(NAPSI)-Following a few simple tips could help you extend the life of your vehicle and keep it running well today and down the road.

That’s good news for budget-conscious drivers, many of whom are holding on to their vehicles longer and finding ways to get more out of them for their money. In fact, J.D. Power & Associates projects 6 million fewer cars will be sold this year than just two years ago, as more people opt to keep their current rides on the road. So how can you help keep your car running longer? Try these tips:

Check The Oil

Keep an eye on your vehicle’s oil, especially if it is an older model. Start by removing the oil dipstick from the engine and wiping it clean. Then replace the dipstick and remove it again. Look to see where the oil is on the dipstick. It should be between the stick’s “full” and “empty” lines. If the oil is low, slowly add more into the oil case, continuing to check the dipstick to see when the case becomes full. It’s important not to add too much oil. You can refer to your owner’s manual for types of oil to use.

Kick The Tires

The right tires can have a positive impact on the performance and handling of your car. For instance, Michelin’s Energy Saver A/S tires are designed to provide up to 109 gallons of fuel savings over their lifetime, while the company’s HydroEdge tire is designed to stop 14 feet shorter than other tires and last up to 33,000 miles longer. They can help provide a safer and less expensive ride, but also save the cost of early tire replacement down the road.

Change The Filters

Air and oil filters help protect the engine from damage caused by grime and dirt. When they are clean, the filters also help automobiles operate more efficiently, which can improve performance and gas mileage.

A good rule of thumb is to replace your air and oil filters every time you have the oil changed. You might also change the filters yourself. Just be sure to check your owner’s manual for specific filter sizes and requirements.

For more tips and information, visit Michelinman.com.

Vehicle recalls have become increasingly common. In 2008 alone, hundreds of recalls were issued, affecting more than 10 million vehicles.

Vehicles with open recalls are bought and sold every day-some with recalls change hands multiple times. Estimates are that nearly a third of all recalled vehicles go unfixed by their owners. All the more reason for car buyers to be careful.

Fortunately, that doesn’t mean you’re at a disadvantage when buying a used car. Here are some tips:

• Remember that “recall” is not necessarily a bad word. Recalls may be mandated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) or voluntarily issued by auto manufacturers to help prevent safety failures.

• With the exception of those involving tires, recalls are in effect for the lifetime of a vehicle. Under federal law, recalls must be remedied at no cost to consumers. Open recalls will only be repaired for free by authorized dealers-those that sell and service your particular vehicle make.

• Check for open recalls when you shop for a used car. If one exists, make an appointment to have it taken care of as soon as possible.

• Recall information is reported to CARFAX and can appear in CARFAX Vehicle History Reports. A free Recall Check also is available at CARFAX.com. This free resource helps car buyers instantly identify an open recall on a vehicle they are thinking of buying.

CARFAX Vehicle History Reports are available for used cars and light trucks manufactured since 1981. Using the unique 17-character vehicle identification number (VIN), a Carfax Report is instantly generated from a database of over 7 billion records reported by 34,000 sources.

For more information about open recalls and other used car buying tips, CARFAX.com.

Here’s lesson 101 on what not to do when buying a used car!

‘Nuff Said.

The internet has made it virtually easy to buy a used car. With tools like CARFAX reports, Kelly Blue Book values, Edmunds reliability ratings, Government sites that list vehicle fuel economy and more consumers can caught up in information overload and forget about the old fashioned basics.

The old fashioned practice of “kicking the tire” and going with your gut seem to place a distant third, fourth or fifth when buying a car. After all, who can kick a tire of a car bought through eBay that is shipped hundreds of miles to your door? Don’t let technology replace the human factor when buying a used car.

Here are a few old fashioned car buying basics that worked back in the stone age:

1. Actually test drive the used car. Shopping online is fine, but you won’t be able to tell if the car smells like a dog pound if you don’t get into it.
2. Bring it to a trusted mechanic. Don’t let CARFAX make that determination for you. Although CARFAX is a great tool, it is not all knowing and all telling. CARFAX can only report information that was available and reported to them. Some things are just not public knowledge (like the back door must be jimmied in order for it to open).
3. Trust your gut. Too many times we allow the used car sales person, online information and our desire for the car to cloud our judgment. After researching, driving and inspecting the car, spend some quiet time. If you give yourself enough time, that quiet little voice, or feeling in the pit of your stomach can help you to determine if you should buy the car.

