Preventive care – and caring for your car yourself – can save you a lot of coin and a lot of hassle.Here are some practical tips to keep your car on the road – and money in your pocket:

Fuel system

All cars built since the late 1980s use some type of electronic fuel injection. These systems have fewer moving parts and are less maintenance intensive than the carburetors used in older cars, but problems can still develop – chiefly dirty (or clogged) injectors. While it may end up being necessary to have the system flushed by a professional mechanic using special solvents and injector cleaning equipment, you can sometimes get the same results yourself – and for a lot less cash – by adding a bottle of store-bought fuel injector cleaner ( Gumout , STP , etc.) to the tank at each fill-up for 2-3 fill-ups twice each year (once in spring, then again in fall). The extra dose of detergent additives in the cleaner can keep things from ever getting gunked up in the first place – and will sometimes cure a rough-running/hard-starting problem without an expensive trip to see Mr. Goodwrench. There’s no risk of making the problem worse or harming your engine – so it’s worth a shot before giving up and turning the problem over to a pro.

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