Do Your Bit – Go Green with Your Car

With so many cars on the road now, it is important that we do our bit to protect the environment. It can seem, on the face of it, to be difficult to know where to start, but there are a number of simple things that you can do, some of which you may already be doing, in order to be greener with your car. Here are our top tips for going green in 2017.

Servicing

Getting your car regularly serviced isn’t just good for your car, it’s good for the environment too. Keeping your tyres inflated and aligned, because your car will have to use more energy to hit its speeds otherwise, which will mean a greater CO2 output. In addition, keep your air filters clean and have your oil changed regularly to stay as green as possible.

Green Disposal

Make sure you’re using the greenest option when getting rid of old oil and fluids – capture them in a box instead of pouring them down a drain, and take them to a recycling depot. Your local council will also be able to point you towards a tyre recycling specialist; if you just put them in a regular tip, they’ll probably end up being burned.

Tyre fires are incredibly hard to put out and the breakdown of the compounds in rubber releases harmful fumes in to the atmosphere.

Eco-Friendly Cleaning

A lot of the cleaning fluids we use are environmentally unfriendly as they contain nasty chemicals, and think of all the water you waste while hosing down your car. Car washes tend to recycle their water in drain systems, and there are plenty of green cleaning liquids you can buy. A lot of cleaning waxes don’t even use water any more.

You could also use vinegar on your car windows, although make sure they’re completely shut first! Finally, clean your car engine with a degreaser to improve performance.

Your Kitchen on Wheels

Every time you eat in your car – whether it be food you’ve made at home or a takeaway – you’re likely to use napkins, plastic forks and condiment sachets. Turn your car in to a mobile kitchen storage unit by using the glove box as a home for spares, instead of throwing them away.

Next time you want to eat, you’ll have a ready-made supply of accessories, and you’ll make less mess in your car too.

Embrace Technology!

For techies, the good news is that technology is winning the eco-war, because it’s paper-free. If you use GPS instead of paper maps, you’re immediately reducing paper wastage. Not only that, but in-built stereo systems don’t use batteries as portable players often do, so even your sound system is eco-friendly! So, perhaps it’s time to upgrade your sound options? Perhaps you could make your car more interesting with this.

Share the Love

If you’re proud of your car, why not share it? A number of businesses have signed up to car share schemes, meaning you can save money by agreeing to give a colleague a lift to work. You’ll cut the amount of vehicles on the road by one by doing this – even taxi firms like Uber now offer lift share options, so take them when you can. Not only this, but when you’re driving you’ll be able to use car share driver lanes, which will save you time.

Keep your Car…

If you like it, don’t change it. Every time you trade your car in for a different one, there is a risk that the old one will be scrapped or fall in to disrepair, all of which put a strain on the environment. If you keep your car clean and have it regularly serviced, then you will get many years of high performance from it, and there will be no need to change.

…Or Change it Completely!

Of course, the other extreme is to go completely green, and trade in for a hybrid, a biofuel or an electric car. Alternative fuels are far better for the environment that using petrol, but obviously electric is the cleanest option. Not only this, but you will find your taxes and emission fees disappear, which will save you money in the long run.

Hopefully you’ll be able to follow a few of these simple steps, and feel better about your role in protecting the environment. For more general tips on understanding your car, visit our website here.