Ethanol in gasoline may lower mileage slightly

Business

Discussion

The Salem News has a real-name policy for commenting. Users may sign in using the Facebook Connect tool above the comments field. Once your first comment is posted by a moderator, all future comments will post automatically. If you prefer not to use Facebook, send an e-mail with your comments user name (which must be the same as your real name), city or town, street address and daytime phone number to comments@salemnews.com. A staff member will contact you directly to confirm your identity. It may take a day or two before you can post comments. Only your user name will be public. All users are required to follow our rules for commenting, which can be found here.

comments powered by Disqus

December 30, 2008

Auto Scanner The Salem News Tue Dec 30, 2008, 05:06 AM EST

Q: I have questions about ethanol on the North Shore. What percent of ethanol do we get in our gasoline? Is it the same for all brands? Does it vary by octane grade? Does the percent vary from time to time? Are EPA ratings of mileage done with 100 percent gasoline? In racing machines, mileage with ethanol is much worse than with gasoline. Does 10 to 15 percent ethanol substantially reduce everyday mileage?

A: We get 10 percent ethanol in our gas in all brands sold in this area. Despite the grade — regular, mid or super — 10 percent is the formula. Ten percent has been pretty much a constant. I would expect with the 10 percent ethanol formula you are losing a potential 2 to 3 percent.

Q: I have a 2004 Saturn Ion 3 SDN. I bought the car in March 2004, with an extended warranty until 2010. I am having a lot of trouble with the ignition switch as shown on the repair papers I have included. At 11,000 miles, the ignition switch was replaced under warranty. At 19,000 miles, which was 19 months later, the switch had to be replaced again at an out-of-pocket expense of $100. The Saturn service department knew exactly what the problem was as soon as I called them. I start the car 24 to 26 times a week. I can never tell when the car will fail to start again. I am hearing other people are experiencing the same problem with the Ions. Saturn has never come out and admitted to the ignition switch problem.

A: The repairs Saturn of Danvers made were exactly right. Saturn has indeed recognized the problem, and technical service bulletin 04-08-45-005D does describe the problem and the fix procedure. I do think, however, Saturn's choice to charge you for the second time may have been a poor choice in today's tough economy; you don't want to lose a new car customer over a simple job of $100 for parts and labor. I would scrutinize my warranty very carefully to see if the ignition switch is a covered item. If it is indeed a covered item, you may apply for a refund.

Q: I have a 1996 Toyota Camry with 86,000 miles on it. The timing belt broke after the camshaft froze up. It was found that a large buildup of sludge under the camshaft cover and in the crankcase caused the problem. For the past eight years, the car has been used for seven months a year. I drive 4,000 to 5,000 miles and change the oil filter once. Most of the driving is five miles or less. I have a similar car and usage for the other five months in Florida. What caused the problem, and what recommendations can you give to prevent this from occurring?

A: Well, I've got bad news and worse news. The bad news is you missed the class action settlement by Toyota as shown at the Web site consumeraffairs.com. They covered the Camry models of 1997 to 2001. You may want to write to them after determining the month and year of the production of your car. Some consideration may be given.

Now, the worse news is you basically caused the problem by your driving style, and you will do this to almost any car. You are not giving the oil a chance to get hot and burn off the condensation. When you mix oil and water, which shouldn't mix but it does, you will get frothy, peanut-butter-consistency oil. This mixture will cause oil starvation and result in exactly what happened to you. So, my friends, take that car for a 30-minute ride every so often and let the car reach its operating temperature. It will help your car's engine work much better and last much longer. Also, if you cannot run the mileage I am talking about, than you need to change the oil and filter every three months.

Car Care Tip: When parking your vehicle for the night, make sure your windshield wipers are turned off and parked before you turn off the key. Some people will even flip the wipers off the windshield when the vehicle is parked. Starting a car with the wipers turned on with the frozen windshield will end in expensive repairs.

¬¢¬¢¬¢

Larry Rubenstein is a master technician who owns a North Shore service station. His column appears Tuesdays in The Salem News. Write to Larry at Salem News, c/o Auto Scanner, 32 Dunham Road, Beverly, MA 01915, or send e-mail to scan auto@aol.com.

Text Only | Photo Reprints

Business

Fidelity: 401(k) balances little changed over 2011

Workers stashed money away in their 401(k) retirement plans at a faster clip last year but didn't get an immediate reward for their savings strategy. Fidelity Investments, the nation's biggest 401(k) administrator, says the average account balance was essentially unchanged in 2011, compared with 2010.
Tourism Trends

Even a region as beautiful and interesting as the North Shore can't sell itself.
That's why it was good for local businesses to learn, at last Friday's tourism summit at the Peabody Marriott, that the North of Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau has recovered from recent economic challenges and found new ways to promote Essex County as a tourist destination.
New studio space builds on Beverly's reputation as artist destination

BEVERLY — Jesse Chamberlain, 30, is a Salem jeweler who specializes in creating wedding bands and engagement rings. Though she previously worked in Lynn, she saw an opening on Craigslist for a new studio space in Beverly, and last week moved her tools to a newly remodeled studio at Porter Mill.

1 Photo
Chamber to host Beverly Business Awards

BEVERLY — The Beverly Chamber of Commerce has a new executive director, a new office and a new event that will recognize some of the city's top businesses and business people.
The Beverly Business Awards will be held tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. at the Danversport Yacht Club in Danvers. The evening will include the announcement of winners in six categories: Businessperson of the Year, Corporate Citizen of the Year, Large Business of the Year, Small Business of the Year, Family business of the Year and Young Entrepreneur of the Year.
Business briefcase

People
Wenham resident Kathy Schweitzer has joined J Barrett & Co. real estate as executive vice president. Schweitzer previously was chief operating officer of Coldwell Banker Schweitzer Real Estate, one of Michigan's largest real estate franchises. She also co-founded the Detroit chapter of Childhelp, which rescues abused and neglected children and raises funds for organizations.
Business Calendar
Verizon to set up streaming service with Redbox
Obama, GOP spin recent energy stats
For Facebook 'Hacker Way' is way of life
Prius gas mileage getting low
Economy likely started 2012 with solid job growth
2011 home sales down
Wheeler is named Beverly Cooperative Bank president
Peabody farmer scoops up West Newbury land
Business Calendar
Business Briefcase
College endowments show growth for FY 2011
Euro, rich-poor gap proved key issues at Davos
Twitter's new censorship plan rouses global furor
Auto Scanner: Avoiding top-dollar replacement of Cadillac shocks
Obama to target rising college tuition costs
User-friendly health plan summaries at risk
A FEAST FOR THE EARS 1 Photo
Beverly-based Fantastic Sams bought by French firm
Business Calendar
Business Briefcase
New rules could boost New England renewable power
Wood heat heats up as homeowners give boot to oil
All 2011 unemployment insurance benefits taxable
Mass. Gov. to seek hike in cigarette tax

Click here for more Business stories

Business

Search Results

Discussion

Ethanol in gasoline may lower mileage slightly

Site Map

Reader Access