Amid high gas prices, car expert offers tips for drivers to save money

PHOENIX - Gas prices are on the rise, and they don't seem to be coming down anytime soon.

"The price of oil is going up. Gasoline and everything else is climbing," said Matt Allen, who owns Virginia Auto Service.

While there is not much anyone can do about the rising gas prices, there are a few things people can do to help extend fuel mileage. According to Allen, one of the biggest ways to save is making sure a car gets regular maintenance.

"Just wanna keep your car running well," said Allen. "If you have 'Check Engine' lights on, warning lights, low tire pressure lights, those can all have very minor offenses. A little micro-additions of those things will all equal something eventually."

These things include an oil change, maintaining a clean air filter, and most of all, tire pressure.

"It's rolling resistance. If you try to push a car with a flat tire, it just doesn't work. Just like a bicycle, you want to keep the tire pressure up, and now's a good time with those temperature decreases. A lot of people are waking up and seeing the light –  the horseshoe with the exclamation. That's the low tire light, so we even go up a few pounds over the tire this time of year to keep the pressures up," Allen explained.

Another way to save is to declutter the car.

"If you’re riding around with 200 pounds of golf clubs in the car, not only is that extra weight you're carrying around, but they're noisy and rattling," said Allen.

While this may only save people pennies on the dollar, Allen says it all adds up in the end.

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