One in five car owners (21 percent) are not maintaining their vehicles at all right now and 51 percent are trying to get by with only the bare minimum of maintenance. They are doing this, of course, to save money which in this economic climate is understandable.
Unfortunately, what they don’t realize is that not maintaining their vehicle or not maintaining it properly actually costs them money. They are paying higher dues at the gas pump and don’t even realize it.
The biggest culprits that turn a neglected vehicle into a money pit are damaged, loose or missing gas caps (over 147 million gallons of gas vaporize each year due to this), dirty air filters, worn spark plugs, worn 02 sensors, and improperly inflated tires. It is like standing at the gas pump where you pump some in your gas tank and then pump the rest (two miles per gallons worth per item) onto the ground! That is a lot of money being wasted!
These are the “little” issues that crop up due to negligence. The worst is yet to come when small maintenance issues become big ticket repair items.
Hey, we are all trying to stretch our hard earned dollars these days, but while doing so, just make sure you aren’t making it evaporate into the air or pumping it on the ground. Keeping your vehicle maintained just makes dollars and cents!
Happy Motoring,
The Car Guy 
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