Car Repair - Mistakes That Could Be Costing You Money

If the term "car repair" immediately sets your teeth on edge and starts you to thinking about a draining bank account, you could be making some costly mistakes when it comes to caring for your vehicle. There's no question about it: owning an automobile can be expensive. It's difficult to get around this simple truth. On the other hand, it may not need to be as expensive as you're making it. By avoiding these common mistakes, you could save some money and come to more comfortable terms with the need to fix your vehicle.

Don't Try To Do Your Own Diagnosis
Unless you have some experience with car repair, don't try to diagnose what seems to be wrong with your vehicle. Take your vehicle in to a good mechanic and describe the problems you're seeing. If you go in and say, "Oh, I think I need new rotors," the mechanic might assume you know what you're talking about and will go about replacing them. On the other hand, if you simply say, "Well, there's some grinding when I put on the brakes," and let the mechanic take it from there, you might find that new rotors aren't needed at all. These little things can save you a lot of money.

Don't Buy The Parts Yourself
Granted, if you really know what you're doing, buying your own parts can save you some money. If you don't, however, it can cost you a fortune. For the most part, a car repair shop will do everything they can to find the cheapest part they can use while still guaranteeing some degree of safety and longevity. When you buy a part from your own sources, you might get a cheaper price, but you aren't getting any such guarantee. Likewise, you certainly aren't going to get any kind of warranty from the shop. Play it safe and let the mechanic get his parts from his own sources.

Don't Lie
Much like a patient who wants the doctor to think he's been exercising more often than he really has, some vehicle owners feel the need to tell lies to their mechanic. For instance, they may say it has only been four or five months since the last oil change, when it has really been closer to a year. This can lead the mechanic to look for alternative solutions to problems that have an obvious answer. Don't get wrapped up in this kind of situation. It can cost you a lot of money, unnecessarily. You expect your mechanic to be honest with you, so do him the same courtesy.