What can we do?

Small points of conservation:

While small they add up.

1. Don’t drive to the mail box ( walk or ride your pedal bike)
2. Drive slower ( President Carter was right but the cost of time is greater than saving lives or fuel so we all drive 88 verses 55 mph)
3. Accelerate slowly ( not as fun but costs less )
4. Air up your tires and Keep your wheels aligned ( a real savings tip without great effort or lifestyle changes on your part )
5. Buy a new car ( manufacturers are building better cars that pollute less and get better mileage)  be sure to choose a car that runs on regular unleaded not premium.
6. Lean out and lighten up.  Every pound you carry decreases you efficiency
7. Empty your trunk
8. For shorter trips keep your tank between ¼ and ½ full Gas weighs 7 pounds per gallon if you are not burning it you are caring it.
9. Stop super sizing in the drive through. The waste is your own.
   1. Shut the engine off ( it will restart, enjoy the quite or you can use accessory to listen to the radio and run the fan
   2. Drive with the windows up and a/c on ( at your speeds aerodynamic drag adds up at the square (math term for times itself ) of the increased speed) windows up and antenna down will decrease wind resistance
   3. Wash it clean cars waste water but save fuel

10.  Change your air filter, clean your fuel injectors, follow the manufacturers service maintenance guide

11.  Switch to synthetic oil of lower viscosity (0w30 synthetics will reduce friction over 10w30conventional)

12.  Install a fuel vapor catalyst Eco systems

13.  Use the cruse control (steady pace wins the race)

14.  Buy low priced low grade fuel ( no manufacturer requires mid grade fuel,  this is marketing so don’t waste your money )

15.  Turn the radio down and turn off the TV’s ( electrical accessories can waste up to 3% of the energy your engine produces )

16.  Keep your stock rims and tires. (big rims and tires increase stopping distance and decrease mpg)

17.  Keep your left foot off the brake – two foot drivers waste fuel by braking too much

1. grassy diet and multiple stomachs cause them to produce methane, which they exhale with every breath.
2. Reduce the number of miles you drive by walking, biking, carpooling or taking mass transit wherever possible
   Avoiding just 10 miles of driving every week would eliminate about 500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a year! Look for transit options in your area.
3. Start a carpool with your coworkers or classmates
   Sharing a ride with someone just 2 days a week will reduce your carbon dioxide emissions by 1,590 pounds a year. eRideShare.com runs a free service connecting north american commuters and travelers.
4. Don’t leave an empty roof rack on your car
   This can increase fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 10% due to wind resistance and the extra weight – removing it is a better idea.
5. Keep your car tuned up
   Regular maintenance helps improve fuel efficiency and reduces emissions. When just 1% of car owners properly maintain their cars, nearly a billion pounds of carbon dioxide are kept out of the atmosphere.
6. Drive carefully and do not waste fuel
   You can reduce CO2 emissions by readjusting your driving style. Choose proper gears, do not abuse the gas pedal, use the engine brake instead of the pedal brake when possible and turn off your engine when your vehicle is motionless for more than one minute. By readjusting your driving style you can save money on both fuel and car mantainance.
7. Check your tires weekly to make sure they’re properly inflated
   Proper tire inflation can improve gas mileage by more than 3%. Since every gallon of gasoline saved keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, every increase in fuel efficiency makes a difference!
8. When it is time for a new car, choose a more fuel efficient vehicle
   You can save 3,000 pounds of carbon dioxide every year if your new car gets only 3 miles per gallon more than your current one. You can get up to 60 miles per gallon with a hybrid! You can find information on fuel efficiency on FuelEconomy and on GreenCars websites.
9. Try car sharing
   Need a car but don’t want to buy one? Community car sharing organizations provide access to a car and your membership fee covers gas, maintenance and insurance. Many companies – such as Flexcar – offer low emission or hybrid cars too! Also, see ZipCar.

10.  Try telecommuting from home
Telecommuting can help you drastically reduce the number of miles you drive every week. For more information, check out the Telework Coalition.

