How to Get More Mileage From Your Car

Firstly I have worked for Peugeot and other various main dealerships and have been in the motor trade for 15 years so have more than a little knowledge when it comes to optimising your mileage.

Servicing every year is the best way to keep your car running year on year. Not only will it keep down some of your future bills but this is the first battle in keeping your fuel costs down as you will see a little later.

Some of the best vehicles we get into our workshops are the ones that are 18-20 years old and have done 200000 miles because they have been serviced regularly every year using original main dealer parts. It might cost a little bit more than your backstreet garage but it's worth it in the long run.

What servicing does is keep the car running smoothly and the little things such as keeping your tyres at the right pressure.

It can also help with spotting small problems before they become large problems. Trust me I do realise how servicing can be a pain and handing over your hard-earned cash to have something done which on the outside doesn't seem to benefit you, is in the end worth it.

On average £175-200 is all you need once a year for servicing and it will extend the life of your vehicle.

For every service you should probably have your mechanic add a fuel flush to flush out any deposits in your fuel lines and have him or her add an engine flush to clean out any deposits in your oil galleries and sump.

You could always do it yourself as it is not a technical task. All you will need is a funnel that has an end small enough to go into your petrol tank filler and some rag or cloth to prevent spillages.

Simply pour the contents of the fuel cleaner into your tank at the same time as you fill up at the petrol station. Wipe up any mess and then if possible take your vehicle for a good run, perhaps 20-30 miles.

Also if your petrol/gas station has a variety of fuels get the cleanest one as this will help prolong your car's mileage.

There are several things you can try and do or limit to help in your quest for cheaper fuel bills, below I have listed just a few of the things you can do to try and help with that.

If you are looking for good fuel consumption then one of the first things you must learn to do is be cautious when using your accelerator pedal, the further you push that sucker down the more money it costs you, just remember when you are driving on a slight downwards incline then why not ease off the gas, gravity is doing the work for you after all.

Checking your tyre pressures is another fuel-saving cost that can really help out, If you are not sure what your pressures should then take a look around the vehicle, It will usually tell you inside the fuel cap or possibly on one of the door pillars, failing that then simply take it to your local garage and ask nicely if they will do the pressure for you, this needs doing every couple of weeks and will save you money. Low-pressure tyres are harder for your vehicle to drive on so require more effort which equals more fuel.

Another great idea to keep fuel costs down is to remove as much unnecessary luggage and rubbish out of your vehicle.

If you are anything like me then you tend to keep all kinds of useless stuff in your boot and it really does add up, I removed around 70kgs of crap out of my car the other day, I had been carrying around all that stuff in my boot which was equal to carrying another person in my car every day, this certainly adds to your fuel bill, in fact, I reckon I have saved around £50 a year just doing that.

Keep all of your windows shut where possible, Obviously, I'm not expecting you to swelter in the summer but when your windows are shut then you are creating less drag which means your vehicle does not have to work as hard to keep momentum, If you create drag then to get up to that nominal cruising speed requires you to accelerate more hence using more fuel.

Another thing you can do which again Im not expecting you to do on a very hot day is to turn off your air conditioning, Trust me this is one of the biggest fuel drainers out there, I once had a diesel Jaguar as a hire car and believe me when I say that this 2.2ltr beast got an extra 15 miles to the gallon when I had it switched off.