“At Firestone Complete Auto Care, proper vehicle maintenance and driving green go hand in hand,” says Matt Hoskins, president of Bridgestone Retail Operations.
“According to the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency, regular car care maintenance will help save customers money, keep them safer on the road, improve fuel efficiency up to 40 percent and reduce emissions by up to 30 percent,” he points out.
Several maintenance tips are provided:
- Check that your tires are properly inflated
according to the vehicle’s specifications. Over-
inflating tires by even a pound or two might improve
fuel mileage in the short run, but over-inflation causes
tires to wear prematurely. The money you save in fuel is
less than what you would pay to replace the tires. Also,
underinflated tires require more energy to rotate, thus
producing more air pollution and greenhouse gases. For
optimal fuel economy, and better air quality, inflate
your tires to the vehicle’s specifications.
- Have your vehicle’s wheel alignment checked
annually, and have your tires rotated and balanced
according to your vehicle’s recommended maintenance
schedule. Anything you can do to help your tires roll
smoothly will result in improved fuel mileage.
- Extra weight in your vehicle causes your engine
to work harder, resulting in lower fuel mileage. If you
have a trunk full of junk, empty it out for better fuel
economy.
- Roll the windows up and remove any rooftop cargo
carriers or ski/bike racks. Your vehicle’s aerodynamics
will be more streamlined, the drag will be reduced, and
you'll get better mileage.
- Buy the right octane. Look in your vehicle’s owner’s manual for the correct octane level for your vehicle’s engine. Odds are that it will be regular unleaded. Less than 5 percent of the vehicles on the road require the use of premium fuel, yet more than 20 percent of all the fuel sold in the United States is premium. Your vehicle will run just fine on regular if that’s what your manual recommends, and it costs you less.
He adds that “car care and going green is a year-long commitment that is celebrated every day in our stores. It is a part of our company culture.”
Along with helping customers improve fuel efficiency and decrease emissions, the centers recycle about 85 percent of all the solid waste materials generated at store locations.
These waste materials include used antifreeze, used automotive batteries, used oil filters, used refrigerants and used motor oil. Furthermore, do-it- yourselfers can also drop off used oil at all the company-owned stores to be recycled at no cost to the customer.
Additionally, 98 percent of the scrap tires collected are delivered to beneficial end-use markets that include playground and landscaping mulch, rubberized asphalt for road construction, crumb rubber molded products, and tire-derived fuel.
The remaining materials are legally disposed to protect the environment.
Bridgestone owns and operates more than 2,100 tire and vehicle service centers nationwide, including Firestone Complete Auto Care, Tires Plus, ExpertTire and Wheel Works.
For more information, visit www.firestonecompleteautocare.com.