Remember, technology is there to help you make the decision, not make the car buying decision for you.

The Internet has made it so much easier for folks to determine a used car’s value. You don’t have to rely on the price as set at the dealership or the asking price from a private party. With a few mouse clicks, you can find out for yourself whether or not the asking price is within reason.

Kelley Blue Book Value

Just about everybody knows and respects the folks that put together the Kelley Blue Book. Now you can determine a car’s Kelley Blue Book value online for free. All you need to do is visit the Kelley Blue Book and click on the used car link.

Once you’re on the used car page, select the year, make and model for the car you’re interested in. If you’re not quite sure what type of car you want, use the “Select Car Category” option. That way you can browse the value of sedans, SUV’s, luxury cars and more.

Before you can go any further, you must decide what type of valuation you want. Car value differs depending on the situation. A private sale price differs from a dealership price which differs from a trade in price. Before you can go much further in calculating the used car value, select one of the valuation methods. You can always come back and re-evaluate the car’s price. As a matter of fact it is recommended that you do.

Used Car’s Special Features

To get an accurate price quote, you should get a list of the car’s features from the dealership or seller. Although listing car features is not absolutely mandatory, it will help you to get a realistic value for the used car. Features such as heated front seats, alloy wheels or even a built in MP3 player all help to increase the value of the car. The more information you tell Kelley Blue Book, the more accurate the number.

After inserting the features, insert the car’s condition. You have four choices: excellent, good, fair and poor (if the car’s condition is poor, I think you need to choose a different car). Once you select the condition, Kelley Blue Book will display your car’s value.

Car Price Negotiation

Before you leave your computer to begin negotiating prices with the seller, do a VIN check. If you have the vehicle identification number, insert it in the VIN check box below the car price to get a free VIN check.

In addition to a VIN Check, you might as well take a quick look at the used cars for sale in the Kelley Blue Book database. Look through the database to find comparable cars to use as a basis for negotiating the price with the dealership.

Isn’t Technology Great?

Way back in the Stone Age, determining a used car’s Blue Book Value was relegated to those who actually owned a copy of the book. Now you can check car values for free online in a matter of minutes.

They have recently announced that they will recall an additional 379,758 US vehicles to fix the driver side airbag. Apparently there is a problem with the airbag inflator which may cause it to deploy using too much force thus causing injury or even death to the driver.

Honda first issued a recall in 2009 which affected some 2001 and 2002 model year cars, but recently they expanded the recall to include the 2001 and 2002 Accord, Civic, Odyssey, CR-V and some 2002 Acura TL, Honda Pilot and Acura CL vehicles.

Find out if Your Honda is Affected

Honda is working diligently to notify drivers of the recall. They are sending notifications by mail. If you’re not willing to wait for your mail notification, you can go online to find out if your car is affected.

Honda owners can find out more about Honda recalls by visiting the Honda Recall  website or calling 800-999-1009. Similarly, Acura owners can learn more about Acura recalls by visiting the Acura recall  website or calling 800-382-2238.

Make sure to have your vehicle identification number (VIN) when visiting the site to obtain information specific to your vehicle.

Fixing the Airbag Problem

If your vehicle requires repair, make an appointment with the nearest authorized Honda dealership to have the defect repaired as soon as possible.

In addition to the accelerator pedal recall there’s also a recall involving the floor mat. It’s called the floor mat entrapment recall. This recall doesn’t affect all Toyota vehicles. It appears to only affect the vehicles listed below:

• 2005-2010 Avalon
• 2007-2010 Camry
• 2009-2010 Corolla
• 2008-2010 Highlander
• 2009-2010 Matrix
• 2004-2009 Prius
• 2005-2010 Tacoma
• 2007-2010 Tundra
• 2009-2010 VENZA

What happens with the floor mat entrapment?

