White Pages® News

Slash your fuel bill

September 3, 2012

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Don’t let the rising tide of petrol prices drain your wallet this month. With as little effort as rolling up a window, you can save big bucks at the bowser with these tips from White Pages®.

Drive smarter

Before you start madly clipping shopper dockets with fuel offers, consider how the way in which you drive impacts on your fuel tank. Driving in a lower gear than necessary wastes fuel, as does labouring up hills in a high gear. Stop-start driving also wastes fuel, so if you can avoid driving in peak hour, you could save a buck or two. Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane residents can estimate the traffic they might encounter on their commute at Snarl, which includes live traffic cams and notices of accidents.

Tyre care

Looking after your tyres will help you save fuel in the long run. Pop by your local service station to borrow its air hose and inflate your tyres to the highest pressure recommended by the manufacturer. Not sure what pressure you should be working towards? This article by Modified Mag has some tips, including a handy equation for figuring it out. You could always enter the name of your local tyre dealer into White Pages® Business Search to get their contact details and ask them.

Maintain

Keep your car healthy to keep your fuel bills on track. Be sure to have your car serviced at regular intervals. Give your local mechanic a call, by searching for their contact details through White Pages® Business Search. With air conditioners using 10 per cent extra fuel, a simple issue such as a cracked air conditioning seal can really cost you.

Go public

Sometimes it can just be easier to take public transport. Imagine the money you might save by hopping on the bus, train, ferry or tram once a week for a year. Estimate the fuel costs of your regular commute here with Fuel Estimate – it will give you a break down on how far you drive each day and how much fuel you burn, as well as a dollar value. Now multiply that by 52 and you have some potential savings on offer. Find out more about car sharing and public transport in your area by contacting your local council – just enter its name into White Pages® Government Search , grab its contacts and start enquiring.

Don’t let rising fuel prices empty your wallet; keep your car costs under control with mindful driving, maintenance and use of public transport.