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The best way to explain this section is to imagine you are on a Pedal Bike. You and a friend are riding along a straight and flat road. You have 40 Litres of water on your back. You can imagine that this can use a lot more energy than your friend with less weight. The same applies to a car, there are several guidelines you can use to reduce the weight in the form of excess fluids.
The amount of oil within your car should be the correct amount depending on the Manufacturers guidelines. The level of oil in your car should not be reduced nor exceeded. The correct level of oil and quality of it can ensure your car runs smoothly. Your oil should be checked weekly, most oil changes will occur during your cars/bike service. If your oil level is running low it is essential that you top it up to the correct level. When buying oil the most expensive is not always the best quality it's always a good idea to check with the guidelines stated within your log book which oil suits your car.
Screen Wash - There should be three different liquids within your screen wash. It should be mixed with Water, Screen Wash & Anti Freeze (5:3:1 Ratio) Try to keep the levels of your screen wash to around 1 litre. If your screen wash is topped up right to the brim as soon as there is a bump in the road this may over flow. If water is overflowed it may land on the engine, all cars are at risk of water damage so try to keep it 50-75% full at all times. Most cars can easy store 1.5 Litres of screen-wash. If you are planning a long journey then a reserve should be kept in the car. 0.5 Litres should be ideal unless in wet road conditions as spray carries muck that can dirty the wind-screen.
Actual Fuel Levels - A lot of people don't actually notice how much weight is in a full tank. Having a long journey is no excuse to have a full tank of fuel. A small hatchback can hold around 50 Litres of fuel. This is a huge amount of weight. The only way to prevent the need of fuel is journey preparation. A lot of people get into the routine of filling their fuel up for the week when they do the shopping. Even though routine can be a good thing filling your car to the brim to save you future trips to the fuel station is not such a good idea.
Having a good idea of how many miles you do a week can greatly aid you in how much fuel you will need. Never let your car get to the stage where the Fuel warning light comes on, the main reason for this (Unless you buy a new car in increments of every six month, thought not) is that a lot of grit builds up in your fuel tank and this drags through the injectors once the fuel is low. You should always aim to keep your car 15-50% full. If you have a heavy car then this may vary to 25-60% as most Suv's/People carriers consume massive amounts of fuel.
If you can plan your journey well there should be no need to carry extra fuel in the form of a fuel container (normally 5 litres) in the boot. This can be classed as dead weight.
How to check oil levels;
The above video is an in depth and accurate representation of what you will have to do to check the oil in your vehicle.
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