How to save money on car maintenance
How to manage car maintenance costs when your car needs major repairs or general maintenance? You may be required to pay hundreds, and in some cases, thousands of dollars to an auto mechanic or dealer for their services.
Depending on the time you are willing to spend on maintaining your vehicle, you may have the ability to reduce car maintenance costs if you perform the maintenance yourself. Especially since many auto repair shops charge you for labor and inflate the costs of car parts that need replacing. You can also save money by using coupons for routine maintenance such as oil changes or tire rotation. Continue reading this article to learn about the many different ways you can reduce car maintenance costs.
Method 1: Performing Maintenance Yourself
Use resources to help you save car maintenance costs
You can find car manuals in bookstores or on the Internet, watch free online videos and tutorials that teach you how to perform certain tasks, and also consult with retail stores that specialize in automotive repair.
- Visit free video-sharing websites such as YouTube to watch demonstrations on how to perform certain tasks on your automobile. For example, if you want to locate videos that show you to carry out an oil change on a Mazda Miata, type keywords into the video website such as “perform an oil change on 2011 Mazda Miata.”
- Visit a retail store that specializes in selling automobile supplies, parts, and maintenance tools. In most cases, the representatives that work in stores such as these can provide you with hints, tips, and pointers for performing specific tasks on your automobile.
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Change your car’s air filters
Replace the bulbs for your tail lights and headlights
- Refer to your automobile’s manual to learn how to access and replace your tail lights and headlights.
Perform your touch-ups on paint scratches
Many automotive dealers will charge you over 100 dollars (76.48 euros) to touch up both small and large paint scratches.
- Buy car paint from an automotive retail store or directly from your vehicle’s manufacturer, then follow the instructions provided with the product to repair and cover the scratches.
Perform your oil changes.
- Change your motor oil every 3,000 miles (4,828 km) and dispose of the used oil properly at an automotive service center or recycling center.
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Method 2: Use vouchers to save car maintenance costs
Ask car maintenance shops about discounts they can offer you
In some cases, an auto maintenance shop will provide you with an instant discount to earn your business the same day or to match the prices being offered by competitors.
- Call a variety of automotive shops to generate a list of prices and the names of stores that are willing to negotiate maintenance costs.
Use car maintenance coupons
Many auto shops will advertise coupons in print that can be clipped from magazines or newspapers or will place coupons on their websites that can be printed directly from the Internet.