1.   Toyota Prius (48 mpg city/45 mpg highway)     
2.   Honda Civic Hybrid (40/45)      
3.   Nissan Altima Hybrid (35/33)    
4.   Ford Escape Hybrid, 4-wheel-drive (34/31)
      Mazda Tribute Hybrid, 2-wheel-drive (34/31)
      Mercury Mariner Hybrid, 4-wheel-drive (34/31)   
5.   Smart ForTwo Convertible (33/41)
      Smart Fortwo Coupe (33/41)     
6.   Toyota Camry Hybrid (33/34)      
7.   Volkswagen Jetta, manual, diesel (30/41)
      Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagon, automatic, diesel (30/41)
8.   Volkswagen Jetta, automatic, diesel (29/40)
      Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagon, automatic, diesel (29/40)
9.   Toyota Yaris, manual (29/36)      
10. Toyota Yaris, automatic (29/35)

water when you can.

2. Leave your car at home. If you can stay off the road just two days a week, you’ll reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 1,590 pounds per year [Source: EPA]. Combine your errands — hit the post office, grocery store and shoe repair place in one trip. It will save you gas and time

8. Maintain your car. Underinflated tires decrease fuel economy by up to three percent and lead to increased pollution and higher greenhouse gas emissions [Source: EPA]. Underinflation also increases tire wear, so it will save you money in the long run if you’re good about checking your tire pressure.

9. Drive smarter. Slow down — driving 60 miles per hour instead of 70 mph on the highway will save you up 4 miles per gallon. [Source: Consumer Guide Automotive]. Accelerating and braking too hard can actually reduce your fuel economy, so take it easy on the brakes and gas pedal.

. First of all, as I said our car reflects our personality, we should try to keep it well maintained the way we maintain our personality. Regular servicing of our car is one of the most important factors that decides how much fuel it is consuming. Get your car serviced regularly as per manufacturer’s instructions.

2. Tire pressure should be checked regularly. It should neither be less nor more than the recommended limits of the manufacturers.

3. Clutch should be used only when required. Unnecessary use of clutch not only increases fuel consumption but also reduces the life of clutch plates.

4. Air conditioner should be used only when you really need it. There are times when we can do without an air conditioner. Why not use it sparingly when we drive on highways and natural air is more refreshing than the artificial cool air.

5. Major cities in the world have some speed limit recommended by transport authorities. If we stick to the speed limits of the city we live in, we can reduce our fuel consumption. As speed limits are fixed after proper studies and surveys of the traffic volume in a particular area, if we stick to the speed limit we do not have to stop at intersections and we get green signal continuously. This results in less wastage of fuel at intersection while waiting for signals to turn green.

6. Last but not least, do not use your car where a bicycle will be more convenient, like visiting your local market for grocery shopping. It will not only reduce your fuel bill but also strengthen your muscles.

All of these modification like a diet and exercise are hard work and require more effort then most us are willing to put forth but take a couple of hours and dollars this week and reduce your emissions and increase your mileage with the simple items above, plus changes in your driving style will pay you back and reduce pollution.

You have done all of the simple things and you still want more. The next step for many car owners and high gas mileage seeker

            Vehicle modifications:

Types of devices and how they work why they do or don’t work

Devices Tested
the following list categorizes various types of “gas-saving” products, explains how they’re used.

Air Bleed Devices. These devices bleed air into the engine. They usually are installed in the Positive Crankcase Ventilation line or as a replacement for idle-mixture screws.

Worthless your computer adjusted for the extra air. Most often makes engine run with miss and increase pollution.

Vapor Bleed Devices. These devices are similar to the air bleed devices, except that induced air is bubbled through a container of a water and anti-freeze mixture, usually located in the engine compartment.

Worthless your computer adjusted for the extra air. Most often makes engine run with miss and increase pollution

Liquid Injection. These products add liquid into the fuel/air intake system and not directly into the combustion chamber.

