Chances are you’ve seen the latest gas prices and they’re almost out of control. Well, your customers coming to your shop are having to pay those prices, and they’re looking for ways to save money and not burn as much fuel. Here are 10 tips or services that you could sell at your shop to help improve your customer’s gas mileage.

The number one thing, it’s the air filter. This often never gets checked. Due to on some vehicles, it’s very difficult to inspect the air filter. The air filter, it can improve fuel economy depending on how blocked up it was before. So keep this in mind, and this is a slam dunk sale. Number two, let’s talk about wheel alignment. If the wheel alignment on a vehicle is off, well, it’s going to more or less be dragging that wheel on a less optimal contact patch, and that’s going to cost some fuel economy. If a vehicle is properly aligned both in the front and in the rear, it’s going to mean that those tires and wheels are pointed straight. This is going to save your customer fuel, but it’s also going to save them the life of the tires.

Number three, TPMS. A TPMS sensor senses the pressure inside the tire. If it’s not functioning properly, well, it’s not going to tell the driver behind the wheel that they have a low tire. A low tire, well, that has high rolling resistance compared to a properly inflated tire. If they’re unaware that the tire is not properly inflated, well, they’re going to lose some fuel economy. This also goes if you’re selling new tires to a customer. Make sure that every time you pull the tire off the rim, that you replace the service kit on the sensor. If a sensor and its seals are leaking, well, that’s going to hurt fuel economy and it’s going to annoy the customer because they have to also fill up their tires.

Number four, we’re talking about spark plugs. As engine performance has increased and also fuel economy and efficiency, well, the life of the plugs has actually gone down because these engines are highly stressed with turbo chargers, direct injection, and other items. So replacing the spark plugs, check the interval. You may be amazed, you may run across a vehicle that needs plugs every 45,000 miles or 85, or even 100,000 miles. Just keep this in the back of your mind that this spark plug can improve the efficiency of the engine.

Number five, ride height. Online, you’ll see a lot of mentions on remove stuff from your trunk to get better fuel economy. It’s true because under certain conditions, if the rear end is loaded down, well, it’s going to cause some aerodynamic issues. It’s also going to cause tire issues. So if you run into a vehicle that may not have anything in the trunk, but the ride height is wrong, well, by correcting the ride height, you’re improving the aerodynamics of the vehicle and also the fuel economy.

Number six, we’re talking about the transmission on the vehicle and making sure it’s properly serviced. Transmission’s slipping or it’s worn out, or there’s issues with, let’s say, the torque converter clutch, it’s not going to get the same fuel economy as a healthy transmission. It’s also critical that you look at the calibration for the transmission control module and also the ECU. Chances are your OEM for that vehicle, well, they’ve released some updated software that can not only improve fuel economy, but also the longevity of the transmission.

Number seven, breaks. If you have a caliber that is dragging or has other issues to where it’s impeding the motion of the rotor, well, you’re going to have issues with fuel economy and also brake wear. And it’s also safety issue. So make sure that the brakes are functioning properly and the caliper is centering over the rotor. This way, they’ll get the most amount of fuel economy and also a safe vehicle.

Number eight, motor oil and also oil changes. It is critical that you use the correct viscosity of oil for a given application. Do not put 5W30 in a vehicle that requires 0W20. That last number, the 40, the 30, the 20, that is the weight of the oil. The more viscous the oil, the more energy is set from the engine to turn the oil pump. So if you have the correct rate of oil, it’s going to work as it should and not put extra stress on the engine.

Number nine, let’s talk about the engine and carbon deposits. A carbon deposit, let’s say inside of a combustion chamber or even in the port for the intake valve, it causes turbulence. This turbulence means that the fuel is not being evenly distributed around the cylinder before it’s ignited. This causes a fuel efficiency problem. So you may want to recommend an induction cleaning or even an intake treatment for a customer to help improve their fuel economy. This way, you’re going to know that the carbon deposits aren’t the problem for the engine.

Number 10, we’re talking about the fuel cap. This one’s easy to miss. How often when you’re inspecting a vehicle, do you pop the gas filler door to make sure that there is a fuel cap in there? Well, this is critical because over time, those vapors from the fuel can escape out the filler neck. If they’re escaping out the filler neck, you’re not getting it into the engine to where it can burn and move the vehicle forward. So make sure you’re popping the filler door and checking if there’s a fuel cab. This will also save money for the consumer and improve their fuel economy.

So there you have it. 10 things that can improve the fuel economy of a vehicle. These things can be sold to your customer and rationalize that way. This way, they’re going to leave your shop with a very efficient vehicle and they’re going to be very happy. I’m Andrew Markel, thank you very much.