One of the questions we often hear from our clients is, “Should I use premium gas?” And at $3 per gallon for regular gasoline, who wants to tack on 15 cents to 30 cents extra without good reason? The good news is that—in most cases—you do not have to use premium gas.

But there’s a lot of misunderstanding with octane ratings (in part because of slick advertising campaigns), and we’re going to clear those up for you. Depending on the vehicle you drive, you’ll either save money or learn how to prevent damage to your engine.

Let’s start by explaining “octane.” When you press the “87,” “89,” or “93″ button at the gas station, you’re choosing the gas based on its octane. This indicates a gasoline’s ability to resist engine knock or pinging, which occurs when the spark plug ignites the air-fuel mixture in the engine cylinder before it’s supposed to.

The resulting effect: While the piston is still moving upward to compress the air-fuel mixture, the force from the premature explosion pushes down on it and wreaks a little havoc. But the higher the octane rating, the longer the gas takes to ignite. The longer the gas takes to ignite, the less the chance of premature ignition.

And that is the key difference between regular and higher octane fuel. Premium gasses are no cleaner than any other. They don’t boost your fuel economy. They’re simply designed to ignite more slowly.

What does that mean to you? You should only choose premium fuel for two reasons: Your engine knocks or pings without it, or your vehicle manufacturer requires it. Notice that we didn’t say recommend. There is a difference.

Some high-performance engines require high-octane fuel to prevent engine knock and pinging. If you own one of these vehicles, don’t be tempted by the lower price on 87 octane. It will cost you dearly in the long-run because prolonged use of 87-octane fuel in these engines can lead to serious engine damage.

At the same time, the superior reputation of premium fuel comes in large part from successful marketing campaigns and from the fact that premium automotive brands like Acura, BMW and Lexus recommend them for many of their vehicles. They do so because it helps to distinguish their high-end cars from other vehicles and because they want owners to get out every bit of performance they’ve engineered into the vehicles. When you use regular gas, you lose some of that performance—about 5 horsepower (hp), according
to automotive engineers. Instead of getting all 280 hp, you might only be getting 275. Most of the time, though, you won’t even notice the difference.

If you drive a car that is designed for 87 octane fuel, using premium gas can actually cause problems. It can detune the engine, and because it ignites slower, premium gas can make it difficult to start a vehicle in extremely cold weather.

Keep in mind that automobiles are built for use around the world—often in areas where premium gas isn’t available. Automobile manufacturers know this and need their vehicles to perform well in those markets, too.

If you’re still not sold on the idea of saving yourself some money and sticking to regular, consider this consumer notice from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC stated: “(I)n most cases, using a higher-octane gasoline than your owner’s manual recommends offers absolutely no benefit. It won’t make your car perform better, go faster, get better mileage or run cleaner.”

About 90 percent of our driving decisions are based on what we see, and having a good pair of windshield wipers is extremely important—especially as we head into the dark, snowy days of winter.

Even though we’ve all experienced the frustration and fear of not being able to see clearly during a storm, an estimated 46 million motorists across the nation are driving with wipers that can’t adequately clear their windshield. In fact, more than 75 percent of drivers only change their wiper blades after they function so poorly that they become a safety hazard.

Wouldn’t it be better if we took a more proactive approach with our wiper blades? Instead of waiting until our windshield is smeared with road salt and slush from passing vehicles, let’s begin to consider wiper blades an important safety component that need to be replaced before they fail.

Your wiper blades live outside in extreme temperatures from freezing cold to blistering sun. Over time, they become hard and brittle, and then they tear. They also lose their flexibility and just don’t clear the windshield effectively. Severely worn wiper blades can even scratch your windshield. That may require replacing the entire windshield—a big cost for such a little part. While you can certainly purchase and install replacement blades yourself, we can provide quality replacement blades for you. They cost about the same as they would at the store, except that we install them for free.

To stay ahead of the storm, so to speak, you really only need to replace your wiper blades twice a year—in the spring and the fall. Given the low cost, it seems like a prudent investment. Because we live in the snowbelt, you may even want to purchase special winter blades in the fall. Winter blades are designed to resist freezing and do a superb job of keeping your windshield free of snow and ice.

Here a couple of additional cold-weather tips:

• When the car has been sitting for a long time and the windshield has frozen, don’t use your wipers to clear off snow and ice. Doing so can just shred your blades and may even damage the wiper motor, a much more costly investment than a few minutes out in the cold with your ice scraper.
• Remember the washer fluid! Like peanut butter and jelly, wiper blades and washer fluid should rarely be separated. Even though we will top off the washer fluid for you at Star Auto Authority during service, it is a good idea to keep some extra fluid at home and an extra bottle in the car if you’re taking a road trip.
• Always use windshield washer fluid. It offers helpful de-icing properties, and plain water—even that fancy bottled kind—just doesn’t cut it. It can freeze in the fluid reservoir or on the windshield itself, making things worse. In addition, water won’t do as good job of cleaning your windows.

So follow these tips to keep your windshield clear and your eyes where they belong—focused on the road ahead.

Most people laugh and say, “No, of course not,” when they hear this question. And in auto repair, we like to use this analogy to explain why it’s also not a good idea to trust your brake service to the cheapest shop in town.

Certainly, we all love a great deal, and we all want a fair price. But when it comes to your brakes, you may get less than you “bargain” for. If a repair shop is advertising $99 brakes, chances are, it’s too good to be true.

First, that price most likely only covers the brake pads. It does not include machining or replacing rotors or replacing the calipers. Those are all additional—and rightly so, but there goes your $99 total. At the very least, you must machine the rotors. Machining these round cast iron or ceramic discs (see photo below of a disc brake system) will produce a flat, even surface, which is necessary for smooth stopping. Skip this step, and you’ll soon find your brake pedal pulsating under your foot every time you stop. (This is because the rotors are scored and uneven from the previous set of brake pads. The surface will only become worse as the new brake pads wear.)

Second, the brake pads they’re installing are the cheapest available. They’re going to be prime candidates for noises—screeching, scraping, rubbing. Take your pick. Do you really want to deal with that for the next 20,000-plus miles? (While the lifespan of brake pads varies greatly according to your driving habits and from one vehicle to another, cheap brake pads are going to have a much shorter life regardless.) The cheaper pads are also more prone to brake dust, which can leave a dirty black buildup on your wheels.

Third, the work will be performed by an entry-level technician. While there are many talented technicians with little experience, you at least want to be sure your brakes are serviced under the guidance of an experienced mentor. Not only is s/he more likely to notice additional developing problems, such as rotting brake lines or brake fluid that’s way past its prime, s/he is also more likely to take the time to clean and lubricate all of the brake component surfaces. This goes a long way to reducing noises and pulsations. And an entry-level technician at a shop that survives on volume of work is going to be discouraged from devoting time to such “optional” tasks.

Usually, when you factor in the additional costs of machining or replacing rotors or installing new calipers, that discounted brake job adds up to the going rate for brake service in your area. Then when you consider the annoyances or inconveniences caused by pulsating, screeching or dusty brakes, it’s much harder to consider this a good deal.

If you’re still not convinced, consider this: 2,000 pounds of metal moving at 60 mph will need to come to a stop somehow. Most prefer it to be a controlled and smooth stop, not a pulsating, shaking or uncertain one.

Think your brakes may need some attention? Here are 6+ signs they do.