Worthless water does not burn. Most often makes engine run with miss and increase pollution

Fuel Line Devices (heaters or coolers). These devices heat the fuel before it enters the carburetor. Usually, the fuel is heated by the engine coolant or by the exhaust or electrical system.

Worthless the fuel is always heated by the engine before fuel is burned in the cylinder

Fuel Line Devices (magnets). These magnetic devices, clamped to the outside of the fuel line or installed in the fuel line, claim to change the molecular structure of gasoline.

Worthless the magnetic lines of flux follow the metal lines around the fuel and do not affect the fuel.  A large enough magnet to change the chemical structure of the fuel could be build but it would have to be installed in a plastic and aluminum car and would  stick you light poles and rail road tracks as you drove past them.

Fuel Line Devices (metallic). Typically, these devices contain several dissimilar metals that are installed in the fuel line, supposedly causing ionization of the fuel.

Worthless ions are created by attaching or dislodging electrons from atoms the electric charge of the fuel has no effect on how in burns or is distributed in the cylinders.

Fuel Line Devices (vapor pressure). Typically, these devices contain catalizers or hydrocarbon crackers that are installed in the fuel line, supposedly causing a change in vapor pressure of the fuel.

Liquid fuel does not burn. Fuel vapor does. The more completely fuel is vaporized the more completely it burns if the device increase the vaporization of the fuel it will improve performance and economy.

Worth the investment if you drive 12,000 miles per year or more.

Mixture Enhancers (under the carburetor). These devices are mounted between the carburetor and intake manifold and supposedly enhance the mixing or vaporization of the air/fuel mixture.

While the increased vaporization increases power the decreased air flow reduces power.  (The last carburetion vehicle produced 15 years ago (buy a newer car).

Mixture Enhancers (others). These devices make some general modifications to the vehicle intake system.

Worthless tumbling twisting spinning the air coming into the cylinders always involves restriction of the air flow which reduces engine efficiency.

Internal Engine Modifications. These devices make physical or mechanical function changes to the engine.

Shutting off cylinders when power requirement are reduced increases mileage at the expense of power if the power is unneeded fuel saving can be realized.  The cost of the cylinder canceling technology exceeds the potential saving achieved during the life of engine.

Accessory Drive Modifiers. These devices reduce power to specific auto accessories.

Will decrease power wasted by accessories, Most commonly used to increase available horse power verses fuel savings

Fuels and Fuel Additives. These materials are added to the gas tank.

Many work but the cost of product is greater than the cost of the fuel saved.  Most are petroleum based. Many cause increased emission

Oils and Oil Additives. Usually these materials are poured into the crankcase.

Reduced friction increases mileage per gallon Simple Synthetics oil changes provide for best protection and has become part of many manufactures maintenance recommendation on newer vehicles…

Driving Habit Modifiers. These are lights or sound devices to tell the driver to reduce acceleration or to shift gears.

Improving driving habits and smart vehicle usage is one of the greatest ways to save fuel. Requires personal effort and discipline

Body Aerodynamic kits. These Body kits reduce wind resistance and drag.

Reducing the effort to push the car through the air increases mileage by reducing waste. Lower kits and spoilers moon style hubcaps show increases in mileage while wings and ground effects increase drag in reduce mileage.

Traveling with children is always an adventure. When we took our first big car trip with our son while he was being potty trained, it didn’t take more than three minutes for him to say “I gotta go!” Yes, traveling with children can be an experience.

By making regular car trips of 200 to 300 miles every couple of months, we have learned many tricks for traveling with children. For instance, we let our children pack a snack bag for long car trips (with our supervision of course). They decide when they will eat their snacks. They know that there will be no other snacks during the trip and they must pace themselves. We also let each child pick at least one audio cassette for the trip which we will play for them during the car ride. But the best trick we have is our collection of car games.

Car games are a terrific way to entertain children and yourself too! The games pass the time, stimulate thought, and can educate the children! The great thing about car games is they can be played by many different aged children. Imaginative use of car games is all that is needed to modify them for different ages.

