Shade Tree Garage Helps Car Owners Maximize Fuel Efficiency with Preventative Maintenance

Morristown, NJ, March 11, 2011 --(PR.com)-- Gas prices are rising making it more important than ever for car owners to maximize the fuel efficiency of their vehicles. Morristown’s Shade Tree Garage helps car owners every day by providing trusted automotive repair and maintenance. In serving car owners for over 30 years, they’ve helped their customers by showing them that preventative maintenance can save on expensive repair bills and maximize fuel efficiency.

“Preventative maintenance should always be a priority when it comes to car care,” states Dan O’Connor, Service Advisor at Shade Tree Garage in Morristown, NJ. He adds, “Because preventative maintenance plays such an important role in the safety and reliability of an automobile, the trusted team at Shade Tree Garage takes the time during each service to perform a courtesy 27-point vehicle inspection. In doing so, we alert our customers to immediate and future maintenance issues.”

The first step of preventative maintenance is to have oil and filter changes done every 3,000 miles. After that, it’s important to follow the factory-recommended service intervals. Reputable automotive repair shops, like Shade Tree Garage, will be able to let car owners know when their vehicle is due for a certain type of maintenance. They’ll also be able to identify technical service bulletins for every vehicle along with any recall issues that can be repaired at the dealership at no charge.

O’Connor says, “If a car owner is noticing poor gas mileage, they can remedy the situation by bringing their vehicle in for service. We can quickly identify what may be causing the poor fuel efficiency and complete the repair with very little inconvenience to the vehicle owner.” O’Connor lists just a few areas that could cause a decrease in fuel economy:

1. Sluggish Oxygen Sensors - The oxygen sensors on your car’s engine monitor the air/fuel mixture so the powertrain control module can add or subtract fuel as needed.
2. Defective Coolant Sensor - This monitors the operating temperature of the coolant. A lower than normal temperature reading will cause the engine to operate in an “open” loop, creating a rich fuel mixture.
3. Defective Engine Thermostat - The thermostat controls the operating temperature of the engine and helps it warm up quickly after a cold start. Like the coolant sensor, if it doesn’t allow the engine to warm up to normal operating temperatures, more gasoline will be used.
4. Worn or fouled spark plugs, dirty fuel injectors and air filters - These all affect the way fuel is utilized within the engine and should be replaced on a regular schedule.

One last recommendation from O’Connor involves the “Check Engine” or “Service Engine Soon” lights on a vehicle dashboard. These warning lights are designed to alert car owners to a problem with emissions. Not only is the vehicle polluting, but it will experience poor fuel mileage and reduced engine performance. O’Connor states, “When this type of warning light is illuminated on a dashboard, it’s best to address the situation right away.”

Shade Tree Garage is a trusted independent automotive repair shop located in Morristown, New Jersey. They work hard to accomplish their mission: “To give you peace of mind about the safety and reliability of your car.” They are located at 171 Washington Street, just past Mills and next to Golden Cleaners. For more information, visit their web site at www.shadetreegarage.com.

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