they were quite staggering statistics - less haste folks! We always say – look after the pennies and the ponds look after themselves!

  1. Slower and more steadily

Driving fast increases the drag on your Volvo or Toyota and the amount of petrol/diesel you will use. Try to drive with smooth accelerating, steering, and braking – this will reduce the energy lost through suspension movement. It will also help save money by ensuring your brake discs and pads last longer and are not subject to excessive wear and tear prematurely - brake discs and pads can be quite expensive – using a local independent garage over a dealership will definitely save you £’s.

  1. Don’t leave the engine running

If it’s safe to do so, turn your engine off when you’re caught in traffic, stopped or parked - some modern vehicles allow you to do this automatically. Many drivers often like to ‘warm up’ the engine before setting off on a cold winter morning – this can waste petrol and can cause damage to the engine of your Volvo or Toyota - we advise that you do not do this!

  1. Limit using the air-con

Air-conditioning can increase your vehicles' fuel consumption at low speeds, but at higher speeds the effects are less noticeable. Open the windows when it’s hot outside and save the air conditioning for motorway driving – having the windows open all the time increases aerodynamic drag - especially on the motorway, so you’ll waste more petrol. Make sure you use a qualified and authorised garage to re-gas your aircon - there are rules and regulations that require garages and motor vehicle technicians to be qualified to carry out this procedure - so ensure your local independent garage is legally able to carry this out - (Be wary of cheap offers - often too good to be true)- ACC UK Ltd are fully qualified and certified!

  1. Look After Your Volvo or Toyota

Take care of your car by making sure it’s well-maintained and serviced regularly according to the manufacturers service schedule. We always say – preventative maintenance is always cheaper than reactive repairs. If you are using a dealership to service your car then switching to an independent garage will most certainly save you a lot of money every year. A well maintained and regularly serviced car will attract a better resale value when it comes time for you to sell or upgrade. Happy Safe Motoring Folks!

Here at ACC UK Ltd, Winners of The Motor Trader Independent Garage of The Year 2015, 2019 & 2020, The IGA Big Awards 2022, The Inspire Customer Service Excellence 2016 Award, The Eagle Radio Customer Focus 2017 Business Award, The Workshop Magazine Workshop Manager of the Year 2017 Award, The LiveWire Excellence In Vehicle Servicing 2019 Award and The Aftermarket Excellence Award for Best Website 2019, The Eagle Radio Biz Award – Entrepreneur of the Year 2020 & the SME News Magazine Most Trusted Car Servicing Provider 2020, we pride ourselves on offering an outstanding customer experience for a fraction of the cost of a dealership. Give us a call and let us quote you for your next service or repair on your Volvo or Toyota. We service all areas around Farnborough, Fleet, Aldershot, Farnham, Guildford, Frimley, Camberley, Hook, Sandhurst, Crowthorne, Yateley, Hampshire and Surrey. We offer free collection and drop off services. We also have a fleet of courtesy cars to allow you to get on with your schedule whilst your Volvo or Toyota is with us. Happy Motoring from all at ACC UK Ltd – Independent Volvo & Toyota servicing, repair and MOT specialists based in the heart of Farnborough, Hampshire