Tips On How To Save On Maintenance Cost
Have you ever brought your car for a routine maintenance check and ended up paying a huge bill because of all the work that is needed? You’re not alone, most of us have gone through that experience too. Some cars are really expensive to maintain. However, you can still save on your car maintenance by following these tips:
Less Frequent Oil Changes
You can spend a lot with the oil change service alone. Usually, mechanics will tell you to have it changed every 3000 miles or every 3 months. However, this isn’t always necessary and will still depend on the car you have or how it is used.
Older cars are the ones that need frequent oil changes but newer car models of today don’t necessarily need as much. Some can still be good even if they reach up to 10,000 miles. You can also use an oil dipstick to check and make sure that the oil levels are adequate.
Besides the oil level, you should also check the color of the oil in your car. The oil’s color is in a brownish shade but if it turns to a burnt color or even a black one, then you’ll definitely need an oil change.
Replace Parts On Your Own
When you go for maintenance or repair, a portion of the amount you spend is for labor. You can save money on that by replacing the parts on your own. There are some easy car maintenance procedures that you can do on your own like replace car filters, spark plugs, windshield wipers, brake pads or headlights.
Your car’s manual is a great source of information about how to do those things. You can also go online to gather information on simple processes. After learning the procedure, all you need to do is to buy compatible parts and you can do it on your own.
Don’t Go To Your Dealer
Car dealerships can cost you a lot more money than going to other mechanics where you can get the same service. Also, car dealerships can upsell on maintenance services. They might require you to come for maintenance checks that are unnecessary and redundant.
Instead, you can go to a local mechanic or even the gas station to get some of the maintenance services there. You just have to know what work needs to be done and have it done on your vehicle.
Protect Your Wheels
You can prevent your wheels from needing a replacement when you know how to maintain them. The best way to do that is to make sure they are properly inflated. Rotate your tires regularly too so that they won’t need to be replaced often.
