Eco-friendlier Spring Car Maintenance

An easy way to maintain fuel efficiency, and lessen environmental impact, is by taking care of your car. It seems like we just looked into winter maintenance but Spring is Here. It’s time to tweak, adjust, and get your roadbaby ready for a whole new season.

Road & Travel has some great tips on what you can do on your own, and what needs a professionals touch:

At Home
- Clean out your car. Vacuum, clean the windows, give it a thorough outer wash, including getting the grime off your undercarriage.
- Flush and refill your radiator.
- Change the oil and oil filter according to the manufacturer’s schedule.
- Check your tire pressure.
- Refill washer fluid, and change blades.

Now, I know that when it comes to cars, it’s not always easy to stay “environmentally-friendly”. Trading out fluids can be messy as well as toxic, filters can be impossible to recycle, washes waste water and take dangerous chemicals into the ground. There are ways of reducing the damage.

Marie A. Stoman, BellaOnline’s Auto Polishing and Detailing Editor, goes over waterless car washes here. Depending on your area, you may need to use a power washer to blast months of salt and grit off the undercarriage of your car. After that though, and in areas where that isn’t necessary, waterless is the way to go.
And remember, everything from filters to batteries to used fluid can be recycled. You just have to find a shop who will take them off your hands. Call around to car shops in the area, or try some of the resources listed here.

In the Shop
- Check belts, clamps and hoses.
- Check your air conditioner. (Faulty AC can release harmful toxins into the air!)
- Have any rough starting or handling checked out.
- Replace anything worn or damaged.
- Change your transmission fluid and filter every 24,000 miles.

[image source from Freedom Waterless Car Wash]