Take care of Engine

The Heart of A Vehicle – Ask your auto mechanic to thoroughly check the engine every time you take your car for servicing.

Check Engine Coolant

Proper temperature of car's engine is important, hence you should check you engine coolant for right level. If the engine coolant is low, it results in overheating of auto engine.

Check for Smooth Functioning of Timing Belt

If it doesn't then, just replace it to avoid an serious engine damage that can be heavy for your pocket

Calibration of the Engine Oil

Regular checking and calibration of engine oil ensures engine breakdown. Smooth performance of the automobile engine helps to increase the lifeline of your vehicle.

Clean the Radiator

Radiator debris should be cleaned with a soft brush. Whereas detergent solution can be carefully used to clean the exterior of radiator.

Never Spray Water On Hot Engine

This might lead to uninvited troubles and may damage your car's engine.

Hydraulic Reservoir Should Also Be At An Optimum Level

Keep the hydraulic reservoir at optimum level with the fluid type.

Air Cleaner Check

A regular check of air cleaner keeps your car in the best spirit.

Avoid Idling

You will surely boost up the lifeline of your dear vehicle, if you do this. Avoid keeping your car idle for longer period as during this process, the oil is not distributed to different parts of the engine

Change Oil Regularly

Well, you can easily do it on a regular basis. Regular change of oil ensures a better performing vehicle.

Slow down

One of the best ways to save gas is to simply reduce your speed. As speed increases, fuel economy decreases exponentially. If you one of the "ten-over on the freeway" set, try driving the speed limit for a few days. You'll save a lot of fuel and your journey won't take much longer. (Just be sure you keep to the right, so you won't impede the less-enlightened.)

Check your tire pressure

Under-inflated tires are one of the most commonly ignored causes of crummy MPG. Tires lose air due to time (about 1 psi per month) and temperature (1 psi for every 10 degree drop); under-inflated tires have more rolling resistance, which means you need to burn more gas to keep your car moving. Buy a reliable tire gauge and check your tires at least once a month. Be sure to check them when they are cold, since driving the car warms up the tires along with the air inside them, which increases pressure and gives a falsely high reading. Use the inflation pressures shown in the owner's manual or on the data plate in the driver's door jamb.

Check your air filter

A dirty air filter restricts the flow of air into the engine, which harms performance and economy. Air filters are easy to check and change; remove the filter and hold it up to the sun. If you can't see light coming through it, you need a new one. Consider a K&N or similar "permanent" filter which is cleaned rather than changed; they are much less restrictive than throw-away paper filters, plus they're better for the environment.

Accelerate with care

Jack-rabbit starts are an obvious fuel-waster -- but that doesn't mean you should crawl away from every light. If you drive an automatic, accelerate moderately so the transmission can shift up into the higher gears. Stick-shifters should shift early to keep the revs down, but don't lug the engine -- downshift if you need to accelerate. Keep an eye well down the road for potential slowdowns. If you accelerate to speed then have to brake right away, that's wasted fuel.

Hang with the trucks

Ever notice how, in bad traffic jams, cars seem to constantly speed up and slow down, while trucks tend to roll along at the same leisurely pace? A constant speed keeps shifting to a minimum -- important to those who have to wrangle with those ten-speed truck transmissions -- but it also aids economy, as it takes much more fuel to get a vehicle moving than it does to keep it moving. Rolling with the big rigs saves fuel (and aggravation).

Get back to nature

Consider shutting off the air conditioner, opening the windows and enjoying the breeze. It may be a tad warmer, but at lower speeds you'll save fuel. That said, at higher speeds the A/C may be more efficient than the wind resistance from open windows and sunroof. If I'm going someplace where arriving sweaty and smelly could be a problem, I bring an extra shirt and leave early so I'll have time for a quick change.

Back off the bling

New wheels and tires may look cool, and they can certainly improve handling. But if they are wider than the stock tires, chances are they'll create more rolling resistance and decrease fuel economy. If you upgrade your wheels and tires, keep the old ones. I have fancy sport rims and aggressive tires on my own car, but I keep the stock wheels with a good narrower-tread performance tire in the garage. For long road trips, the stock wheels give a smoother ride and better economy.

