Last year marked an important point in which Earth-friendly alternative-fuel and hybrid automobiles gained major attention and an augmenting market share. On top of that, the AAA Great Battery Roundup collected more than 20,000 used auto batteries and ditched them in an environmentally sound manner.

But you don't need to have old batteries scattered around or purchase a different car to protect the environment. According to AAA spokesman Michael Calkins, you can make a meaningful contribution by adopting 2 easy-to-implement strategies: regular automobile maintenance and better driving habits.

The following advice can put you on the path to environmentally conscious automobile care.

* Keep your engine running at top performance to preserve fuel. Perform regular vehicle maintenance at the intervals advised by your vehicle’s manufacturer. Seek punctual service if the “check engine” alert light remains illuminated on the dash.

To discover a trustworthy fix facility, ask buddies for recommendations or search on www.aaa.com for AAA Authorised Automobile Repair facilities near you.

* Check the air pressure in your car’s tires frequently. Underinflated tires require your engine to work harder and use more fuel to maintain a stated speed.

* Have your vehicle’s air conditioning serviced only by mechanics who are certified to correctly handle and recycle car refrigerants. Older air-con systems contain ozone-depleting chemicals that could be released into the atmosphere.

* Some older vehicles use switches that contain highly harmful mercury to turn on hood, trunk and glove-box lights. Many organisations, including a number of AAA clubs across the land, now host mercury “switch out” programs in which these environmentally dangerous parts are removed for recycling and replaced with harmless mechanical switches.

* Avoid “jack rabbit” starts, unexpected acceleration and speeds above the posted limits; all of these habits guzzle gas.

* Correctly dump engine fluids and batteries. Call your local central authority waste control agency to find out how. Never dispose of fluids on the ground or in any manner that might allow them to make their way into groundwater, lakes or streams.

Proper vehicle maintenance and environmentally friendly driving habits conserve naturally occuring resources, reduce exhaust emissions and reward you with a vehicle which will last for longer and be safer to drive. To explain, when you “go green,” the Earth wins, your vehicle wins — and you are the largest winner of all!

Are you interested to find out more about this?

Learn about Earth-Friendly Auto Tips.

Darling Lane is a writer with an interest in a wide variety of subjects. Environmental Friendly Auto

You can visit her site for beneficial tips. Car Tips

We just assume the battery is going to jump start the engine, the starter will fire, the engine will turn over, and will idle properly before we pull out of the garage. If your engine stalls when you put it into drive or first gear, there may be something small or large wrong with the vehicle that requires extra attention from an auto repair professional. For people who also want to know something about the car service, car rental Auckland advice and the cheap cars from Japan car auction, you can check online.

The first step to diagnose an engine idle problem is to determine exactly when the stall occurs. Does it occur while idling? Does it occur when driving? If the engine stall occurs while idling, check all hoses around the engine for any type of broken or cracked vacuum hoses and air intake boots. If there is someone there to help, have them lightly press on the gas pedal while it is in neutral to evaluate for any movement of noise or air leaks that you can hear while the engine slightly revs up.

If the engine stalls while driving, this can be a more complex procedure to evaluate and requires checking fuses and fuse holders as well as plugging in the engine to a computer to scan for trouble codes. A test light is a tool used to check fuse status and should be performed as the first step before anything else. If the fuses test okay, the next step will be to scan for trouble codes. A stalling engine can often trigger trouble codes that are not related to the original problem. In that case, it is important to fix the engine stalling problem first before going on to evaluate and treat other auto repair problems.

Many individuals look at the auto repair business as an intimidating process in which they get taken advantage of financially. Instead, arm yourself with this information and get a reliable quote that will give you peace of mind for both the longevity of your vehicle and the status of your bank account.