Marshalls Automotive: Fuel System

The Marshalls Automotive Guide to Saving Fuel: Car Weight

The team at Marshalls Automotive in Redmond and Oregon car owners are all talking fuel economy right now. Better gas mileage. Fewer emissions. Redmond motorists want to save the environment and their pocketbooks.

And we all know—or should know—that preventive maintenance will help maximize gas mileage. But is there something more Redmond motorists can do? After all, some of us Redmond folks can’t cut back on our driving, and others would like to do more to economize.

Weight is one major enemy of fuel economy. The more you lug around in your vehicle, the more fuel you have to burn to get from Redmond to Bend. And that means buying more gas in Redmond and producing more emissions.

Of course, your vehicle’s weight isn’t negotiable. And you can’t do much about the weight of your passengers. And this isn’t an article about diet and exercise.

But look around your vehicle. Are you hauling a bunch of unnecessary weight around Oregon? Do you really need your golf clubs every time you leave your Redmond home? Store sports equipment in the garage. Load it when you need it and store it when you don’t. Who knows? The extra exercise just might reduce the other type of weight in your vehicle.

The same goes for anything else in your car: make-up kits, music collections, extra electronics, spare clothing; whatever your particular extras may be. Pack it when you need it; store it when you don’t.

Clean out your Redmond. You’d be surprised how much weight you’re lugging around Redmond in plain old junk. Toss old papers, leftover food, and regular old dirt. Even if it’s not a lot of weight, you’ll feel better when you get into your car. A good cleaning is also part of good car care.

Now, don’t toss stuff you really do need. You do need that spare tire—the one in your trunk. And a kit of emergency essentials is not a bad idea. But just carry around the day-to-day essentials. You can pack a more extensive kit and store it in your garage, then toss it in your Redmond when you go on a longer trip, but you don’t have to lug it around all the time. After all, are you a driver? Or are you a junk chauffeur?

Lose the junk and save some money in Redmond.

Maintaining Your Diesel in Bend

Diesel engines have been used extensively in Europe and Asia for many years. They haven’t been as common in Bend because of the high sulfur content in our diesel fuel. But the government is now mandating lower sulfur content and, as a result, we are going to see more Redmond auto owners driving diesel-fueled vehicles on the road, especially in passenger cars and SUV’s.

Diesels are popular in Redmond because they get better fuel economy than gas-powered engines. They also last longer. Modern diesel engines are quiet and powerful. And if you associate diesel engines with black smoke, then you’re not up with the times. That smoke is a thing of the past.

Diesels don’t produce any more pollutants than gasoline engines. The pollution standards for diesel-powered vehicles are as strict in Oregon as for other vehicles.

Also, diesel engines can run on bio-diesel fuels as well as fossil fuels. Diesel fuel can be produced from vegetable oil or from cellulosic waste like wood chips and sawdust. In Bend, we may soon see bio-diesel produced from algae. These fuel sources will lessen Redmond car owners’ dependence on fossil fuels and may even become truly renewable and sustainable.

Diesel-powered vehicles perform as well as other passenger vehicles, also. Most Terrebonne people don’t notice a difference in driving one or the other. If you haul heavy loads or tow a trailer in Prineville, however, the diesel is a definite improvement.

So, you may be asking, if diesels are so great, why don’t all Bend motorists drive them? Surely there are disadvantages you haven’t told me about. That’s true. Diesel engines are heavier than gas engines, and they cost more in Oregon. The better gas mileage of the diesel engine is partially offset by the higher purchase price.

Because of higher fuel prices, diesel engines used to be more costly to drive in Bend. But now, with higher volatility in the prices of both gasoline and diesel fuel in Oregon, that cost difference is less definitive. Whether a diesel or gas engine is more expensive for Redmond auto owners depends now on the current price of fuel in Oregon and how many miles you drive.

Consider also that diesel-powered vehicles have a high resale value in the Bend area, and the costs of owning and operating a diesel vs. a gas-powered vehicle in Oregon becomes a real toss-up.

Preventive auto maintenance for diesel vehicles has also become similar to that of gas-fueled vehicles in recent years. The major difference is that diesels require cleaner fuel, air and oil, so their filters are more expensive in Redmond than those for gasoline engines. The engine air filter must be changed more frequently as well.

The costs for car care and repairs in Redmond are similar. Wait, you may be thinking, but you just told me that filters are more expensive and have to be changed more regularly. True, but that is offset by the fact that diesel engines have a much longer lifetime than gasoline engines. So if you are the type of owner who prefers to hang on to a vehicle for a long time, you will be more than rewarded with a diesel engine.

So if you have been looking for Marshalls Automotive auto advice on whether to switch to a diesel vehicle or stay with a gas-powered one, then we hope this helps. The answer as to which type of vehicle is better is that it depends on the Redmond driver and their driving habits. Now that you know the facts, you can make an informed choice based on your own priorities and needs.