Clean out your car

If you're the type who takes a leisurely attitude towards car cleanliness -- and I definitely fall into that category -- periodically go through your car and see what can be tossed out or brought into the house. It doesn't take much to acquire an extra 40 or 50 lbs. of stuff, and the more weight your car has to lug around, the more fuel it burns.

Downsize

If you're shopping for a new car, it's time to re-evaluate how much car you really need. Smaller cars are inherently more fuel-efficient, and today's small cars are roomier than ever -- one of my favorite subcompacts, the Nissan Versa, has so much interior room that the EPA classifies it as a mid-size. Worried about crash protection? The automakers are designing their small cars to survive crashes with bigger vehicles, and safety features like side-curtain airbags and electronic stability control are becoming commonplace in smaller cars.

Don't drive

Not a popular thing to say on a car site, I know, but the fact is that if you can avoid driving, you'll save gas. Take the train, carpool, and consolidate your shopping trips. Walking or biking is good for your wallet and your health. And before you get in your car, always ask yourself: "Is this trip really necessary?"

If you only plan to keep your car a few years, then it's in your best interest to keep its resale value as high as possible -- after all, that's more money to put down on your next new car. These five tips will put your car well ahead of the pack and help to maximize its resale value.

Buy a car that will hold its value

Resale value is based on many factors, including desireability and reliability. Some makes, such as Toyota, Honda, Mercedes and Lexus, always hold their value well. Use a good used car pricing site, such as Kelley Blue Book or NADA, to research the resale history of models in which you are interested. Some options, such as air conditioning or a sunroof, will improve your car's resale value; consider buying them even if they aren't on your personal must-have list.

Follow the maintenance schedule and keep all receipts

You'll find the maintenance schedule in the back of the owner's manual. Keep receipts for all maintenance and repair work, no matter how minor. A stack of receipts underscores the fact that your car has been well taken care of. Savvy used car buyers will be willing to pay extra for a car with a fully documented service history.

Don't crash

Any history of collision damage can ding your car's resale value, and a trained used car appraiser can spot body work from a mile away. If your car is in a collision, use an experienced repair shop with a good reputation and insist on using factory (also known as OEM, for Original Equipment Manufacturer) parts. Save all receipts and be up front and honest about any collision repair work when it comes time to sell or trade. Being evasive about collision repair may lead the buyer to believe that the damage was more extensive than you are letting on.

Resist the urge to customize

Spending money on your car can actually decrease its value. If you do have your car customized, stick to non-intrusive upgrades such as new wheels or an upgraded stereo that won't require extensive re-wiring or cutting up the dashboard. Save the old parts so you have the option of returning your car to its original condition before selling.

Keep it clean

The better your car appears to be kept up, the more it will be worth, and most people associate cleanliness with care. Washing and waxing your car on a regular basis is a much easier way to keep it looking good than paying for an expensive detail job when the time comes to sell.

The same car for less money

When you buy used, you miss out on the heaviest depreciation hit. A new Honda Accord LX will set you back around $21,500. Buy a similarly-equipped two-year-old Accord with 24,000 miles and you'll pay about $4,000 less. (And that's for a car that holds its value well. A Mitsubishi Galant ES costs about the same new as an Accord; 2 years and 24,000 miles later it's $7,000 cheaper.)

More car for the same money

A nicely equipped new Toyota Corolla XRS will set you back around $18,000. But what if you want something bigger? For the same amount of money, you could buy a two-year-old Toyota Camry loaded to the gills or a three-year-old Avalon, Toyota's biggest sedan. Planning on growing your family? You'll find plenty of four-year-old Honda Odyssey minivans in the new Corolla's price range.

You can also move up in prestige. A new Toyota Camry XLE V6 with all the bells and whistles is a nice ride; at $30,000 it had better be. But for the same price (or even a couple grand less), you could be stylin' in a two-year-old Lexus ES330, Audi A6 or BMW 325i.