3 Auto Maintenance Tips + 1

Automotive Maintenance Can Be Hell on Wheels. Here’s 3 Tips to make it easier.

Tip 1: Stick with the professionals.

I am talking about chain auto-repair stores here. As with anything, try to get referals from people you know, but in general, my experience is that you get what you pay for. And although the big companies will differ from franchise to franchise, I find that sticking with these type of bigger companies that have standardized service and a corporate office you can contact if something really goes wrong is a great first step toward making sure that you get a decent job done for your money.

These chain-type stores are generally reliable, are forced to keep prices competitive in order to make money which is good news for you as a consumer as well. Small shops are not optimized and therefore may end up passing along the costs of their lack of skilled management to you in the form of higher prices. Warranties are more likely in this type of environment as well in the form of an additional “maintenance plan” etc. Personally, I know that this costs more money, but I find it to be worth it in the long run provided that you follow the next tip on my list.

Tip 2: Be consistent.

Make sure that you go to the same one or two places over and over again (provided you are satisfied with their work). This strategy has some clear benefits. Familiarity with the staff is a great benefit since you will be a repeat customer for them over time and they will likely take care of you if you need some special assistance.

Recently I had to bring my car in for a checkup and got excellent service for free; I am convinced that this is because I am a loyal customer at my local shop. Long-term records abound in these situations as well since they track the history of the maintenance of your vehicle. This is great for me since I often can forget what needs to be done in the next several months.

Tip 3: Keep a record of repairs (completed AND upcoming) and budget for Car Expenses.

Budgets are the financial key to success for many people. Car repairs, unfortunately, do not always make the list because they are erratic and hard to plan in advance. I would counter, that these expenses are unevenly spaced out, but they are very predictable. In short, as you own a car longer and longer, you can budget your expenses based on the amount of money you’ve spent up front compared to the number of miles you’ve put on the car and its age. Its not an exact science, but often, a simple 150 dollar tune up every year can avoid a nasty 750 dollar job every two or three years.

Maintenance is really worth more than the car payment in many circumstances if you are buying a quality car and planning on driving it into the ground. This is because the last year or two of automobile ownership can be frought with expenses of the pricey variety. This is where some specialization is crystal ball gazing becomes handy.

Bonus Tip: Don’t play the stock market with your car. What do I mean? You should be realistic about what you can expect out of your car and how much you can afford to spend on repairs. If you get into a situation where you have a costly repair (over 500 dollars) and the car is paid off, you need to strongly consider whether or not this is going to be the last repair you make; that is, if you will sell the car.

Often times, people make repair after expensive repair to a vehicle because they like the car, or because they feel like they need to make the repair so that they can continue to drive a “free car” since they don’t have a payment. However, if a new car would cost you 300 dollars per month and an old beater that you drive costs you an average of 450 dollars monthly over any 6 month period, this is a strong signal that it is time to be thinking about selling.

If you wouldn’t pay that much to buy the car, even new, why in the world would you spend that much on an old used car that you could trade in for something new? The thinking here is similar to people who buy more and more of a stock as it tanks. They are “averaging down” to improve their basis. Like putting another 50 or 100 bucks up at the blackjack table to “make up” what you’ve lost, this is often a much riskier move than you should be making. If you have a limited income, the absolute last thing you want to do is gamble on your car; it will likely be a very expensive bet.