Service Tips

Your BMW requires plenty of clean fuel to run. When your fuel isn’t clean, your fuel injectors can start to become clogged up. When this happens, your BMW engine may not get the proper amount of fuel at the correct pressure to run efficiently. This hurts fuel economy and performance as you drive around Sacramento/San Fransico. It can also lead to the buildup of harmful deposits on valves and in the combustion chamber.

That’s why all vehicles, including BMWs, come equipped with a fuel filter somewhere between the engine and the fuel tank. The job of the filter is to clean out little pieces of dirt and contamination. The filter captures the contaminants and holds them out of the fuel stream. Of course, the filter will eventually get clogged up and need to be replaced at Motoring Specialists.

If your fuel filter is clogged, the BMW engine can’t get all the fuel it needs, and it may sputter at high speeds or quick acceleration. Many fuel filters have a bypass valve that will allow unfiltered fuel through when they are clogged. This keeps your engine running, but doesn’t protect it from contaminated fuel.

You may find that you need to change your fuel filter at Motoring Specialists more frequently as your BMW ages. Over the years, additional sediment and rust accumulates in the fuel tank and can be drawn into the fuel system. Your fuel filter stands guard at the gates to your engine to protect expensive parts and to maintain performance and fuel economy.

Most of our Fairfield clients want to save on gas and seek our advice on improving fuel economy. At Motoring Specialists, we are frequently asked, however, just how much money Fairfield motorists can actually save.

Well the US government has a website dedicated to helping us use less fuel. It presents the cost savings in a way Fairfield car owners can relate to and is relevant for all vehicles. Let me give you an example: Having your BMW engine properly tuned, can save up to 4%. If you’re paying three-fifty for a gallon of gas, you could save fourteen cents a gallon.

In today’s Motoring Specialists post, we’re going to talk about several things you can do to improve your BMW fuel economy driving around Fairfield. We’ll tell you the potential savings per gallon of gas at three dollars and fifty cents, and we’ll show a graphic that also shows the savings at three and four dollars.

The next item is replacing a clogged engine air filter. Your engine needs enough air to burn fuel efficiently for the best economy. A clean air filter means you get plenty of air. The fact that the air’s clean protects your engine. That can save you up to ten percent or thirty-five cents a gallon.

Fixing a faulty oxygen sensor can improve economy by up to forty percent. That’s a whopping dollar forty in savings per gallon. Bring your car to Motoring Specialists and we’ll check your oxygen sensor.

Chances are that if your oxygen sensor is kaput your check engine light will come on. Now, there’s any number of things that could cause your check engine light to come on besides oxygen sensor problems. But if it’s on, get it checked out as soon as you can at Motoring Specialists.

Here’s an easy one. Inflate your tires to the recommended pressure. That could save you three percent or eleven cents a gallon. Even a little drop in pressure will cost you at the pump so check your tires every week.

Your BMW manufacturer has recommended a specific weight of motor oil. The recommendation is based on engine design and will give you the best protection. Using a heavier weight could cost one to two percent in reduced fuel economy, or up to seven cents a gallon.

Here’s one that’s free: Take it easy when you drive. Aggressive driving (we’ve all seen this on Fairfield roads), rocketing away from stop lights, standing on the brakes, punching it for lane changes – really takes a toll on your fuel economy.

Cutting out aggressive driving around Fairfield can save five percent or eighteen cents a gallon. Now on the highway it gets really costly: thirty three percent or a buck sixteen a gallon. Think about that.

 A related item is exceeding the speed limit. For example, if the speed limit is sixty miles per hour an additional five miles will cost seven percent or twenty-five cents a gallon. Fifteen miles per hour will cost you upwards of eighty cents a gallon.

The last thing we’ll talk about is excess weight. Our BMWs tend to accumulate a lot of things and the weight adds up. Clear out the trunk and only haul stuff when you really need it. For every one hundred pounds you can save two percent or seven cents a gallon.

Sorry honey, your brother can’t come with. It’d cost an extra thirty cents a gallon.

In very simple terms, a fuel injector is a valve that squirts fuel into your BMW engine. Your engine control computer tells the fuel injector how much fuel to deliver as well as the precise time it should be delivered. Of course this happens thousands of times a minute in every single fuel-injected car driving down Vacaville, Fairfield, and Dixon roads.

Most fuel injectors for gas engines are known in the Sacramento/San Fransico auto industry as port fuel injectors because they deliver the fuel to a port just outside the cylinder. The fuel pump provides pressure needed to squirt the right amount of fuel into the engine.

A few auto makers have recently introduced gas direct injection systems on some engines. They are now available at some Sacramento/San Fransico dealerships. These systems inject the gas directly into the cylinders under very high pressure – many times the pressure of port injection systems.

Although more complicated, direct injection technology promises greater power with improved fuel economy for gas-poor Vacaville, Fairfield, and Dixon commuters. CA motorists can expect to see more of it in the future.

High temperatures under your BMW hood and variations in Sacramento/San Fransico gas quality cause fuel injectors to be fouled with wax, dirt, water, additives and carbon. Injectors can become partially clogged, preventing them from delivering the proper amount of fuel at the correct pressure.

When injectors are dirty, the fuel doesn’t burn as efficiently resulting in poor fuel economy and loss of power. So it’s important for Vacaville drivers keep their fuel injectors clean.

