It can be a pretty big mystery figuring out what is contributing to gas mileage issues in your European car. Motor City European Repair has some suggestions you can start your troubleshooting journey with, however.
Tire and Wheel Issues
Your wheels and your tires are far more important in terms of gas mileage than you may ever realize. That’s because the friction of the tires on the road is something that your car’s engine has to overcome, and the more difficult it is to do that, the harder the engine works, therefore it burns more fuel. When your wheels are out of alignment or your tires have improper air pressure, that makes a huge difference in how hard the engine has to work overall.
Infrequent Oil Changes
If you put off getting your oil changed when you should, you need to know that has an impact on how well your European car’s engine works. That means that as the oil is older and breaks down more, it’s tougher for the engine to do its job. When you get your car’s oil changed on time, that keeps it operating as efficiently as possible, which means it keeps your fuel mileage as optimal as possible.
Misfires
In a misfire, something in the combustion chamber either isn’t there in the right amount or it’s there at the wrong time. That could be fuel, air, or spark. Any of those three components need to be on time and there in the right amounts for the magic to happen. When it doesn’t, you hear that as a misfire, or knocks and pings in the engine. Eventually, misfires lead to long-term damage in the engine.
Driving Habits
As painful as it is to admit, sometimes you are not your European car’s best friend. If some of the choices that you make behind the wheel cause the engine to work harder or to burn more fuel, you’ll see that as reduced gas mileage. Dialing your speed back just a little bit and being less aggressive behind the wheel helps both engine performance and gas mileage to improve.
There can be other reasons your European car’s gas mileage isn’t doing so well, though. If you’d like help figuring it all out, call us today at Motor City European Repair in Farmington, MI. We’d love to help your European car work and feel as wonderful as you expect it to perform.
