To keep your vehicle running efficiently and smoothly, we recommend the following three maintenance tips.

1. Keep your vehicle's engine tuned up and running as efficiently as possible.
   To keep your vehicle tuned up and running as efficiently as possible, follow the manufacturer's recommended maintenance guidelines and schedules. Vehicles with poorly maintained engines and emissions systems are some of the most polluting on the road. Clogged air filters and worn spark plugs lower engine performance and increase vehicle emissions. A well-maintained vehicle can produce, on average, 25 percent less carbon monoxide and 16 percent less nitrogen oxides than a poorly maintained vehicle. A well-maintained vehicle also keeps its value for resale.
2. Periodically check wheel alignment and tire pressure.
   To reduce tire wear and support optimal fuel efficiency, have your wheels aligned and keep tires properly inflated. Proper wheel alignment reduces rolling inefficiencies as well as tire wear. Tires must be kept at the right pressure and rotated regularly. If tires are under-inflated, fuel consumption can increase significantly; for every pound of pressure below the recommended level, fuel economy drops 1 percent. Estimates suggest that low tire pressure wastes more than two million (2,000,000) gallons of gasoline in the United States every day.
3. Dispose of used oil, coolants, and other fluids and used parts properly.
   When choosing a service station to maintain your vehicle, consider its waste collection and management practices. A variety of waste streams are generated by service stations (and by you, the do-it-yourself mechanic), and these wastes must be properly managed to protect human health and the environment.
   
   In a single oil change, 1 to 1.25 gallons of waste oil are generated. This used motor oil must be properly managed. Just one gallon of used oil, if improperly managed, has the potential to contaminate up to one million gallons of drinking water. What's more, oil that ends up in the country's rivers, lakes, streams, wetlands, and estuaries can threaten aquatic life. Proper management is critical to human and environmental health.
   
   Other fluids, such as coolants/antifreeze and refrigerants, though changed less frequently, also must be managed properly to avoid negative environmental impacts. The refrigerants in your vehicle's air conditioning, for example, contribute to the depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer if released to the air; take your vehicle to trained and properly equipped service stations to change or replace refrigerants.