Tips Car Repair & Maintenance

This is a Simple Repair And Maintenance Your Cars

For as much pleasure and freedom a car can provide, it can also stress you out with problems and repairs. You’re certainly not alone. If I listed all the quirks my own car has (resolved and yet to be), I’d put you to sleep and myself in a mental institution. I’ll do the opposite by providing proactive tips and info just for you!

Words of the Wise – Common sense things I’ve learned.

Used versus new – You’d think with all the repairs a car can require as it ages, it’d be cheaper to have a younger car. Not so true, I’ve learned. The new car, being more valuable, is very expensive to insure. The yearly increase in your insurance bill could dwarf the yearly repairs costs of a used car.

Don’t put it off – Learn to fix and check your various lights before you get a ticket when one burns out – the difference between several hundred dollars and just a couple. Check the tread on your tires before they rip open on the freeway. I had to bail out my friend once because of this very thing. My whole day was wasted. Another example: Under the hood of my own car, there was a problem where oil was going thru tubes and hoses not meant for oil. I observed jolts of power loss and bad fuel economy, ignoring both for months. I ended up paying $500+ to replace parts that rotted out. I could have avoided rotted parts had I fixed the root cause sooner.

Jumper cables versus tow truck – You may not notice that you need a new battery until your current one won’t crank at all one morning. Dilemma: keep $50 jumper cables in your trunk or pay an extra hundred or two waiting a couple hours for a tow truck to bring you the very same thing. Print this guide so you don’t electrocute yourself. ;) If you drive a stick, learn how to push start your car!

These are 3 tips that keep you from losing a mountain of money versus very little. MSN Money has 17 more tips if you’re interested.

Utilize coupons & various discounts – They’re not just for groceries and clothes. Here is a list of Free Mania blog posts and a couple links that help you save some money:

AAMCO – Car Inspection – Check Engine Light Reading - FREE!

Free AAA Auto Check Up – Get a 38-point inspection free from AAA auto repair facilities. This is good for AAA members only. Expires 8/31.

Firestone – Get $10 off a basic oil change plus $25 off a break service, and many more.

Castrol – Print coupon (Adobe Acrobat format) for $5.00 off your next oil change. This is an ongoing promotion.

Meineke - Take advantage of Meineke coupons you can print right now. Get a basic oil change for just $19.95.

Jiffy Lube - Print this coupon for $5.00 your next oil change at Jiffy Lube. Expires 1/1/10.

Midas – Get offers and oil change reminders when you join the club.

Pay for advice?! – Never! Google is your friend.

Online forums and communities exist centered around cars and car repair. You’re likely not the only one hearing a weird particular noise under the hood, etc. Or maybe you just proudly fixed something yourself, saving $$$ in the process. Take pictures and write up the steps to help others.

Online communities are an amazing resource for car troubles. Search old posts to see if someone had your same problem. If you think no one’s heard that strange noise, post a new topic. Car enthusiasts, certified mechanics, and simple proactive car owners like you will share their ideas and experience.

I own a VW. I’ve used the VWvortex forums to replace my battery and replace my dashboard headlights switch. They have a community of experts and many DIY guides written by forum members.

To find the right forum for you – I used to drive a Saturn car, so I did a Google search for “saturn car forums”. The first result was the Saturnfans.com Car Forums. If you own a Saturn, click that link to have free access to thousands of posts covering every topic of Saturn cars imaginable!

To find your forum, just try a search for ‘[your brand] car forums’ using Google.

I hope these tips have opened new insight for making your car troubles cost a lot less or even be totally free! Drive safe!

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Taking care of your car maintenance can be very rewarding if done properly so here's a list of seven tips that can help you save money on your car parts and service.

1. A well tuned car can has a fuel consumption from 25% to 33% lower than a poorly tuned car making a tune-up cheaper than driving without it, tuning your car for better performance can save you between $150 and $250 per year.

2. Regardless of the number of miles the manual recommends a oil change and filter change you should change them every 3,000 miles. This is one of the most important factors in your engine's life since it's going to prolong your engine's life and you're going to save on engine car parts. The potential savings are $500 to $3000.

3. Dirty air filter means more gasoline used and reduces the engine's life so you should check it regularly, maybe monthly. The air filter can be cleaned by blowing it with a hose or can be replaced. You can save about $130 per year..

4. Using steel-belted radial tires can increase the number of miles you make per year by up to 10%, saving this way about $130 per year.

5. Most cars, don't work better on premium gas, so, unless your car is pinging or knocking you shouldn't use higher octane gas. If your car doesn't have a high performance engine, using the gas that best suits your car's engine can save you $200 to $400 per year.

6. Having under inflated tires makes your engine burn about 6% more gas so make sure you check your tire pressure regularly.

7. If your tires are improperly balanced the tread on them will be destroyed. In addition, your suspension and shock absorbers can be damaged leading to more expense on car parts and service. Balancing your tires once a year can add thousands of miles to their life.