If your tire is under-inflated by as little as 6 psi:

• Uneven tire wear
• 5% reduction in MPGs
• Tire wear is accelerated by as much as 25%
• Tire failure or Blow out

Tire pressure rises or lowers itself by 1Psi for every 10 degrees Fahrenheit.

You Should always set your tire pressure in the morning so they will not lose pressure as the day heats up. Some days the temperature can easily change up to 50 degrees and then you can lose as much as 5psi of air pressure…

The best place to find the proper inflation is in the owners manual. NOT on what is written on the sidewall of the tire that is just the min and max of what the tire can be set at.

For information on tread depth Go Here and for more information on tires and the source of the data used in this article i recommend reading some info on Tire Rack

1. Wait for the engine to be cool just so you don’t burn your arm on any hot metal.
2. Grab the belt twist it so you can see the part where the belt runs along the pulleys.
3. If you can see cracks  when you twist it you need to replace the belt.

Worn Serpentine belt

If the belt brakes while driving the you will lose power steering and all accessorize immediately and if you continue to drive the car the battery will drain and the engine will stop. Leaving you stranded on the highway waiting for AAA. NOT FUN.

You do not save money in the long run if you do not maintain your car. A properly maintained car gets better gas mileage is more reliable and reduces high cost repair bills. An engine with old oil that is not changed on time every time will need a rebuild way before an engine that has been not been neglected.

Oil changes is just an example. Some commonly overlooked items that can save you big bucks are:

1. Tire Pressure —– Go Check your Pressure NOW
2. Engine Air Filter
3. Coolant level
4. Transmission fluid
5. Ball joints
6. Tie Rods

Honestly the best place to get car info on the net is a car forum. These communities of motor heads share their wealth of knowledge for free. It can be intimidating trying to find the answer to your question. If you use some basic forum searching techniques and etiquette can go along way in helping you get the most out of your make and models forum.

1. First before asking any questions SEARCH. Your question probably has already been asked.Check the FAQ section and use the search feature on the forum.      (Some vbulletin forums by default list the results not by relevancy but by most recent post date. Simply go to the advanced search screen and check the box that says sort by relevancy it may help you find your answer. )
2. Ask your question. First be sure to post in the correct section. If there is a newbie section post in there. Be sure to give all the details of your car. Make model year stick or auto etc…  Mention that you searched for the question and thank them for their time.
3. When you get answers tend to listen to the ones from users who have higher post counts. They usaully are more reliable source of information.

First there is a conflict of interest. If you bring your car with 25k on it and it has a small oil leak the dealer wont tell you a thing. But if you take your car after the warranty is up they will be sure to mention the oil leak.

If you go to an independent they are likely to tell you right off the bat about the oil leak as a sign of good faith even if the car is under warranty.

Second the dealership labor rates part prices are absurd compared to your local mechanic. It makes no sense to get the same service for double the price just because the tech has a shirt with the car manufacturers name on it.

Lastly people will always say the dealer knows best. True the dealership has seen more of your car but give me a break all cars operate under the same principal. Lets face it if you are reading this you do not drive a Ferrari. You are driving an everyday car. If you live in a suburban setting there are definitely shops that will specialize your make of car.

In the end you are burning money if you only take your car to the stealership…..

How can you tell if your tire is at 3/32nds?

Well most tires have wear indicators. Which are horizontal rubber strips that are recessed in the tread. When these bars become even with the tread you tread depth is 3/32nds.

Picture of tire

What kind of tire should I buy?

Well this is tricky new tires come out very rapidly so even if I recommended a tire it would be out of date in a month. But buy a tire depending on your climate makes the most sense. If you live in the far north east buy a winter tire and change it over to a summer tire in the summer. DO NOT run winter tires in the summer they will wear out way to fast.

The best place to find a good tire and get great savings is Tire Rack. They will deliver the tires to you or you can have them deliver the tires to a local tire installer.

Sometimes the installer or tire shop will try to sell you an alignment. You should get an alignment ONLY if your tires prematurely wear out.

Stealerships mark up the price of the filter and charge you for labor. Its simple and easy to do.

Best bet is to go to autozone or pepboys or your local car parts store buy it yourself and do it yourself.

When should you change your air filter?

Simple. If you hold it up to the sun light and cannot see the light shining through; it is not letting air pass through and needs replacement.

Steps to changing your air filter…

1. Shut engine off
2. Open Hood
3. Locate air filter box (Usually a big plastic box off to the front right or left side behind the headlight.
4. Open air filter box
5. Pull yucky air filter out
6. Put new one in
7. Tighten down box (sometiems getting the air filter box hinges to line up and the air filter to sit can be a little tricky but it just takes some patience and time)
8. Pat yourself on the back for saving $$$

Some cars have vacumm lines conneting to the air filter box that can become loose and fall off when chagning the filter. Just double check that they are on.

If you are reading this now you are probably confused and frustrated and need of some good car repair money saving advice. These are three simple steps to saving money on car repairs.

The first step is to punch the numbers….

You need to price out an extended warranty. Why?

Because by getting a free online quote for an extended warranty can help you decide if you should repair the car. Think about this you just paid the repair bill and 10k 20k and 30k your going to get another whopping repair bill!

Think about how much longer you want to drive the car. If you just want to drive the car for as long as possible i highly recommend an extended warranty if you pay for all the repair bills you are flushing money down the toilet.

now think about if it is worth it to keep the car or buy a new car or a certified pre-owned car. it is a tough descision and something that should fit into your financial plans.

Now for saving money on you current car repair bill. If they have not started the job ask the repair shop if you can bring them the parts. If they say yes you just saved a hell of a lot of money (if they say no go to another repair shop) ask for a list of parts with part numbers have you vin# make , model and got to Partsgeek.com. They will be more than happy to get you parts. Most if not all mark up part prices some even as much as 40%.

Third if your car is at a dealership aka STEALERSHIP. Get it to a reputable local mechanic. Ask for references from neihbors and freinds. Dealerships are almost always WAY over priced. It is insane how much they charge to replace your cabin air filter.