Car Repair Can Be Pretty Costly
When you have to get your car fixed, you are often looking at a lot of money. If you pay attention to your car and have regular maintenance, then you might not have to spend as much. There are usually signs so that a car repair bill doesn't have to hurt.
Car repairs are rarely cheap and cars rarely break down at convenient times. The best way to keep your car in the best working order and away from the mechanic is to keep it properly maintained and its fluids at the recommended levels. Some of this maintenance is only done during the colder winter months,
but other maintenance procedures are done all year long.
When you drive your car in the winter months, some of the maintenance that you can do to prevent car repairs is to make sure that all the fluid reservoirs are kept full. These include the windshield washer fluid, which keeps the reservoir from cracking and the water pump operating correctly. Another important fluid to keep full is the engine coolant, which keeps the engine from overheating. You should also keep your gas tank full during the coldest months, especially if you are not going to be driving it much. This prevents the gas lines from freezing up.
Keep an eye on the roads, since uneven roadways and potholes lead to the tires becoming unbalanced, bent rims, broken axles and alignment problems. Snow and ice on the roads can cause damage if your car is hit by them. Bridges can freeze, so be careful when driving over those in the winter. You can also get caught in deep snow drifts in some parts of the country, especially if snow blows over the road. You could also slip into a ditch or get snowed into your parking spot, so it is important to have the proper equipment handy so that you can dig yourself out. This is much better on your transmission than rocking and spinning your tires to get out. Keeping the tires at the proper pressure will help you get better gas mileage in the winter as well as give you better traction if the roads are slippery, which in turn keeps you out of the body shop getting some type of costly car repair.
Maintenance that can be done any time of year to prevent an unwelcome car repair is to make sure that you keep to the recommended maintenance schedule that the manufacturer recommends in the provided owner's manual. This may involve changing fluids and spark plugs on a regular basis. Another thing you can do is change the oil every 3,000 to 5,000 miles and upgrade to a higher performance motor oil if your car has higher mileage. This can improve how your car performs daily. Also, if you hear strange noises while your car is running or if you see liquid under your car, check the manual, then take it to a repair shop if you then think it is necessary.
A way to get better gas mileage and reduce the excessive wear on the tires and prevent an expensive and dangerous blow out is to make sure that the proper pressure is maintained in the tires. It is recommended that you check the air each time you fill up the gas tank. This will prevent the cost of new tires and other car repairs that are associated with a blow out situation.
If you have to take your car to the mechanic, make sure you take it to one with a good reputation by getting recommendations from family and friends. Always get a written estimate so that you can make sure that you are paying a fair price for the work being done and you are not being gouged in the garage.
