We all know how important it is to own a car. Aside from convenience, comfort, and innumerable opportunities, there is one thing that needs to be mentioned and that is – necessity. In most of the cities, having a car is almost like having a hand, or a leg, since relying on public transportation means endless waiting, commuting, never getting on time, and simply – suffering in a way. Or there could be no public transportation whatsoever. On the other hand, some people can be traveling to another city for work on a daily basis which makes commuting too expensive or something that doesn’t fit in everyone’s budget.
Finally, even if you can rely on public transportation, your endpoint could be positioned in a place that is not well connected to the buses, trains, or other types of transportation, which can make your life really complicated. After all, it is more comfortable to use your own car, make the plans for yourself, and not adjust to the schedules of someone else, which is at the same time the best aspect of being a car owner, and that is the freedom you get, to go wherever you want, whenever you want it.
But, although a car is necessary and extremely useful to have, it would be irrational if we only analyzed all the benefits and the good sides of owning one. As for anything else in life, all the things that you use need to be well maintained, if you want them to last. And from everyone’s experience, it could be said that life is full of unexpected circumstances. Or should we say – unexpected expenses. If we start mentioning some of the most benign ones such as parking or traffic tickets, state fees or insurance, or simply – filling up your tank, you can easily get a sense of all the other aspects that go with a car.
And then there are others, more serious, such as the accidents that happen without your fault in it, expenses caused by breaking down of some of your car parts such as engine replacement or transmission rebuild, fixing or repairing electronics, etc. All of this is the reason why some people hesitate to purchase a car, while others, who already have one, struggle with maintaining it, and are wasting huge amounts of their bankroll, just to afford a car (and everything that goes with it).
Fortunately, according to selectautoprotect.com, there are certain things you can do in order to prevent unexpected expenses from car repairs and car maintenance and it doesn’t mean you should sell your car – quite the opposite.
First of all you need to pay attention to two things. The first thing is knowing that the majority of car accidents actually happen because of improper car maintenance. What does this mean in reality? This simply means that by maintaining your car the right way, you both save your money and are staying safe, as well as the other participants on the road. Logically, car maintenance and car expenses are intertwined, however, you should make a distinction between car maintenance and unexpected costs that may appear. While car maintenance is something you shouldn’t save your money on, there still are some tips on how to save your money; and when it comes to expenses (the unexpected ones) you can try and save as much as you want – only if you know how.
That being said, here are some of the things you should do if you want to save your money on maintenance of your car or your car repairs:
1. Change that filters yourself!
Although many people hesitate to change oil filters or air filters all by themselves, you should consider doing this if you want to save some money since it’s not that complicated but it saves you a couple of hundreds every now and then (and skip paying someone’s labor work).
In case you don’t know how to do this, there is always YouTube, YouTube How To videos, and of course, if you’re not really sure what’s the best time to change your air filter or oil filter – you can always check the car maintenance manual and you will easily be able to see when is the best time to do it. If you have a Tesla, read the Tesla owner manual so you get the idea of how to proceed without damaging any electronics.
This means that there is no reason for being afraid of doing this by yourself; you can even turn this into a fun activity with some of your friends and save some money on the go. A general rule is that your air filter should be changed every 15000 km which means that you will be doing this quite often. When you first do it you won’t need anyone else to do it for you.
2. Don’t be too lazy to do research
The worst thing you can do for your budget other than taking proper care of your car is taking things for granted. What do we mean by this? People usually religiously listen to their mechanics, and they usually buy car parts right there at the mechanics, not at the shop. This is a big mistake if you don’t want to pay some extra money for nothing. Therefore it’s good to do some research and after your car gets diagnosed you can search for parts yourself or at least compare the prices on the market. Yet purchase some original car parts at affordable prices from here https://collectorsautosupply.com/.
This way you can suggest to your mechanic that you can find a cheaper source and get what you need for a lower price. This is a case with almost any part of your car, so if you’ve experienced a car accident and especially if there is a big repair that needs to be done, you don’t have to pay for hidden expenses and let them charge you unrealistically high amounts of money. Quite often, used parts are also an option!
3. Try not to pay double or triple
When your mechanic is fixing something on your car, chances that he’ll find something else to fix are quite high. This means that you should use this chance not to pay double labor, and spend some extra money there and then to fix everything at the same time, rather than postponing it for later and having to go through the same process. However, make sure to check if there really is a good reason to fix something, or if it’s only a trick.
