Carmentary.com

By Christina VanGinkel

It does happen, and I just experienced it first hand. The scenario went like this. My husband asked me to make an appointment to have his older model Toyota looked at. He could smell a bit of gasoline when he was inside the truck with it running. He had put the truck up on his hydraulic jack and crawled beneath it, and noticed a small amount of gas seeping from around the edge of the sending unit. His diagnosis was either a deteriorated gas line, or the problem with cover of the sending unit itself. Mind you, he is not a mechanic by trade, but his professions does have him dealing with equipment daily, and he knows a leaking gas line when he sees one. He questioned himself on the cover issue because he was able to see the leak was close to the sending unit, and he had a friend with an almost identical truck who had the same problem, and it turned out to be the cover had corroded, but the sending unit itself was fine.

I made the appointment and the following morning he dropped the truck off at the shop. He left my number at home for the repair shop to call with any questions and the estimate, as he was working quite a distance out in the field that day, and did not trust his cell service to be adequate for the shop to be able to phone him.

Mid morning, the repair shop did phone. Their diagnosis was that the sending unit on the gas tank needed replacing, and once they pulled off the sending unit, the gas tank would need to be replaced at the same time. Estimate: $1000 minimum.

I know I stuttered at the estimate, but pulled myself together enough to tell them not to do the repair, that I would have my husband get a hold of them later in the day to pick the truck up, which he did. He questioned the shop if there was any chance the cost could be less than what they were quoting, or if the repair itself was wrong. He told them about his friend's truck and the issue with the cover. No, they stated quite firmly that the repair they stated was the only way to fix the problem; otherwise, it would be time to junk the truck.

Once back home, he called around to a couple of garages for various estimates, never truly doubting that the diagnosis was wrong, just hoping to find a shop willing to at least consider the issue with the cover, and one willing to at look at the gas tank before stating unequivocally that it would also have to be replaced.

On his second call, the repairperson he talked to told him to bring in the truck, that he would take a quick look at it, and that possibly it was just the cover part of the sending unit and not the whole thing. If it was that, the part would cost approximately $100 to $150 dollars and about an hour in the shop, for a total of about three hundred dollars tops, less than a third of the first repair estimate. In the end, that was the needed repair and the total bill, with tax, was less than three hundred.

Years ago, I had gone into a shop with the request that my brake pads be changed. We were leaving that same afternoon for a cross-country trip, and time was of the essence. I left several hours later with a five hundred dollar bill. I was told that my brakes were dangerous to drive the way they were and several repairs were required. I fell for it completely. About a year later, the repair shop closed with multiple complaints about overcharges and repairs supposedly billed for but never done. That experience has always stuck with us, and we have often wondered if we paid for repairs that we never received.

If you are dealing with a repair shop and the estimate or the repair itself seems extreme, the garage personnel might be right, but they might very well be wrong. If you have any questions about a possible repair, as we did, do not hesitate to bring the vehicle elsewhere, or at least to call around for alternative estimates.

It was not very long ago when I realized that it would be shocking if gas ever got as high as two dollars per gallon. It simply did not seem possible. But it happened and it kept climbing. Now it is not only painful filling the car up with gas, but I have oil heat for my home, so filling the oil tank during the cold months will not be very pleasant, either.

There are ways to save money whether it is automobile gas or heating oil. It may not seem like a lot, but with the prices ever-climbing, I have adopted the "every little bit helps" stance.

How can we save at the gas pump? One of the best ways is to make sure you get all of your errands done in one trip. A lot of people have gotten into the habit of going to the bank and post office, etc. one day but then they get the groceries on a totally different day. Perhaps other shopping, such as the mall would happen on still another day. It isn't necessary if you combine as many of them into one trip as possible. Unless there's a really good reason to not get it all done in one trip, plan on that. Make your appointments for when you will already be "out and about" too.

There is an added benefit for the family when we start doubling up on the trips; we have more time to spend at home in the evenings and that could be a great time to start doing some family activities at home.

Another thing that may help, especially if you have been thinking about buying another car, is to research which vehicles are more fuel efficient. If you're driving a truck or mini van and don't really need the space, it may be a good time to trade it in on wheels that won't cost you quite so much to drive.

Lose the lead foot! If you find that your foot gets a bit "heavy" on the interstate or even close to home, easing up on it will be better for the fuel economy of your vehicle. Faster driving does not help your gas mileage. Back off a little bit and the gas you paid so much to fill up with will last a little longer before you have to pull out the wallet for still another tank fill up.

Keep in mind that any time you are driving faster than the speed limit, you are cutting down on the fuel efficiency of your vehicle. Driving 15 miles per hour faster than the speed limit could cut your efficiency 15% or more in many models of vehicles. The faster you drive, the more gas you are wasting.

Unless it is extremely hot, try to avoid using the air conditioning in your vehicle. It will also be easier on your gasoline usage if you don't carry everything but the kitchen sink around in the trunk or in the back of your mini van.

A few words about actual driving:

Don't keep the car running when you're not actually driving. It really does not do any good and wastes the expensive fuel that you put into the tank.

Don't "ride your brake" and do not wait until the last possible minute to stop. A good rule of thumb is to not step on the gas *or* brake too hard. Stop slowly (unless it came up very fast without knowing you'd have to stop, of course!)

The last tip is one that we probably all do anyhow, but it's important. There is nothing more annoying than filling up and then driving a block and seeing the gas costs less there. Sometimes I see gas stations directly across the highway from each other where the cost per gallon is at times up to 5 cents more or less than the other. Take a minute to make sure that you're buying your fuel at the place with the best price.

To save on heating oil, there are a few things to keep in mind. As soon as it starts getting cold, make sure to check your windows for leakage. If you can feel that cold air is getting in, you can be sure that you are also paying to heat the outside world. I really think that paying to heat the home is bad enough without heating the yard! Use weather stripping where you are able to do so and keep the furnace set as low as possible.