Are you concerned about the high repair costs that frequently accompany auto repairs because your vehicle needs some work? You can reduce auto repair costs without sacrificing performance or safety if you know a few clever tricks. Continue reading to uncover the best car maintenance tricks to avoid expensive repairs.
Toothpaste Cleans Foggy Headlights
Driving at night can be dangerous due to reduced visibility caused by foggy or yellowed headlights. Rather than purchasing pricey headlight restoration kits, you can clean and restore your headlights with toothpaste, a common home ingredient.
Buying Some Touch-Up Paint
Touch-up paint can be a wise maintenance tool, much like cleaning and waxing. You may prevent chips and cracks from becoming serious (and costly) issues like corrosion or paint deterioration by applying a small amount of touch-up paint early on.
Waxing Your Vehicle Every 6 Months
Another crucial step in keeping your car's paint job looking brand new is waxing it twice a year. This can help prevent rust accumulation, which can harm your car’s body structurally and lead to expensive repairs.
Heeding The Check Engine Light
Although it may be bothersome, your check engine light is attempting to alert you to a problem, and generally speaking, it is better to address it as soon as possible because a minor repair now is preferable to a major one later.
Driving Less
The less you drive, the less wear and tear your vehicle will experience and likely require less maintenance and repairs. Even if it’s difficult to save money these days, you might consider walking or biking when it’s feasible.
Regular Servicing
To keep your automobile operating smoothly and reduce the likelihood of failures and expensive repairs, follow your car’s service schedule, which typically calls for a full service once a year.
Changing Your Own Light Bulbs
The majority of your car’s bulbs are easy to change. They usually pull out and push in or have a twist-and-pull bayonet base. Replacement bulbs are typically available at auto parts stores and occasionally hardware stores as well.
Tackle Rust
Any vehicle’s quiet adversary, rust, eats away at the metal over time. Even while modern cars are far more resistant to rust, maintaining a clean car is still crucial, particularly in the winter. Preventing rust lowers your maintenance costs.
Battery Care
One of the main reasons for car breakdowns is a dead battery. Although no battery lasts forever, if you want to leave your car running for an extended period of time, try to maintain the battery's health by connecting it to a trickle charger.
Top Up Fluids
When parking on flat ground, check the levels of your engine coolant, oil, and screenwash frequently, especially before lengthy trips. Oil aids in cooling and keeps your engine operating properly. Use the dipstick to check the oil level.
Warning Signs
Don’t disregard any strange sounds you hear, warning lights on the dashboard, or odd sensations you get from the steering or handling. Early problem detection can prevent a breakdown or accident and ultimately save you money.
Baking Soda Cleans Battery Terminals
Over time, corrosion can build up on battery terminals, making it more difficult to start your automobile and necessitating expensive battery replacements. Baking soda and water are a quick and easy way to clean battery connections.
Use a Penny To Check Tire Tread Depth
Tire tread depth is essential for preserving enough traction and guaranteeing safe driving, particularly in damp or slick circumstances. Measuring the tread depth of tires using a penny is quick and inexpensive.
Lubricate Hinges With Cooking Spray
Squeaky door hinges are annoying and can eventually cause wear and tear. Cooking spray is a simple and affordable way to lubricate your car's door hinges, ensuring that doors operate smoothly and quietly.
Rotate Your Tires Regularly
Tire rotation is a frequently disregarded maintenance procedure that can greatly increase tire longevity and enhance vehicle performance. Reduced traction, higher fuel consumption, and the necessity for early tire repairs can all result from uneven tire wear.
Nail Polish Covers Paint Chips
Your car may appear old and neglected due to paint chipping and blemishes. You can cover up minor paint flaws using nail polish. As nail polish comes in so many colors, it’s simple to select one that matches the paint on your car.
Read Your Owner’s Manual
This guide is critical reading since it includes important information regarding when and what maintenance services should be performed. You can find your manual online by searching ‘owner’s manual’ with the make, model, and year of your car.
Use a Plunger To Fix Minor Dents
Repairing minor dents and dings on your car’s body at a body shop can be expensive and ugly. However, using a plunger to repair tiny dents is easy and affordable. This technique is most effective for shallow dents on flat surfaces like doors.
Timing Your Maintenance Properly
The designers of your car developed the maintenance plan outlined in the owner’s manual to help you avoid major repairs that would be necessary if you didn’t take action. Foregoing preventative maintenance can be financially prudent.
