A car is still the second largest purchase for most customers. The cost of owning a car isn’t just the actual price of the car, but also the maintenance and running costs associated with the vehicle. There is also the cost of insurance. According to the latest studies by the AAA, a household commonly spend in excess of $8,000 a year just to run and maintain a car.
$8,000 is a lot to spend, especially in this economy. Fortunately, these next tips and tricks we are about to discuss in this article will help you save serious money on car repairs and maintenance costs.
Stick with Regular Maintenance
Skipping regular maintenance schedules is definitely not the best way to save on car maintenance. You will end up with worse issues that cost so much more to fix when you start missing regular maintenance tasks such as oil change and routine checks.
What you want to do is be smart about the regular maintenance your car needs. Figure out the best times to visit your local repair shop for a service. Use resources such as autoserviceprices.com to compare prices and save more in the process.
Regular maintenance also allows you to spot potential problems early. As a result, you can deal with those problems before they turn into something major and expensive. You are actually saving a lot of money in the long run by sticking with regular maintenance.
Change Your Driving Style
You can extend the life of certain parts by altering your driving style. Instead of breaking hard and accelerating vigorously, learn to drive in a more defensive and calmer manner. Better braking alone can save you more than 50% in brake pads; braking smoothly will extend the life of your car’s brake pads.
The right driving style will also help you save on fuel. What you drive doesn’t really matter. What’s important is how you drive the car. You can get to the optimum fuel consumption level with practice, even when you drive a car with a more powerful engine.
Rotate Your Tires
This is another tip I found on autoserviceprices.com. Rotating your tires helps ensure even wear on all tires. It is not a secret that the front tires usually wear more quickly, so rotating the tires help keep an even wear.
Most new cars even have a detailed guide on when to switch or rotate the tires for an even wear. All you have to do is follow the manufacturer’s recommendations and prolong the lifespan of your tires easily.
Do It Yourself
You don’t need to visit the repair shop for everything. Simple maintenance tasks such as replacing the air filter or checking the engine oil are actually tasks you can do yourself. Invest in some basic tools and learn how to do these maintenance tasks yourself to save more money.
Combined, these tips will help you save a lot of money on your car every year. There are other tips and tricks you can use to save even further, but we are going to save them for another article. In the meantime, stay tuned for updates right here on Futurzweb.com.