The problem arises when an ill fitting or unsecured floor mat interferes with the operation of the accelerator pedal. Unfortunately, it may cause the gas pedal to get suck in the depressed position.

Currently, Toyota has come up with a few temporary remedies until the recall is complete:

• If your vehicle has a genuine Toyota designed floor mat or a genuine Toyota Lexis designed all weather floor mat, you can receive a newly designed replacement format that is compatible with the accelerator pedal.

• Reshape the accelerator pedal: Toyota will also reshape the accelerator pedal to prevent the risk of floor mat entrapment. Additionally with some Camry and Avalon models, Toyota will modify the distance between the accelerator a pedal and the floor to prevent such entrapment from occurring.

• Finally, as of this writing, Toyota is working on installing a brake override system. When the break overwrite system is engaged, it will force the vehicle to respond only to the brake and ignore the depressed accelerator pedal. For a time frame for the brake override roll out, check out Toyota’s Recall Information webpage.

If you own one of the Toyota models affected by this recall, remove your floor mat. Do not install another one until after you have contacted your Toyota dealer.

• Put both feet on the brake pedal in an attempt to stop or slow the car down. Do not pump the brakes as pumping the brakes depletes the vacuum assist. Depleting the vacuum assist makes it more difficult and requires more pressure on the brakes to stop the car.

• Slip the car into Neutral.

• Steer your way out of trouble if you can.

• Do not shut the car off while you are attempting to slow/stop or steer the car out of trouble. Turning the car of will prevent the brakes from working and lock the steering wheel. You need to have them both engaged in order to minimize potential damage.

Fixing the Problem

Toyota is working diligently to fix the sticky accelerator problem. Some dealerships are staying open 24 hours a day working on the recall. That’s well and good, but unfortunately, while they’re working on the problem, thousands of consumers are still driving around in vehicles that are potentially affected.

Although the condition is rare, there were still (as of this writing) 19 deaths in the past 10 years related to the sticky accelerator.

If you have the option of driving an alternative vehicle until Toyota completes its recall, you are strongly advised to do so.

Let’s start with the Used Vehicle Information Packet. This handy little packet provides potential buyers with the basic information required to help make a car buying decision.. The Used Vehicle Information Packet (UVIP) contains the following info:

1. Description of vehicle which includes:
   • VIN (vehicle identification number)
   • Year, make model
   • Plate number
   • Color
   • Body type
   • Number of cylinders
   • Power
   • Brand
   • Status (such as suspended, unfit or wrecked)
2. Ontario vehicle history
3. Outstanding liens
4. Odometer info
5. Wholesale and retail values
6. Sales tax requirements
7. Bill of sale
8. Tips on vehicle safety standard inspections

This is a pretty comprehensive packet of information. There are some instances where this information is not required, for example when transferring the car to a spouse or child. However, to be absolutely sure of whether or not it is required, contact the Ontario Ministry of Transportation.

Where to Get the UVIP Packet

The packet is available for sale from any office that issues driver and vehicle licenses or it can be purchased online from Service Ontario . The UVIP must be shown to all prospective buyers and finally given to the party that purchases the used car.

If you own a Toyota, you need to check to see if your model is one of the 2.3 million vehicles being recalled. Toyota has found that there is a potential malfunction in the mechanism that controls the accelerator pedal. On rare occasions it may stick when partially depressed or it may slowly return to the idle position.

The affected vehicles in this most recent recall are listed below:

2009-2010 RAV4,
2009-2010 Corolla,
2009-2010 Matrix,
2005-2010 Avalon,
Certain 2007-2010 Camry,
2010 Highlander,
2007-2010 Tundra,
2008-2010 Sequoia

Owners of the vehicles included in the recall should read the Sticking Accelerator Pedal Recall FAQs on the Toyota website.

As of this writing, if you own one of the recalled vehicles and are experiencing symptoms of a sticking accelerator pedal, contact your nearest Toyota Dealer. In the meanwhile, stay on top of the Toyota updates via Twitter, RSS or even Toyota Alerts. You can sign up on the Toyota USA Newsroom website.