Many of the games we play in the car are games you probably played as a kid, but have forgotten all about…such as 20 Questions and Geography. Some of the others we play may be new to you, but are also winners. And keep in mind, these games are also great when you are in waiting rooms; on line somewhere; or waiting for a table in a restaurant. They don’t have to be played in a car!

20 QUESTIONS

20 Questions is truly a classic game. It can be played by children of all ages. There are many variations of the game. We will describe only one variation of the game.

One person thinks of something which falls under the category of animal, mineral, or vegetable and then tells the other players which category is correct. The players then take turns asking questions which can be answered with a YES or NO. For instance, if the category is animal a player might ask “Can it fly?” or “Does it have four legs?” And after 20 questions are asked, if the players have not already guessed the answer, each player gets a last chance to make a guess. Afterwards, a new player tries to stump the group.

GEOGRAPHY

Geography is another classic game. But Geography is not for younger children. This game is best for children ages 8 and up. Not only do they enjoy the game, they know enough locations to be able to play the game well. Although the fine points of the game may vary from place to place, this is how the basic game is played.

Someone starts by naming a country such as Japan. The next person must name a country whose name begins with the last letter of the previously named country. In this case, Japan ends in N, so a country which begins with N must be named such as Nigeria. And then, since Nigeria ends in an A, the next person’s country must start with an A. And so on until someone gets stumped.

Please note, some people play the game with city names; names of rivers or other bodies of water; and in the United States it is often played with state names. Set your own rules and have fun!

NAME GAME

Simple, yet a fun game. Perfect for children of all ages. Think of a name. Then tell the group whether it is a boy’s or girl’s name, and tell them the first letter of the name. The group then tries to guess the name by calling out all the names they can think of which start with the appropriate letter. That’s it. Simple, but fun!

ALPHABET MEMORY GAME

Great for children of all ages. An excellent way to help reinforce a preschooler’s ABCs, yet fun for the elementary school aged child too!

The first person starts with the letter A and say “A is for —” filling in the blank with any word beginning with the letter A such as APPLE, ARTICHOKE, AIRPLANE, etc. Let’s use APPLE. The second person then does the letter B, but must also remember what A was! So, let’s say the second person decides to use the word BOOK for B, the second person would say” A is for APPLE and B is for BOOK.

You continue your way through the alphabet. By the time you get up to the letter Z the player will have to recite each and every letter with its corresponding item. The game takes a while and kids love it, particularly if you throw in some silly words or phrases like S IS FOR SMELLY TOES.

When should my auto air conditioning system be checked?
Each year prior to the warm weather months – or – any time it isn’t working to your satisfaction, bring it in for an A/C System Check.

free if you note the web special

What is included in the Auto Air Conditioning System Service?

• A/C Performance System Check
• A/C System Inspection

Are there environmental concerns with Air Conditioning?
Because the refrigerant used in some air conditioning systems is considered harmful to the environment, it is important that it not be allowed to escape during servicing. We begin each air conditioning service with a leak detection test. Our technicians use a sealed, environmentally friendly process that captures the refrigerant, cleans it, replenishes it and returns it to your vehicle’s air conditioning system good as new.

What if my vehicle still uses freon?
Auto air conditioning systems built before 1995 use the refrigerant R-12 or (CFC-12), also referred to as Freon. The EPA determined that Freon was destroying the ozone layer and in 1995, all production ceased. Freon is now extremely expensive and difficult to find. Kurtis offers a retrofit service that enables your A/C system to use the less expensive R-134a refrigerant. The retrofit pays for itself in the cost savings on the refrigerant.

What does the retrofit service include?

• All retrofits are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Different vehicles may require slightly different procedures.
• We evacuate all R-12 and most of the existing refrigerant oils from the air conditioning system.
• In some instances, certain parts, such as the O-rings, hoses, accumulator or receiver/dryer, must be replaced to assure compatibility with R-134a.
• In addition, special fittings and labels must be placed on the vehicle to properly identify that it has been retrofitted.

This is required by law and is a mandatory part of any air conditioning retrofit procedure.

