500 million litres of wasted gas? It's a proverbial drop in the bucket!

Loose gas caps, under-inflated tires, faulty thermostats, worn spark plugs, malfunctioning engine controls, poor wheel alignment and the list goes on. These are among the conditions that daily cost consumers millions of dollars in wasted fuel.

"Something as innocuous as an improperly tightened gas cap, for example, or one that's missing or defective, might seem a minor factor," says Car Care Canada's Marc Brazeau. "But consider that 17% of the vehicles on U.S. highways have either misused or missing gas caps, causing 147,000,000 gallons of gas per year to vaporize into the atmosphere (source: Service Tech Magazine, September 2000). Canadians tend to better maintain their vehicles, but even then, Car Care Canada estimates that there would be 22 million litres of gasoline wasted each year."

"To the maxim 'waste not, want not,' we need to add 'be car care aware,' because most drivers are unaware of the economic consequences of neglected maintenance," Brazeau added. The 22 million litres of gas out of the filler cap are literally a drop in the bucket of waste.

"Among the six worst offenders are under-inflated tires and incorrect wheel alignment, conditions which increase rolling resistance. Like driving with the parking brake not fully released, it can cost a kilometre or two per litre on an average car. Among other gas guzzlers are dirty oil; a slipping automatic transmission, and a cooling system thermostat that causes the engine to run too cold.

"Finally, there could be a malfunction of one or more components in the fuel, ignition or emission control systems, especially critical in cold weather driving. The fuel penalty for just one misfiring spark plug is one mile per litre.

"Combining all of these discrepancies into one vehicle, the cost of wasted fuel easily could exceed recent increases in pump prices. It's what being car care aware is all about."

Not only will maintaining your vehicle save you money, it will also help you to protect the environment by reducing emissions. For more information on vehicle maintenance and fuel saving tips visit www.carcarecanada.ca.