How To Service Your Car For Cheap
The expenses for maintaining a vehicle can add up, as anyone who has ever owned a car will tell you. Something as routine as a simple repair to your vehicle can require a larger chunk of change at times, and in some cases, it makes more sense for you to find alternative and cheaper ways to get your car serviced.
But how do you know where to start? What strategies should you consider to reduce maintenance costs? We got you covered. Below are some of our best car maintenance tips to help you cut down on the cost of owning your vehicle.
Here are some car maintenance tips that will cut down on the cost of owning a vehicle. If you have one that you no longer use or want Cash for Cars can help!
Tip #1: Find the Best Mechanic and Stick with Them
When you are in the market for the servicing of your car, one of the best things you can do is finding yourself a mechanic. Though, not just any mechanic, but an honest auto mechanic that will save you hundreds of dollars in repairs just through their transparency. Don't believe it? Ask other car owners if they have had any unfortunate experiences with a mechanic, and just listen to them explain how a dishonest auto mechanic can wind up costing you more in services because they were simply lying.
Who are the good mechanics? As much as you would like to believe it, you won't always find the good mechanics at the mom-and-pop shops or through a local connect. Good mechanics can be found all around, even at a dealership. One of the first things you can do to help yourself is to do some research. Finding out if the auto mechanic you are visiting has an AAA certification is a great start, especially if they happen to be operated by an AAA mechanic shop. You could potentially get your car repaired for a fraction of the cost of what it otherwise could have been with a dishonest mechanic.
Another thing to look out for is an ASE certification. This certification stands for the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence, and they have become a major certifying body for auto mechanics. A mechanic with an ASE certification has potential to become a trusting source of repair for you. It also does not hurt to check in with your peers and neighbors to see what places they visit to get their vehicle repaired or even places they have used in the past to get a few options to match up.
Tip #2: Ask for Multiple Estimates
Though the mechanic you have chosen may not have any ill intentions, locating multiple potential outlets for vehicle repair is an excellent method to keeping the mechanic you choose honest because many of the mechanics know the competition for them is there, but do you?In the early stages of finding a source for repair, it is not as necessary to be loyal to solely one source of repair for your vehicle as it is to ensure you are benefiting yourself by finding the best deal. Keep your options open, do not get too comfortable too quickly, and continue to do your research on the quotes of vehicle repair in your area as you never know who could be offering the best deal at that time.
Another important thing to getting your vehicle serviced for a cheaper price is to always ensure you get it in writing. While in the market, you want your vehicle to remain valid for as long as possible. It’s like we said, keep your options open and feel free to check out what the other garages have to say about what the problem is for your vehicle before making a finalized decision.
Tip #3: Do Your Own Diagnostics with a Code Reader
One of the ways in which you can attempt to minimize the cost of owning your vehicle is through buying what is called an OBD-II. This stands for On-Board Diagnostics, and is the reporting technology that will allow you to access the status of your vehicle’s sub-systems. The OBD-II has the capability to work with most modern vehicles, and conveniently enough, you have the ability to use the OBD-II system in coordination with your smartphone, giving you the chance to use it from your home and still get an honest answer about the state of your vehicle.Now let’s say that you see a light go up on your dashboard, and it starts to beep like crazy. In most cases, you will have an OBD code that is associated with that. This way, it allows you to figure out what is wrong with the vehicle more easily. Furthermore, the code will translate this into more of a human language so it is more easy to understand.
Tip #4: Do the Work on Your Own
When it comes to doing it yourself, there are some repairs that you don’t necessarily need to take into a mechanic. You have some cases where you can do the repairs yourself, and it will cost you much less.Regardless of your car knowledge, you have a few things like checking the fluids, replacing your own air filter, fuel filter and changing your oil that is all important, but if you can learn how to do these things yourself, you will be saving yourself a lot of money. Not to mention, you can learn some of the more advanced work on vehicles like replacing rotors and brakes while you’re at it.
