The general wear that your vehicle experiences every day can result in your engine's fuel efficiency decreasing. Over time, this can cost a significant amount of money as you will have to fill up your gas tank at more frequent intervals. Thankfully, there are a number of simple maintenance tasks that you can complete that can improve your fuel efficiency and save you money.

Tire Pressure

You should check your tire pressure every few months (or every month, depending on how much use your vehicle sees) using a tire pressure gauge, available at most hardware and automotive supply stores. Make sure that your tires are inflated to within the recommended range, which will be printed on the sidewall of your tires. Underinflated tires can increase the amount of wear that your tires experience, as more of your tire is in contact with the road – which will also slow down your vehicle and burn more gas.

Tire Wear

You should also check to see if your tires are wearing evenly: if they aren't, your tires may be out of alignment, which can also have a significant impact on your fuel efficiency. Use a tire depth gauge, and measure how deep the treads on each of your tires. If they all have wear more on one side than another, your alignment needs to be adjusted.

Change the Air Filter

Another good way to improve your fuel efficiency is to regularly change the engine's air filter. Over time, dust and dirt can clog up the air filter and prevent the proper amount of oxygen from entering your engine to burn fuel, resulting in a loss of efficiency. Use the owner's manual to find the casing where your air filter is located, and remove it and bring it into an auto parts store to find a replacement of identical size (this usually involves no tools and can simply be done by hand).

Change the Spark Plugs

Finally, one of the most important maintenance that you can perform on your vehicle to improve its fuel efficiency is to replace the spark plugs. Check your owner's manual to see the recommended amount of time and distance that should pass before you replace your spark plugs, but keep an eye out for difficulties starting your vehicle or any potential misfires. These are both caused by damaged and worn spark plugs, which in turn will burn the fuel within your engine inefficiently, reducing fuel efficiency and even potentially causing damage to your engine.   

For more tips, visit auto repair shops like Wolfe's Foreign Auto.