Five Tips to Save Money on Car Servicing

Image by The U.S. Army via Flickr

Everyone cringes at the thought of having to pay for car servicing and repairs. While most servicing is considered routine, all car owners know that auto shops and dealerships look for other potential business when lurking under your car and under its hood. Finding ways to reduce the occurrences and costs of car repairs and service is important to many family and personal budgets. Doing the work yourself is one way to lower these costs, but that is not practical for people who are short on time already because of a myriad of obligations.

Keep your car well maintained.

This may seem obvious, but often bigger problems come because the routine work was not kept up. Keeping the oil changed regularly will improve the engine’s life exponentially. Have your coolant checked every fall to make sure that it is strong enough to protect your car from freezing during the winter months. Change out hoses and belts on a regular schedule so that you do not have emergency situations arise that can empty your bank account.

Clean your car’s exterior regularly.

You will want to include the underside of your vehicle in this cleaning. Dirt and debris can accumulate under your car and cause the same rust and corrosion to the parts located there that you see on the car’s body. This dirt can ooze into joints and cause excessive wear. Keeping your car clean will help reduce the wear and tear on the vehicle. This will lower your service bills over time. It also will add to the resale value when you choose to replace the car.

Avoid going to unknown mechanics as much as possible.

Business people rely on repeat customers. If they think that you are one time shot, it is likely that they will try to get as much out of your wallet as possible. Use mechanics that know you or know your family and friends. In this way, the service shop owner knows that if you feel like you have been abused financially, it will cost the business much more than one customer. It will not get you free business, but it should reduce potential overcharging or unnecessary repair costs.

Have your car inspected and serviced before leaving on long trips.

For the same reasons as the previous tip, it is best not to have to have repair work done on the road. Attached to the repair bill will often be towing charges. You may be forced to pay with cash in smaller shops. This can cause major changes in your travel plans and financing. By having your car inspected by a trusted mechanic, the chances of a major breakdown are not eliminated, but they should be reduced a lot.

Avoid paying for things that are not needed.

This may seem trivial, but most car service locations have small built in extras that add to your costs and increase their profits. You may be encouraged to upgrade to premium oils that do little to extend the life of you engine but have high profit margins for the business. The same is true for service agreements on tires and batteries. Items like new valve stems can be eliminated from new tire purchases. You may want to have them replaced every third time. Most car and oil manufacturers recommend oil changes at about 5,000 to 7,000 miles. Most auto repair shops push for every 3,000 miles. With the improved oils and filters, it is wasting money and resources to change your oil too early. Always question all suggested upgrades and extra parts before agreeing to purchase them.