Avoid Spending Too Much on Car Repairs

Nothing can come close to your car when it comes to providing you with quick and reliable transportation. However, just like with any other machine, your car will definitely need maintenance and repair from time to time. This process can be expensive and devastating, especially if it’s something that you could have avoided in the first place.

To avoid any unnecessary panic, you should always arm yourself with an emergency fund, but this only won’t save your skin. You should always do your best to avoid being a regular customer to the mechanic, as this will help keep your repair expenditure to a minimum. To help you out, we're going to take you through some few pro-tips on how to avoid spending too much on car repairs.

Let’s get started!

1. Choose a reliable car
Sounds awkward, right? Well, the amount of money you spend repairing your car can boil down to the model as well as the age of the car. Having said that, don’t let your emotions override your good sense of judgment. You can easily get swayed by features such as leather seats, entertainment system, or wood-grain accents, and forget important things like researching about the model’s reliability and customer reviews. All in all, you might not get the shiniest vehicle out there, but you’ll certainly get a reliable one if you do your research well.

2. Repair it yourself
Do you know how to fix some minor problems with your car? Well, this will not only save you some bucks, but can be a life saver as well. Imagine a scenario where you are in the middle of nowhere, and then suddenly you have a flat tire. In short, you should be able to carry out minor repairs such as changing oil, replacing a headlight, or even changing a tire, without calling your mechanic. In addition, you should always arm yourself with the basic repair tools that are necessary for the repair tasks.

3. Find a trustworthy mechanic
One thing you should never do is to easily trust a mechanic with your car, especially one you haven’t known for long. In fact, some might even charge you for something you don’t even need. To save yourself, find a trusted car repair shop close to you, and choose a particular mechanic that will be fixing your car. This way, you’ll be building a good rapport with the garage, hence being assured of getting quality service and great deals.
Alternatively, you can seek recommendations from friends and family about a good mechanic. In short, having a trustworthy mechanic will not only eliminate those inflated repair bills, but also assure you of quality service.

4. Take advantage of used parts
Who wouldn’t like to get their hands on original and quality parts at a cut price? Certainly not me! Moving forward, you should always take full advantage of salvaged parts as this can save you hundreds if not thousands in car repairs. This can come in handy especially for those who can carry out the repairs themselves. You can search for salvage yards at websites such as LKQCorp.com or Car-Part.com. Here you’ll only need to provide a few details about your car, notably; the make, model, and the parts you need.
This is a great way to get quality taillights and headlights, a bumper cover, a trunk lid, or a side view mirror. However, be careful not to sacrifice quality just to save yourself a few bucks, as this will end up costing you more in repairs.

5. Carry out regular preventive maintenance
Well, they say prevention is better than cure, and this can’t be any further from the truth when it involves your car. With proper car maintenance, you’ll be reducing those costly and frequent trips to the mechanic. Here are some of the things that we think should make up your preventive maintenance agenda:
• Having properly inflated tires
• Keeping the wheels properly aligned
• Replace the brake pads as suggested by the manufacturer
• Periodically checking your fluid levels
• Having broken glass chips repaired immediately

6. Heed the warning signs
After startup, the first thing to do is to check the Check Engine light if it comes on, and then get it fixed right away. This could either be something simple or something very serious, so don’t ignore. One of the main causes of this unwanted signal is a lose fuel filler cap. We advise you check if the fuel filler cap is firmly in place before restarting the engine. Note that the fuel system only functions under pressure. Therefore, lose cap seal means no pressure, and the final result is the warning light going on.
If the light continues to flash on and off, have your car towed to your preferred repair shop immediately. Delaying can result to severe engine damage that might even need engine replacement.

All said and done, buying a car is a huge investment, and it’s therefore paramount that you properly take care of it. In fact, you don’t have to be a car expert to save a few bucks on maintenance and repair. Just a bit of knowledge about how things work in the industry can save you thousands of dollars. Simply heed the above tips and you can be rest assured of putting that extra money in your pocket.