Latest News From Bumper to Bumper Radio

Even if you’re meticulous about taking care of your car and diligent about following its recommended service intervals, there are things you’re probably not doing in order to squeeze maximum mileage from each gallon of fuel. Improving your gas mileage by even one or two miles per gallon can save you a significant amount of money over time and eliminate pounds of harmful emissions from being released into the environment. Read on to learn how to improve gas mileage.

Even a tiny dust particle can damage an engine’s delicate internal system. Automobile owners in Arizona face the hazard of driving in dusty areas so it’s crucial to take care of your vehicle’s air filters.

Changing your car’s air filter regularly can have a large impact on your vehicle’s performance and the engine’s longevity.

In the hustle and bustle of the day, it’s sometimes easy to forget to take proper care of your vehicle. It’s easy to overlook simple maintenance items because you can’t see the problem so it’s easy to forget about it until something happens.

Even desert dwellers can run in to roadway trouble driving in mild Arizona valley winter weather. But, a few simple steps of prevention can lead to a long road of safe driving.

Drivers paid the lowest averages for the Christmas holiday since 2009, and pump prices continue to hover around the $2 benchmark. Retail averages have fallen for 45 of the past 52 days, and despite prices moving higher by fractions of a penny on the week, today’s average price of $1.999 is the lowest for this date since the Great Recession. Monthly and yearly discounts persist, and consumers are saving five cents per gallon versus one month ago, and 30 cents per gallon versus this same date last year.

Leading into 2016, the national average is expected to continue to slide because supply should continue to outpace demand. Gas prices typically fall during this time of year as demand for gasoline decreases, and many motorists will remember the fourth quarter of 2014 when pump averages tumbled from $3.33 on October 1 to $2.26 on New Year’s Eve. While seasonal price declines are again reflected across much of the country, prices on the West Coast have moved higher following supply issues in California. Earlier in the year, ExxonMobil’s Torrance, CA refinery unexpectedly went offline, and as a result, prices spiked in the region. Ongoing and unexpected refinery maintenance has kept production from returning to normal levels, and new problems have tightened supply within the region and once again sent prices higher. This regional challenge could keep the national average higher than we would otherwise see, and contribute to volatility to close out the fourth quarter of 2015.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration today announced its nationwide campaign to get drunk drivers off the road this holiday season and unveiled a new Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over ad to run in movie theaters immediately before the hotly anticipated Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which opens nationwide this weekend.

“We hope the millions of Americans who will be on the road over the holidays will make the safe choice not to drink and drive,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “Across the country, local law enforcement officers will be on the roads, protecting all of us from the risk of drunk driving.”

Bumper Audio Clip of the Week

Bumper to Bumper helps a listener diagnose a brake issue with their Toyota Rav4.