Your Vacaville Motoring Specialists service center can perform a fuel system service for you in which the fuel injectors are cleaned so that they operate properly and deliver the right amount of fuel at the right time.

Proper maintenance of your BMW fuel system means that you will spend less on gas, enjoy strong performance and prevent costly Sacramento/San Fransico repair bills down the road.

There’s not much we can do about the price of gas in Vacaville CA, but we do quite a bit about how much we use as we’re driving on our Vacaville streets.

Our driving habits can dramatically affect our fuel economy.

The first thing we can do is watch the ‘go-pedal’. Hard acceleration just sucks the gas. Gently leave stop lights and plan lane changes so you don’t need to floor it. That can save you hundreds of dollars a year.

Go a little slower on the freeway to Sacramento/San Fransico. Once you’re going more than sixty-five miles an hour your fuel economy starts to drop dramatically. Leave early so you don’t need to rush to be on time. And cruise control is your friend – steady speed uses less gas.

Plan errands ahead. Make fewer trips by combining errands.

Hey at current gas prices, a lead-foot might as well be a gold foot.

Motoring Specialists
742 E. Main St
Vacaville, CA 95688
707-448-1282

If you’re a quart low in your BMW, there isn’t enough motor oil to lubricate your engine properly. The extra friction causes drag that reduces fuel economy while you’re driving around the Sacramento/San Fransico area.

The same goes for dirty oil; it doesn’t reduce friction properly. The result is you get to watch those numbers at your local Sacramento/San Fransico gas pump rolling higher and higher.

The transmission also needs the proper amount of clean fluid to do its work. When it’s in need of service, the transmission drags your fuel economy down.

So keep it clean and give yourself a fighting chance.

Motoring Specialists
742 E. Main St
Vacaville, CA 95688
707-448-1282

This fuel saving tip is so simple, no one from here to Fairfield will believe it. It has to do with your gas cap.

The first thing is to make sure it’s screwed on tight. If it’s loose, gas vapor will be constantly leaking out; wasted gas.

And air will get in and that can cause your oxygen sensor to read incorrectly and the oxygen sensor will tell the engine management computer to adjust the fuel-air mix and, well, you get the picture; you’ll be burning more gas around Fairfield than you need to.

This could cause the check engine light to come on as well.

A worn gas cap can have the same effect. If you constantly smell gas when you walk by your tank, you might need a new gas cap.

So, twist your cap until it clicks three times – that means it’s on tight. Have your Fairfield area service advisor at Motoring Specialists inspect the cap to see if it needs to be replaced.

See, I told you it was simple.

Don’t forget to call Motoring Specialists at 707-448-1282 for an appointment to optimize your BMW for better fuel economy. Ask us about maintenance services.

Have you ever gone to Sacramento/San Fransico to listen to an orchestra? The musicians take the stage early and tune their instruments. Each individual instrument must be in tune, but the critical thing is for the entire orchestra to be in tune with each other. That’s why they tune up together.

Now this is no surprise; I’m going to relate the orchestra to your car. Your engine has many component systems that each need to be working properly. And the components need to be working in sync, all timed up together in order for the engine to work efficiently.

We call this, (ta-da) a tune-up. When an orchestra’s out of tune you get a bad concert. When your vehicle’s out of tune you get bad performance and bad fuel economy.

So check your owner’s manual for recommended tune-up intervals. Or ask your Vacaville service advisor at Motoring Specialists what he thinks.

…Just be careful not to say you want to make beautiful music together – that kinda makes us uncomfortable.

A lot of gas is wasted in the Fairfield area by dirty fuel delivery systems.

Let’s start at the tank. The gas tank gathers dirt, rust and sediment over the years. That’s why there’s a fuel filter to clean the fuel after it leaves the tank. A dirty filter will rob the engine of the clean gas it needs to run efficiently.

The fuel intake components get coated with gum and varnish over time. This results in fuel being delivered inefficiently and some of that gunk getting into the engine. A fuel system service at Motoring Specialists will leave your intake as clean as a whistle.

The big fuel thief is dirty fuel injectors. They deliver fuel to the engine at a specified pressure and in a particular spray pattern. When they’re clogged, the fuel doesn’t get atomized the way it’s supposed to and doesn’t get burned as efficiently.

See your owner’s manual or ask your Fairfield service advisor at Motoring Specialists when a fuel system cleaning is recommended.

A question for our Vacaville CA motorists: How long have you been enjoying the romantic glow of your check engine light?

Hey, it’s not there to create ambiance; it’s a warning that something’s wrong. When your check engine light comes on get it checked at a capable Vacaville CA service station.

Many conditions that cause the check engine light to come on affect fuel economy. Some very dramatically.

Always make sure you tighten your gas cap until it clicks. A loose gas cap can cause a false sensor reading that’ll make the check engine light come on.

If your date’s eyes are smoldering in the reflected glow of the check engine light, try to think of all the gas money you’ll save by getting it fixed. Give us a call when you are ready: 707-448-1282

Weight is the enemy of fuel economy. Everyone from here to Dixon knows this makes sense.

Some of us in the Dixon area carry a bunch of unnecessary weight, and I’m not talkin’ what you see in the mirror.

Guys; sports equipment and tools. Ladies; well, just take a look around the passenger compartment and trunk. I think my car has about forty-five pounds of French fries on the floor.

All that extra weight wastes gas as you drive between here and Dixon, and everywhere else.

Lose the junk and save some money.

…And you really only need one of those spare tires.