As with all services you receive at Absolute Auto Care, the parts we install will meet or exceed the original equipment manufacturer’s specifications, and all used parts will be returned to you upon request.

This service, like all services performed at Absolute Auto Care, is advised based on manufacturer’s recommendations or as needed as determined by our inspection and based on industry standards.

Alternative fuels?

The energy of the sun has been concentrated and stored in petroleum products. Burning fossil fuels releases the suns energy as heat. Most of this we waste but 12% in a gasoline engine and 18% in a diesel engine we use to propel our cars SUV’s trucks and busses.

To save our limited resources we can look at our systems of transportation, our types of fuel burnt, how we use those systems, and what the individual can to due to reduce waste.

Systems of transportation:

We drive ourselves where we want to and when we want to as long as we can afford to fill the tank – car pooling and improved urban design could cut our fuel use in half but would require lifestyle changes – at over $10/gallon we will be closer to these dramatic measures. But until our fuel costs triple and we really begin to conserve, we can only make many small steps that can save us money and help to reduce pollution.

Fuel types available today:

Electricity

convert any number of renewable clean power potential power sources ( wind solar hydro tidal nuclear geothermal ) to electrical energy and store it in batteries ( still 100 year old technology available today) and used it cleanly and quietly to get where we want to go -   down side is lack of driving freedom- plugging your cell-phone into a charger is enough of and in convince – waiting four (4 ) hours to get your car charged  so you can make to the emergency room with a sick child after you have already driven your 80 mile of range out of you battery car makes it hard to sell convince and personal freedom in the electric car transportation world-  With out change in battery technology or $15.00 / gallon fuel we will never be electrified on the highways.

Diesel – It burns more completely but production from crude oil competes with heating oil and jet fuel. Cost per gallon will continue to increase, cold weather unfriendly, maintenance issues and lack of production in popular vehicles will keep diesel in a minority.

Bio- diesel – the original diesel Otto Diesels first engines were designed and build to run on vegetable oil, the conversion to petroleum based diesel was to use up byproduct of refining when home heating converted from oil to nature gas for cleaner more efficient home and industrial heating. Now available in Las Vegas

Compressed natural gas – does not work as well in vehicles because the suns energy stored in natural gas is not concentrated and with out a pipe connected to a large source you have very little range and less power.  Now Available in Las Vegas

Propane – in vehicles is also a low range low power alternative fuel

Gasoline – The perfect fuel for convince.  Causes pollution and waste natural resources but you can fill your tank yourself and drive anywhere and refuel supply is limited and we will run out. You will not be able to afford to fill you tank.

The fuel of the future

Hydrogen -like all the compressed gas (verses liquid) alternate fuels we have listed has limited filling stations and dangerous fuel handling. Now available in Las Vegas

Every fuel but the two we now use require a change of lifestyle.  The limits of these pressurized low power gas (verses liquid) based alternative fuels limit them to use in larger central point low daily mileage range fleets. UPS, Taxis, Government routes, postal trucks.  Just too many problems too many dangers too little mileage per tank and too much time to fill the tank.

We live a life that requires Gasoline and Diesel fuel to transport our selves.

By Scott Memmer
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Over in our “Tech Center” department we have an article called “Oil’s Well That Ends Well.” It’s an excellent primer on the basics of oil changes, the whys and hows of protecting your car’s most valuable fluid. We’ve pasted that URL below, as a reference. We suggest you read it before scrolling any further down this page.

Oils Well That Ends Well

Welcome back. Now, what we want to do in this month’s “How To…” is walk you through a step-by-step procedure for doing an oil change. A real nuts and bolts approach, if you’ll excuse the bad pun.

Before we get into it, though, let’s discuss something. Do you enjoy tinkering around the garage? Do you own your own hand tools? Are you okay with getting a little grease under your fingernails? If not, then this may not be the right procedure for you.

