2000 Toyota Avalon Owners Manual - Page 251

'00 AVALON U (L/O9908) How to save fuel and make your vehicle last longer, too 1. Apply the brakes and hold. 2. Have someone place wheel blocks under both the vehicle and trailer wheels. 3. When the wheel blocks are in place, release your brakes slowly until the blocks absorb the load. 4. Apply the parking brake firmly. 5. Shift into "P" and turn off the engine. When restarting out after parking on a slope: 1. With the transmission in "P" position, start the engine. Be sure to keep the brake pedal depressed. 2. Shift into the "2", "L" or "R" position. 3. Release the parking brake and brake pedal and slowly pull or back away from the wheel blocks. Stop and apply your brakes. 4. Have someone retrieve the blocks. CAUTION D Do not exceed 72 km/h (45 mph) or the posted towing speed limit, whichever is lower. Because instability (swaying) of a towing vehicletrailer combination usually increases as the speed increases, exceeding 72 km/h (45 mph) may cause loss of control. Getting more kilometers/mileage from a liter/gallon of fuel is easy-just take it easy. It will help make your vehicle last longer, too. Here are some specific tips on how to save money on both fuel and repairs: D Keep your tires inflated at the correct pressure. Underinflation causes tire wear and wastes fuel. See 7- 2 for instructions. D Slow down and downshift before descending steep or long downhill grades. Do not make sudden downshifts. D Do not carry unneeded weight in your vehicle. Excess weight puts a heavier load on the engine, causing greater fuel consumption. D Avoid holding the brake pedal down too long or too frequently. This could cause the brakes to overheat and result in reduced braking efficiency. D Avoid lengthy warm- up idling. Once the engine is running smoothly, begin driving-but gently. Remember, however, that on cold winter days this may take a little longer. D Keep the automatic transmission overdrive turned on when engine braking is not required. Driving with the overdrive off will reduce the fuel economy. (For details, see "Automatic transmission" in Section 1- 6.) slowly and Avoid jackrabbit starts. smoothly. D Accelerate 251