Improving MPG & Other fixes
 

I got a 2006 Passat 3.6 with the Luxury package... for some strange reason the buttons for the door are peeling off.... also other materials on the doors are peeling off. Not sure how and why. This is probably going to cost me a ton to fix.

Anyways that's not my biggest concern. On my MPG meter it says I am doing around 21mpg... regularly when I drive I try to stay above 25mpg but its pretty difficult. I do 50% highway 50% city. Is there anyway I can improve this? I always try to stay below 3,000rpm's to see if that saves gas but no... I am now thinking that the slower I go (as in getting off a red light), the most gas the car is actually taking... Now I know this engine is huge and what else can I expect? I think sometimes my dad's Challenger R/T ( 5.7 V8 ) does better on the highway! Also my car has all the recalls and service bulletins done including the coils recently.

This car only requires premium too correct? I can't put regular on this thing? I haven't tried anything lower than a mix of 93 and 89 (I always try to drive at low revs) because I know this car the compression is pretty high. I can afford the gas right now but would love to save some money.

Thanks for reading and hopefully helping me.

I just bought a Chromeintakes Cold Air Intake kit at ebay for under $50. I did the research, read reviews online, and saw several videos on youtube. This gives a sense of what really works. It's said to boost HP and Gas Mileage. A better breathing engine is more efficient and is going to increase your gas mileage, but it's going to make the engine sound loader, but not necessarily by a lot. This is a trade off. Just read the stats and data provided by each mfr., e.g. Chrome Intakes, K&N Intakes, etc. I've come to realize that a good performance chip can also dramatically increase mpg. But, be careful! There are a lot of scams out there. Some, will damage your engine, void the warranty, etc. And, some will even decrease your current mpg and hp! And, I'm still looking for an inexpensive, cost effective and reliable chip for my 1997 Passat GLX VR6. Anyone have info on chips?