Look, we realize not everyone enjoys working on their cars as much as we do. For some of us at Edmunds.com it’s a ritual, like Thanksgiving or the Fourth of July. Worse than that — an addiction. We need our fix. If we don’t feel 40-weight slathering over our hands every week or two, we begin trembling and convulsing.

You’ll save roughly a hundred dollars a year doing this procedure on your own. Oh, and maybe another ten bucks or so when you say no to the guy at the quick-lube place trying to sell you a five dollar air filter for $14.95. Chicken feed for most of us in these flush times.

If this doesn’t appeal to you, go to Jiffylube or Grease Monkey or your local quick-lube shop, shell out 30 bucks, and be done with it.

If, on the other hand, you do this procedure yourself, you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing the job was done right, with the right materials, in its own good time. And that you completed a task (if you work for corporate America this may be the biggest benefit of all — that you actually accomplished something). So if you’ve been contemplating a more active role in your car’s life, or if you want to learn more about your vehicle, this could be a good place to start. Not only will you save a few bucks, you’ll also develop a more intimate relationship with your transportation, never a bad thing in our book.

One more thing before we get started. Oil disposal has become a hot issue in the last decade or so. The EPA now levies a huge fine — into six figures — for improper or illegal oil disposal. The days of digging a hole in the back yard and pouring dirty oil into it are long gone. Before doing this procedure, we recommend you find a local quick-lube place that will accept your dirty oil at no charge. One of our editors has an arrangement with a local Jiffylube that accepts not only dirty oil but used filters too. It might be that Jiffylube has a corporate policy of doing this, for community relations, so you might start there.

Remember, it is illegal to dispose of used motor oil improperly.

Now, if you’re still interested in tackling this task yourself, here’s a list of tools and things you’ll need to perform this procedure:

• a 3/8-drive socket set (metric will work for both)
• a combination wrench set (closed- and open-ended, metric)
• an oil filter wrench
• something to catch the old oil — an oil pan, a used kitchen basin, a kid’s pail
• a couple of empty one gallon milk containers with screw-on lids.
• a funnel and a one quart Ziploc baggie
• a lot of old newspapers and several dirty rags
• presoiled work clothes and, if you have long hair, a baseball cap
• two pair surgical gloves (optional; no, we won’t ask you to cough)
• a new oil filter (see vehicle’s owner’s manual for requirements)
• enough oil to refill the engine (check back page of owner’s manual for grade and number of quarts); we recommend name brands, such as Valvoline, Castrol, Pennzoil, Quaker State, Mobil, etc.

STEP ONE: Before you do anything, pick out a flat spot on your driveway. Now take your car for a drive around the neighborhood. We do this to heat the oil and make it nice and thin, so it will drain more completely from the engine block. Drive the vehicle far enough and long enough so that the temperature gauge begins to register. If you don’t have a temp gauge, or if you have gauges but they’re broken, turn on the heater and drive until your feet get toasty. The engine is now warm. Park it in your pre-chosen spot.

STEP TWO: Turn off the engine, put the car in gear, and set the parking brake firmly. For safety, block the tires with several bricks or large rocks. Go in the house and put on your dirty clothes and cap. Come out and line up your tools.

Now slide under the car and locate the oil drain plug. If there isn’t enough room to slide under, you may have to jack up the car to get beneath it. Raise the car with a hydraulic pump and settle it on jackstands. CAUTION: Never get under a car held aloft only by a jack. Always use jackstands.

O.K., now locate the drain plug. It should be about the closest thing to the ground, a fairly large nut with a slim washer under it. Sometimes it will even be labeled “drain plug.” (Caution: Make sure you’re not looking at the transmission drain plug. It’s usually a larger nut. If not sure, feel the metal around it. The metal around the engine oil plug should be a lot hotter than around the trans plug. If still not sure, call a friend.) Find your socket set and pull out several sockets that look about the same size as the nut until you find one that fits over it.

