This is a guest post from Andy Hough of Bank Bonuses.
With the recent rise in gas prices there have been many blog posts about ways to save on gas. I decided to test how well one of these tips would actually work.
Many posts suggested that keeping your car tuned up would help your gas mileage. Since my car needed a tune-up, I decided to see what the difference in my miles per gallon actually was.
Before the tune-up I was getting about 25.5 MPG. After the tune-up I managed 34.5 MPG, 9 more miles per gallon. That is 90 extra miles per 10 gallon fill-up. With a gas price of $3 a gallon it would have cost me $10.59 more to drive those 90 extra miles before the tune-up. The cost of the tune-up was $60 so I will more than make up for its cost in 6 fill-ups. Of course your vehicle might not need a tune-up as badly as mine needed one so your savings will vary. It is clear though that getting a tune-up when your vehicle needs one is maintenance that pays for itself.
You know, it also would help if you did routine maintenance, especially if you are about to take on a road trip this summer. It also saves you from extra expenses because of car breakdowns.
Fixed the link. Sorry for the glitch.
And how long does this improvement last? If this keeps fuel efficiency up for 6 months or between tune-ups, then its great. But if after the first month the efficiency drops….
The link to my site in the post seems broken. It should be bankbonuses.blogspot.com. Thanks.
This tune-up was simply replacing the spark plugs. The price also included a state inspection so the cost of the “tune-up” was actually less than $60. Different shops include different services in their tune-ups and you need to compare prices with that in mind.
I know I could have saved even more money by changing the spark plugs myself but that is something I will have to learn in the future.
So, what did this $60 tune-up consist of?