Car Repair Tips -- Keep Your Money in Your Pocket

Owning a vehicle can be expensive, thanks in no small part to the costs of car repair. Eventually, every vehicle will need some sort of expensive fix, lest it be consigned to the scrap heap or traded in for a new model. But if you take care of your vehicle steadily, you can put a lot of your money back in your pocket and avoid some of the common pitfalls other owners run into. If you're interested in cutting down on the costs of vehicle ownership, here are some things you can do.

Change Your Oil Regularly

Experts differ when it comes to how often you should change your oil. The best advice is to look in your owner's manual and follow the instructions given. There is no difference of opinion, however, when it comes to how important regular oil changes are to keeping a vehicle fit and healthy. If you want to cut down on the costs of car repair, this is one aspect of vehicle maintenance you can't afford to ignore.

Drive Better

That's right, you can cut down on the costs of car repair simply by being a better driver. For instance, if you drive a manual transmission, you can extend the life of your vehicle considerably just by learning to shift smoothly from one gear to the next. Too many people jam their cars into the next gear, paying little heed to the sounds of the engine and to the gentle art of shifting smoothly. This grinds away at the gears over time and eventually will wear out the transmission.

Rough It a Bit

We've become well accustomed to running our air conditioners (or heaters) at all times. While this is certainly one of the undeniable pleasures of owning a vehicle in this day and age, all of this is adding to the pressure you put on your vehicle's system. Consider shutting your air off once in a while and rough it a bit. Even doing it once in a while will give your engine a much needed break and can potentially save you some money on future car repair work.

Choose the Highway

Vehicles run better when they have some open road to stretch their wheels. If you have a choice about what path you take to work each day, opt for highway driving over the stop and go flow of city traffic. Even if it puts some extra time on your daily commute, it will be more than made up for in terms of gas mileage and wear and tear on your vehicle.