Buying a car is a huge investment for many people; therefore, keeping good maintenance helps expand this car's lifetime. Car maintenance can be a big deal for people who don't have enough experience.
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This article provides 15 amazing tips to answer your question of how to save money on car maintenance? We advise that you go through these tips one by one and implement as many as possible in your car maintenance routine. These tips will not only help you maintain your vehicle; it can also encourage you to keep regular maintenance and prevent major damages to your vehicle.
How to save money on car maintenance?
With more people driving nowadays, many automotive experts came up with tips to save on car maintenance to encourage drivers to keep up with their vehicles.
Our team did an intensive review of all available tips and best practices to help customers and drivers save money on car repairs. We highlighted the top and most reported ones below:
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Keep your backup tire inflated
While it might cost you a little bit of time, effort, and money to inflate your spare tire, it's never more frustrated than ending up without a spare tire during emergencies.
Think about how much money it will cost you to call a towing company to come and pick up your vehicle in the middle of the highway just because you don't have an inflated spirit tire?
Based on automotive experts' recommendations, you should maintain regular mark monitoring to your four tires along with the spare one once every month.
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Perform oil change when necessary
An oil change is not a big deal, and it doesn't cost a lot of money compared to what would happen if you don't do it.
Oil is very critical to your vehicle, and without proper oil, you can end up with I completely damaged vehicle at any time.
Therefore, it's recommended that you check your vehicle's owner's manual and, depending on the type of oil you're using, maintain oil change whenever it's due. You will need to change your vehicle's oil once every 5000 miles to stay on the safe side in most scenarios.
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Keep an eye on your vehicle's battery
Unfortunately, batteries are not designed to last forever, and at some point, they will start aging. There aren't things you could do to maintain and extend the lifespan of your battery.
For example, if you started noticing any blush powder or corrosion around your vehicle's battery terminals, it's very important to keep them clean and ensure that your vehicle is performing properly.
Therefore, it's recommended that you purchase a wire brush that won't cost you more than $5 so you don't have to pay huge bills for towing when your battery breaks down suddenly.
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Change the brake pads regularly
Changing the brake pads is not a huge investment as compared to replacing the entire four wheels. In most cases, replacing the wheels might cost you about $300 without considering the labor costs.
Therefore, we recommend replacing the pads before they cause significant damage to the braking system and the wheels. It's also recommended that you keep up with the brake fluid and change it every time you change your vehicle's oil.
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Change the air filter when necessary
As the name suggests, the air filters work on filtering the air going through the vents. Therefore, air filters might get clogged with many contaminations, which affects the entire AC system.
A recommendation here is to replace the air filter at least once every 12 months or once every 12,000 miles. Again, if you compared the price of an air filter to the AC unit's price, which could be around $4000, it makes sense to change the air filter regularly to prevent these high charges.
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Replace the windshield wipers
Windshield wipers costs between $30 to $50. Without windshield wipers in good condition, you might damage the windshield glass, which could cost you somewhere between $100 to $500.
Therefore, it's recommended that you keep an eye and monitor your windshield wipers and change them once every season or whenever it is necessary.
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Rotate your vehicle's tires
If you think it's a lot of money to replace your vehicle's tires, a smart tip is to rotate them and take advantage of all your tires.
Depending on your vehicle type, front or rear tires might wear out faster and therefore, by rotating them, you can take advantage of the tires in good condition.
Thus, it's recommended that you rotated your vehicle's tires once every 3000 miles to 5000 miles.
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Maintain the suspension system
There are many small components in your suspension system that you need to keep an eye on. For example, it's recommended that you check your vehicle's springs, struts, shocks, etc.
As a good rule of thumb, you might need to check these small components once every 15,000 to 30,000 miles.
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Never run on low coolant
As a driver, you might already know that the coolant is responsible for bringing the engine some pressure down to the proper level whenever it gets high.
Without a sufficient amount of coolant in your system, your engine can be self-destructed in no time.
Therefore, automotive experts recommend that to replace your vehicle's coolant once every year. You also need to Maintain regular checks and monitor your coolant level to make sure that there is no leak or any other internal problem.
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Replace the spark plugs regularly
One of the most common reasons for engine troubles is due to faulty spark plugs. Spark plugs do not cost a lot, and by replacing them for about $15.00 to $30, you're saving up on major engine repairs that would cost you from $3000.00 to $7000, depending on your vehicle's type.
It's recommended that you replace your vehicle's spark plugs once every 30,000 miles.
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How about the hoses and belts?
Only vehicle fluids flow through specific hoses, and these hoses must stay in good condition to maintain proper vehicle performance.
Automotive experts suggest that you need to replace and change your vehicle's hoses about once every four years as long as you don't notice leaks or other problems in your vehicle's hoses.
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Performed the emission inspection
Wild emissions inspection as part of your state's regulations and maintaining proper paperwork, it's a good chance for you to check on your vehicle's overall safety.
Thus, it's recommended that you never miss your yearly emission inspection. Follow their instructions whenever necessary. Check if there or any parts needing replacement and take care of them.
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Read vehicles owner's manual
As a driver, it's recommended that you keep an eye on and familiarize yourself with their vehicle's owner's manual.
This documentation should help guide you through the maintenance process to your vehicle and lengthen your lifespan.
If you don't have a copy of your vehicle's owner's manual, you can download a soft copy from the Internet or request a hard copy from your professional mechanic.
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Never ignore warning lights
Your vehicle uses warning lights to communicate with you and let you know that there is an internal problem in your vehicle.
While these warning lights might be related to complicated problems, they might also be related to simple problems that you could solve yourself.
It's recommended that you never ignore warning lights because you might be introducing problems that would cost you a lot of money by ignoring them.
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Learn how to do minor maintenance yourself
The Internet is full of tutorials to help you take care of minor problems yourself. This way, you save a lot on labor costs, which is a big deal for car repairs.
It's never recommended that you attempt to do major repairs to your vehicle because you can introduce many complicated problems that would cost you huge money.
For example, you can learn how to change your vehicle's oil, add coolant when needed, and probably rotate the vehicle's tires. However, it's not recommended that you change some components in your engine or transmission unless you have the necessary mechanical skill sets.
Even if you have these skill sets, complicated mechanical repairs require a certain space and equipment to help you do the job properly. It makes the most sense for you to take your vehicle to a professional mechanic to get these major repairs done at the end of the day.
Conclusion
It's very important to keep regular maintenance to your huge investment in your vehicle. Whether your vehicle is brand new or you've been driving it for a long time, you need to take good care of it.
Maintenance bills can be a lot of work and effort for people. This article summarizes 15 amazing tips to help you save on maintenance money while taking good care of your vehicle.
We recommend that you go through these recommendations and tips and implement them as much as you can during the lifetime of your vehicle.