If you are living on a budget, or even on an unlimited budget, you know how important it is to make the most of what you have.

Getting More Miles Out of Your Car: The following are some tips that will help you to get more miles out of your vehicle.

- First, consider, does your vehicle actually have the ability to run many miles without incurring costly repairs? An easy way to find out is to visit a public library to consult the frequency-of-repair information in the April magazine issue of "Consumer Reports." If the vehicle that you are driving has a reasonable repair history, it is worthwhile to drive it until your heart is content. However, if it has a very poor repair history, it might be time to consider buying a vehicle that has better ratings and fuel efficiency.

- Assuming that you want to extend the life of your vehicle, at the beginning of each month, have the engine oil level checked to make certain that it is at the full-level mark on the dipstick. Buy two quarts of oil that are on sale and keep them in the trunk.Then, if the engine needs oil, you will not get stuck paying three times what the oil should cost.

Be certain to only use the type of oil and other fluids as specified in the vehicle owner's manual.

- Every three months (more often, however, if specified by your vehicle owner's manual) and prior to leaving for and upon returning from a trip, check (or have a service station attendant check) the tire pressure and the other fluids that include:

* Transmission fluid * Brake fluid * Power steering fluid * Radiator coolant (check the clear plastic bottle) * Windshield washer fluid

Be certain to observe what the service station attendant does and ask questions, because you can likely check these items.

Why is it so important to keep the fluids at their full-level marks? Because the fluids lubricate moving parts to reduce fiction, heat, and wear-the single most important factor for extending the life of a vehicle.

- If you drive 10,000 or more miles per year, have the engine oil and oil filter changed every 3,000 to 3,500 miles or about every four months. If you drive 6,000 miles or less per year, have the engine oil and oil filter changed at the beginning of spring and near the end of fall. An easy way to remember oil changes is to mark a new calendar at the beginning of a year with "oil change" reminders (i.e., March, July, and November or May and November).

Service stations run specials in the newspaper for oil changes (i.e., $10.99 - $13.99). However, make certain that the station is reputable. Some stations have been known to skip changing the oil or to do part of the job by changing the oil but not the oil filter. Consider using a black marker to put an X on the oil filter after an oil change. When the next oil change has been completed, a newly installed filter should not include an X.

- Before the cold of winter sets in, have a service station attendant check the antifreeze in the clear plastic coolant bottle with a hydrometer (a device that takes a sample of antifreeze and specifies how cold the temperature can become before the antifreeze freezes). The antifreeze in your vehicle should be able to withstand (i.e., not freeze) temperatures of at least 30 degrees "below the coldest" winter temperature.

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