Money Saving Tips – Maintenance and Petrol

We all know how expensive it is to buy a car in Singapore due to the high prices of COE premiums. But something we tend to forget is that upkeep and operational costs of car ownership add up to quite a bit too.

For example, it’s estimated that petrol can cost you anywhere from $100 to $200 a month. And that depends on the car you’re driving, the distance and fuel efficiency of your ride. In many cases, this can easily be higher!

Likewise with the servicing and maintenance of your car. While maintenance also varies from car to car, it’s safe to estimate that you’ll spend around $500 to $600 on it every year. This does not include major servicing that requires car parts to be replaced.

So, just for your maintenance and petrol over 10 years, you’ll likely have to fork out at least $30,000! Of course, this is an ‘overestimate’ of how much you’ll spend but that’s still a ton of money.

Like anything else, there are ways for you to save money on car maintenance and fuel costs.

5 Simple Ways to Save Money Maintenance and Petrol Costs

1. Ensure Your Tyres are Properly Inflated

A lot of drivers do not know that tyre pressure affects your car’s fuel efficiency. This is because more energy is needed to get the wheels back in shape to push your car along. And more energy needed simply means more energy will be consumed.

To save money on petrol, you should always ensure that your tyres are properly inflated. Having properly inflated tyres will reduce your petrol consumption!

Just follow your tyre’s recommended PSI, which can be found in your car owner’s manual, and you’re good to go.

2. Accelerate Gently

Did you know that sudden acceleration causes fuel to burn 20% faster? So, you shouldn’t hit the accelerator too hard when driving! Always go steadily and gently to maximise your fuel efficiency.

Additionally, fuel consumption also increased at speeds above 90km/h and surprisingly, below 50km/h too.

3. Use a Petrol Savings Credit Card

Probably the most obvious tip we have is to always use a petrol credit card when paying for your fuel.

These credit cards offer a ton of discounts that will help you save a lot in the long run. All petrol companies have tied up with at least one bank to offer these cards to their customers. Each card has its own discount rates, but they’re pretty competitive.

So just pick a petrol brand that’s closest to your home and you can start saving more on gas really soon!

4. Don’t Ignore Your Dashboard Lights

Ignoring your dashboard indicators is something many of us have done. How bad can it be, right?

Well, dismissing warning lights can be detrimental to your car. Even more so if you ignore it over a long period of time. It can damage your car parts, which will then cost you a ton to fix. So act on these signals quickly to avoid forking out more money for substantial repairs.

Apart from the monetary repercussions of this, it also affects the safety of your car and everyone onboard. For instance, if the airbag warning light is on, this means that there’s a problem with your airbag system. Now imagine if it malfunctions while you’re driving and deploys the airbag for no reason. You’ll be seriously injured by it and might even cause an accident!

5. Clean Your Air Filter Regularly

Your air filter’s job is to keep dust, dirt and random air particles out of your engine. If these things get into your engine, it can easily spoil your engine and accelerate the wear and tear. As we all know, repairing your engine is probably one of the most expensive things to do. So, you can say that your air filter is probably one of the most important parts of your car.

A clogged air filter will also increase fuel consumption as it blocks the airflow to the engine. Cleaning or changing your air filter regularly will help you reduce fuel consumption and ultimately save money!

Driving with a clogged air filter can also cause the engine to stall as it will not be able to draw in an adequate amount of air. This results in an inefficient combustion process that causes a sputtering or stalling.

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