Knowing Fair Maintenance Prices
Depending on the facility, costs for auto maintenance services like tire rotations and tune-ups might differ significantly. Investigating rates prior to bringing the car in is one approach to determine whether you’re getting a fair price.
Paying Attention To Recalls
It’s probably good to schedule an appointment at your neighborhood dealership if the manufacturer of your vehicle notifies you of a recall. The dealership will provide the recall repair for free, preventing more serious damage that would be covered.
Utilize a Mom-And-Pop Mechanic
Compared to auto repair chains, which must pay for franchise membership, independent mechanics can occasionally provide lower prices (and possibly better customer service). Therefore, it may be worthwhile to compare prices.
Sticking With The Same Shop
Bigger services can be expensive, even while minor ones like oil changes might not matter. If you frequently take your car to different mechanics, they won’t be aware of your vehicle’s service history, which could result in you paying for the same service again.
Getting Your Coolant Fluid Flushed
Your coolant, another crucial fluid to monitor, keeps your engine from overheating and provides additional lubrication for specific engine components. According to your manual, it should be replaced every 10,000 to 50,000 kilometers (6,200 to 31,000 miles).
Getting Your Transmission Fluid Changed
Transmission fluid is as essential to your transmission as oil is to your engine. It serves as a lubricant to maintain the proper operation of all the moving elements in your transmission.
Cleaning Your Battery
You might not give your battery much thought until your car doesn’t start the next morning. Occasionally, cleaning the corrosion off the terminals with a little brush, water, and baking soda can help keep your battery in good working order.
Keeping Up With Your Transfer Case Fluid
The component that transfers power from the transmission to the axles so that the wheels can turn is called the transfer case fluid. Additionally, it requires routine inspection and replacement of its unique lubricating fluid, just like other parts.
Regularly Checking Your Alignment
Alignment regulates the angle at which tires contact the road to ensure uniform wear. Proper alignment is worth having your car checked at least once a year, as it also helps your car use less gas.
Inspecting Your Shocks And Struts
In addition to preventing your car from bouncing, your shocks and struts also affect how quickly your tires wear down and how fuel-efficient your car is. Based on your driving style, they should be changed approximately every 50,000 to 75,000 kilometers (31,000 to 46,500 miles).
Shopping Around For Tires
You will ultimately need to replace your tires, regardless of how diligently you take care of them. However, tires are rather simple to buy for yourself, and doing so can save you money, unlike expensive specialized auto parts.
Only Use Winter Tires In Winter
Driving in snowy circumstances can be considerably safer when you have winter tires on. However, especially in non-winter circumstances, these tires wear down faster than all-season tires.
Skipping The Winterization Package
A “winterization” service, which includes cleansing and refilling your coolant (also known as antifreeze), is something that many mechanics will offer you. But you only need to have that done roughly every 48,000 kilometers (30,000 miles).
Having Your Spark Plugs Inspected
Spark plugs ignite the fuel that powers your engine. When the spark plugs begin to fail, your engine will run less effectively. Eventually, their misfiring may stress your catalytic converter, which can be expensive to fix.
Changing Your Own Engine Air Filter
Paying a professional to perform your maintenance and repairs is usually more cost-effective in the long term than making a mistake and then employing someone to fix it. However, it’s really simple to change your own engine’s air filter.
Refilling Your Tires As Needed
Your tires will eventually lose air as you travel on them. Coin-operated air pumps are available at most petrol stations, and many even allow you to present the appropriate PSI or pounds per square inch.
Keeping Jumper Cables In The Trunk
Although it might not seem absolutely necessary, if your battery dies and you are far away from home, you’ll probably be relieved to know that you don’t have to use a tow truck for such a straightforward issue.
Carrying An Air Pressure Gauge
Maintaining the ideal air pressure in your tires will prolong the life of those pricey tires and increase your mileage, which can save you money on petrol. Additionally, it makes your car safe to drive. Having a tire gauge allows you to inspect your tires for free.
Ensuring You Have Roadside Assistance
Access to a roadside assistance program can result in significant financial savings. Additionally, comparing prices for this service can be profitable. Your auto insurance company’s assistance plan will be the least expensive.
Heading To The Car Wash
Although it might seem like a small thing, keeping the outside of your car clean helps extend the life of the paint job by getting rid of residues and road grime that can chip away at the gloss. To avoid this, have frequent simple car washes.
Detailing The Interior
The interior of your car is susceptible to residue accumulation, which can reduce its value. However, many car washes have strong vacuums that may remove loose particles, increasing its value.