Doing this can save you hundreds and even thousands of dollars over time. The extra money you would have otherwise spent taking your car for simple check-ups and repairs can be kept and saved for other things you may want. Now, obviously this type of work will require that you take the time to learn about the inner-workings of an automobile and how to fix a vehicle. However, if you are able to master these aspects of car maintenance, you can save big on many of the expenses you would have otherwise incurred.
How Often Should You Service Your Car?
A good question that many people don’t know the answer to: how often should you service your car? In answering this question, you will be able to understand how much money you can save through working on your own vehicles. In general, it is recommended that you should service your car about every 12,000 miles.
This means that if you drive often, there is great opportunity for money to be saved. How often should you service your car depends on how much you drive, but if you are someone who drives heavily regularly, then it is recommended that you service your vehicle once every six months.
Tip #5: Keep the Right Tools on Hand
You will find it much easier to service a car if you have the right tools on hand. You as a car owner need all of the necessary tools to service your car the right way. Below we have listed some of the tools that you will need to have handy at most times:
- Jack stand: Used to raise the vehicle, holding it in place as its repaired.
- Pliers: Can be utilized in the adjustment of metal parts, the cutting of wires, and to obtain hard-to-reach objects in tighter areas.
- Screwdrivers: Allows user of the tool to insert a screw into an object and turn its head to secure one part to another.
- Breaker bar: Used to loosen bolts and nuts that may be tight, rusted, or even frozen. Often used to loosen the lug nuts on the tires of your car.
- Rubber mallet: Turned to as an alternative to prevent dents and dings that would otherwise appear if using a metal head.
- Torque wrench: Reduces the likelihood of stripped bolts and damaged parts by helping you apply the necessary torque pressure to fasteners like bolts and screws.
If you do plan to service your car yourself, you want to be sure that you have the proper space in which you can work on the car.
Tip #6: Educate Yourself About Car Maintenance
With so much to grasp and little understanding, it can be very easy to get tricked or confused when in negotiation with a mechanic. An auto mechanic’s job is not to fleece you, but like many of us, they are trying to obtain as much value as they can from their service. Educating yourself in subjects such as car maintenance, car repair, and negation will only be of benefit to you helping you ensure that the auto mechanic is not putting down just any number for a quote. Remember to always check over everything before you ever decide to hand over your credit card to the mechanic.When you’re reviewing the numbers, if something doesn’t look right or the total came over the estimate given in writing, do not hesitate to dispute with the auto mechanic. It is your money that is being put towards the maintenance of the car, so there is no shame in being assertive at times. Also, another thing to always be sure of is to check your credit card even after it gets charged. People have found duplicate charges for labor, duplicate parts and charges that went way over the estimate.
You can dispute these things, and the advantage of using a credit card is that you often get protection from the credit card company. In fact, it’s one of the requirements under national law.
You also have a couple of different sites that were established to help you understand what the cost of the parts are and why. This helps you to understand the cost of auto parts so that you don’t get surprised when they give you the bill.Tip #7: Look for Specific Applications to Your Vehicle in the Owner’s Manual
There are specific applications within the owner’s manual that help you get a better idea of the different things you will need for your car. Remember, not every car is made the same.While many of the aspects of maintaining a car will remain universal, it is always best practice to check the owner’s manual for scheduled maintenance requirements. It will contain specific recommendations and instructions that are unique to your car. For example, for some cars there is a specific interval in which the owner will periodically need to replace the timing belt at a specific mileage interval.
Whether you choose to read your car’s owner manual or not is entirely up to you, but in either decision you make, there is always one thing we recommend you keep in mind: be attentive to your car. Sure, there are many things that can negatively affect the health of your car that you cannot control like dangerous weather or even bad roads, but if there is one thing you can control, it’s you.
When the car is yours, you have a choice in how you treat it. Just as it is your choice on how you spend your time or what food you eat, it is up to you on whether you are willing to dedicate the time to learning more about your car and how to best take care of it.
