News Release
For Immediate Release
Contact: Beth Gorman (520) 740-3343
Tucson, Arizona (October 9, 2007) – October is National Car Care Month and a great time to learn how to save money, save your car, and save the air! The Pima County Department of Environmental Quality’s Clean Air Program is holding a Free Car Care Check-up at Pima Community College Downtown Campus west parking lot (near Speedway and Stone) on Saturday, October 13th. The Automotive Service Association is co-sponsoring the event along with Pima Community College, and volunteers from local automotive repair shops and other agencies will provide the check-ups. The purpose of the event is to encourage good car maintenance for a healthier environment. Qualified volunteers will perform safety, under-the-hood, tire, emissions, and child car seat checks from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The checks include hoses, belts, fluids, lubricants, tire pressure and tread depth, exterior lights and general safety inspections.
In addition, the Tucson/Pima County Household Hazardous Waste Program will provide a free collection of unwanted household hazardous waste such as pool chemicals, pesticides, automotive fluids, paints, and solvents. Participants in the Car Care Check-up will receive a free status check-sheet of many items on their vehicle to use for preventive maintenance, and will have a chance to win a free set of tires from Jack Furriers Western Tire. The Car Care Check-up will be held in the west parking lot at Pima Community College Downtown Campus, entering at Speedway and 11th Avenue, west of Stone Avenue.
Car Care Tips
Pump up your tires - under-inflated tires wear down more quickly and can reduce gas mileage by 15%. Check the car manual or the placard in the car door for the recommended air pressure.
Replace clogged air filter – dirty air filters can decrease gas mileage by 10 percent.
Replace faulty vehicle gas cap and keep it tight – leaking gas caps allow gasoline to evaporate from your tank wasting gasoline and causing air pollution. Make sure your gas cap is tightened after each use. Nationally, gas cap problems waste 147,000,000 gallons of gasoline per year.
Avoid idling – sitting idle gets zero miles per gallon and needlessly pollutes the air! Letting the vehicle warm up for a minute and driving slowly at first is all it needs.
Don’t skimp on maintenance – follow guidelines in your owner’s manual and expensive, problematic breakdowns will be reduced. Talk with experienced technicians at the Free Car Care Checkup on Saturday, October 13th for expert advice.
For more information contact the PDEQ Clean Air Program at 740-3118 or visit www.deq.pima.gov.
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