Fuel Injection Keeps Getting Better For Redmond Motorists

Redmond car owners know that engines burn fuel to operate. Fuel is pumped from your fuel tank to your engine where it is squirted—or injected—into your engine’s cylinders. This is the function of the fuel injectors.

There are two ways to inject fuel into an engine. Fuel needs air to burn, so in the first method, fuel is injected into a port and allowed to mix with air and before it is drawn into the cylinders. In the second method, fuel is injected directly into the cylinders and mixes with air after it enters the engine.

Direct injection engines burn fuel more efficiently than conventional engines. Some models can deliver the power of a V8 with the economy of a V6.

For example, in one family of engines, the conventional version (a V6) delivers about 250 horsepower. The direct injection version delivers over 300 horsepower and gets about the same fuel efficiency. The turbocharged version delivers 350 horsepower.

Why the big difference in power? Direct injection systems allow fuel to be squirted into the engine at hundreds of times the pressure of a conventional engine. This atomizes the fuel better (breaks it down into tinier droplets), which means more of it gets burned, which translates to more power for your engine. It also results in cleaner emissions and improved gas mileage.

Fuel injectors are precision instruments. They have to deliver the right amount of fuel at exactly the time the engine needs it. They are also engineered to inject fuel with a specific spray pattern. This spray pattern allows for maximum fuel efficiency and proper atomization.

Direct injection engines require a much higher degree of precision than conventional engines. For this reason, they are equipped with more sophisticated computers.

When fuel injectors get dirty, their precision drops off. The spray pattern won’t be precise, and the timing of fuel delivery may be off. This decreases fuel efficiency and gas mileage for Redmond drivers as well as delivering less power to the engine.

Fuel injectors are not cheap to replace. Direct injection fuel injectors are even more expensive. And we’re talking a mortgage payment to buy a set of new fuel injectors for a diesel engine.

So keeping your fuel injectors clean is just good auto advice for Redmond car owners. The best way to do this is to change your air and fuel filters regularly and practice other habits of good car care and preventive maintenance at Marshalls Automotive in Redmond. Cleaning additives in your fuel can also help.

If you do end up with gum or varnish in your fuel system, you’ll need a professional fuel system cleaning. This will clean out your whole system, including the injectors. The good news is that with proper maintenance, your fuel injectors will last for a long time.

To Save Gas Around Redmond: Keep Up with Your Scheduled Service

One topic that hits the news in Redmond on a regular basis is the price of gas. The answer for some Oregon car owners is to buy a vehicle that gets better fuel efficiency. For those of us Redmond motorists who don’t want to add a car payment to our monthly expenses, we need to improve our fuel economy any way we can.

Following recommended service intervals by coming into Marshalls Automotive is one of the best ways Redmond car owners can keep their SUV running efficiently. That means better gas mileage. When you give it some thought, it only makes sense. Dirty oil or transmission fluid can’t lubricate or clean. That means more drag which reduces fuel economy.

Keeping up with scheduled oil changes and transmission services will save gas for Oregon motorists.

Dirty engine air filters are another efficiency pirate. They rob your pickup engine of enough air to effectively burn the fuel, so you need more gas to get the job done. Replacing a dirty air filter can pay for itself in fuel savings before the next oil change.

You can imagine what dirty fuel injectors can do to your vehicle as you drive around Redmond. If your sedan owner’s manual recommends a fuel system cleaning, come into Marshalls Automotive and ask us to get it done for you.

A simple, but very effective way for Redmond auto owners to save gas is to keep their tires properly inflated. Low tires can cost you up to a mile per gallon. Check your tire pressure when you gas up – or at least once a month.

Marshalls Automotive
2110 S Highway 97
Redmond, Oregon 97756
541-548-5239

Clean Fuel Makes a Happy Engine In Redmond, Oregon

If the fuel system in your vehicle is dirty, you will be hurting your gas mileage and losing performance as you drive around Redmond, Oregon.

Unless they drive a vintage car, Redmond drivers have fuel injectors which need to be properly maintained. That is why your vehicle owner’s manual has a schedule for cleaning your fuel injectors and other parts of your fuel system.

Your honest service advisor at Marshalls Automotive in Redmond has the tools and chemicals to do the job right. Marshalls Automotive uses a process that gives your car a deep, professional fuel system cleaning. The particles, gum and varnish that build up in your fuel system are removed so that it can run cleanly and efficiently.

After a professional fuel system cleaning at Marshalls Automotive, you’ll notice more power, improved fuel economy and reduced exhaust emissions. AutoNetTV strongly recommends you follow your car makers fuel system cleaning service recommendations to keep your vehicle running strong.

Redmond auto owners don’t need the added expense of replacing a fuel injector that’s been damaged by neglect. Check with your honest Marshalls Automotive service advisor and see when your car is scheduled for a key fuel system cleaning.