Poor Poor MPG - leak?

[leelowe1]

Hi guys and gals. I am a new forum member, 1st time car owner and 1st time yaris owner. I recently (2 weeks ago) bought a 2010 yaris sedan and unfortunately, the excitement has worn off.

I just found out that the car was in an accident (not indicated on the car fax report- the repairs were done mostly on glass and such) and i am getting terrible mpg. I am talking about 200-230 per tank and my driving is not that bad. A few times i have noticed stains under the car where i've parked so i am wondering if something is amiss. I know nothing about cars so what would i ask a mechanic to look for? I also feel the need to get the whole car checked again as im not sure why the initial mechanic did not pick up any issues.

Any suggestions are welcomed.

If anyone is from the NYC area and can recommend a mechanic that is decent and affordable, i'd appreciate it

[CTScott]

If your driving is all stop light to stop light NYC driving, then 23 MPG may not be all that far off. Otherwise, it could be something like a cracked intake manifold, from its crash, that is causing it to suck in more air, and hence dump in more fuel. Usually though that kind of a leak will also mean a rough running engine.

As far as the potential leak goes, if you can put a piece of cardboard under the car you can get a better feel for what the fluid is (oil, tranny fluid, washer fluid, or simply condensate from the AC).

[leelowe1]

Thanks for the response! Thats been mainly what i've been doing. I filled up today and started the miles from zero so i will get a chance to see how many miles per tank i get. It's definitely frustrating, especially when i hear the mpg that others on this forum are getting. NYC traffic sucks big time. I will definitely try the cardboard under the car to see what could be leaking if there is indeed a leak.

My friends' dad is a mechanic so i will probably have him take a look at it in a few weeks

Thanks again!

[CTScott]

That's why I leave my Yaris behind and take the train (and the subways once I get there) when I go to NYC.

One thing you can do is to get a ScanGauge II or Ecometer to allow you watch your instantaneous MPG. With one of those devices you can retrain yourself to drive more efficiently.