STEP THREE: If you have them, put on your surgical gloves to keep your hands clean. Grab the socket wrench and put the correct-sized socket on it. Place it over the nut and turn it counter-clockwise. It won’t budge? Try again — really put some force into it this time. If it still won’t dislodge after several tries, locate the same sized closed-end wrench and use that instead. After you get the nut cracked, work it slightly loose with your fingers. Not too loose, though — you don’t want oil all over the place.

STEP FOUR: Now take the newspaper and spread it under the car. Make sure to cover where the oil filter sticks out, because it drips after removal. Look up into the engine. See the oil filter? It looks like a miniature, upside-down version of the mountain from “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” Get the drain pan (or kitchen basin, or kid’s pail) and slide it under the drain plug. Position it so the stream hits it just right (if the plug points to the side and not straight down, the oil will shoot out sideways like from a fire hydrant). Loosen the plug and set it aside. Most of the oil will drain in about two minutes.

STEP FIVE: Locate the oil filter wrench. Take the socket off the socket wrench and set it next to the drain plug. Slip the oil filter wrench onto the socket wrench. You’ll probably want to use the short extension, too. The oil filter wrench is like a round dog collar that only chokes in one direction. Set it up to “grab” or “choke” counterclockwise. Slip it over the oil filter and give it a tug. It shouldn’t be that tight. When you feel it give, loosen it a little more, then slide the wrench off and do the rest by hand. Careful — it has hot oil in it! Make sure your face is not under it. Remove it all the way and pour the contents into the drain pan. Set the used oil filter right-side-up on the newspaper.

STEP SIX: Slide out, open the hood (if you haven’t already) and remove the oil filler cap. Set it aside. This will help the oil drain a little easier. O.K., take a breather.

Now, here’s the deal. If you’re in a hurry, you can dive right in and finish the oil change. But think about it. Drops of dirty oil are still dripping down. Personally, we like to give it a good hour to drain completely. They don’t do that in the quick-lube places. If you have the time, peel off your gloves and take a break. Grab a bite, drink some soda, watch the tube.

STEP SEVEN: O.K., you’re back. Put your gloves on and get to work. Before you thread the new oil filter in place, dip a finger into the drain pan and coat the rubber gasket on the bottom of the filter with oil, and set it aside. This will help it seat better against the engine block. With a clean rag, wipe off the round metal circle on the engine where the oil filter fits, then thread the new filter onto the post. When it’s finger-tight, either tighten it by hand if you’re strong enough (it takes about one-half to three-quarters of a turn, no more: read the instructions on the filter), or flip the oil filter wrench over on the socket wrench and tighten it that way.

STEP EIGHT: We recommend using a new sealing washer on the drain plug. Put the washer in place and thread the drain plug back into its hole. Scooch it up tight with the socket set, but not so tight that you can’t get it off the next time (remember your struggles earlier; better to have it snug but not stripped.) Now take the oil drain pan and the empty milk bottle and the funnel. If you have a friend, have him hold the bottle while you pour the oil into it. When most of the oil has found the bottom of the bottle, seal it with the lid, then wipe out the inside of the funnel with a clean rag. (We sometimes prop the drain pan against a wall and let it continue to drip into the bottle while we do the next step. You’ll need an extra funnel to do this.)

STEP NINE: Set the cleaned funnel into the oil filler hole and pour in as many quarts as the manufacturer recommends. As the oil fills, begin cleaning up. Throw the newspapers in the trash and wipe down all your tools. Discard the empty oil containers in a recycling bin. After the oil is all in, twist the oil cap back on and check the dipstick for oil level, just to make sure. Take the old oil filter, place it in the Ziploc bag, and seal it.

STEP TEN: Start the engine and let it idle for about five minutes, looking for leaks. Place the milk container and the Ziploc bag in a box, and set it somewhere in the car where it can’t tip over. Drive to the nearest oil recycling center (as we discussed, most of the national chains, such as Econo Lube N’ Tune, Jiffylube, Grease Monkey, etc., will take your old oil and filters). Take a last look underneath for leaks.

That’s it. Remember, changing your oil on a regular basis is the single most important thing you can do to extend the life of your car. Refer to your owner’s manual for exact time periods.