I get about 18 mpg in the city and about 21-23 mpg hwy.I have changed the plugs,wires,oil and filter,fuel filter,had engine and fuel treatments,coolant flush all on a regualr basis.I use a gas treatment with every oil changen alsoand have a K&N filter.Is this normal mpg for this car? I drive the speed limit and never race it-it IS a malibu after all:-( is there anything i can do to improve my gas mileage?Also,my temp gage reads about 1/4 over the half mark-a mechanic said this was normal, but i never had a car do that.Any help if appreciated.
Oh, i forgot, its a 3.1 V6
The EPA estimates are 18 city and 26 highway. It’s possible that the highway mileage is lower due to traffic. I’m not fond of the K&N air filter. A stock filter might improve your mileage. Check th mileage states out here:
Did the “mechanic” check the coolant level in the radiator (not just the overflow bottle). If the coolant level is ok, you should have a mechanic check out the engine cooling. Possible causes are: the temp gauge misreads high; the engine thermostat isn’t operating correctly; the coolant needs to be drained, flushed with water, refilled; other.
Had a stock air filter in it. The gas mileage is a little better(not much). Thanks for the link.Had the thermostat replaced just because I had the cooloant drained, flushed and refilled. I’ve been taking my cars to this mechanic for 2 years now and he knows i have to WATCH his every move due to the fact i spent ALOT of money in my time for worthless repairs. Never had a V6 before. I’m driving 1000+miles on Saturday and just want to be sure if the temp does go up to that quarter line after the half it won’t mess up my car. I have heard these cars have many problems, especially with the engines.
How does the public so accuratly calculate their gas mileage? I would think some more accurate metering equipment would be required for these 1 to 5mpg increase or decrease.I am not implying that the EPA estimates are real world accurate either.
I don’t go by what the manufacturer says i SHOULD get. Anyone with a brain can figure out how many miles to the gallon they are getting by filling it up, setting the trip,driving it til til its low and filling it up again. As long as you know how to divide or have a calculator you can figure it out.I have done this with all my vehicles. Just never had one that had some poor gas mileage.
Agree, figuring out your gas mileage is not rocket scienc. But doing it consistently to get the best value requires some discipline in filling up at the same station, same pump, and stopping at the first hose shutoff. Don’t try to get more gas in.
Most of the posts are filling up in one place and refilling somewhere else. This GUANTEES INACCURATE values. Then they email us with either drastic increases or decreases, depending where they gassed up and how much their driving style changed from one fillup to the next.