How much do you spend every year on maintaining your car alone? If handled appropriately, the costs of maintaining a vehicle can balloon to become one of the costliest aspects of auto ownership.
AAA estimates that basic automotive maintenance for an average car cost $800 per year or $66 per month. This cost takes into account any one-off fix and regular checkup services.
However, unexpected repairs are hard to predict and may lead to an additional $500 to around $10000 for major repairs.
Are you looking to reduce these costs significantly? This article will explore effective strategies to help you save money on your car throughout the year.
Effective Strategies to Use
1. Take Advantage of Seasonal Sales for Big Savings
Shopping during seasonal deals will save you a significant amount of money. For example, Black Friday is the perfect opportunity to buy spare parts at discounted prices.
At this time, you get brake replacements, tire specials, and oil changes at favorable prices. If you plan, you can take advantage of these deals instead of buying at normal full prices at any other time of the year.
When Black Friday is close, prepare a list of the car services and products you will need soon and identify special offers during the sales events.
There are other holiday sales besides Black Friday—for example, New Year’s, end-of-summer clearance sales, or Christmas offers. Be on the lookout not to miss out on these opportunities.
2. Perform Regular Maintenance Checks to Avoid Expensive Repairs
Preventive maintenance is often underrated but is an effective method to save on car maintenance. To increase car’s components’ longevity while spending the least, consider periodic oil change, fluid level inspection, and tire rotation.
By doing these regular checks you will avoid having to replace these parts in the future which may be very expensive. You can agree that minor problems involving a brake pad or a leaking radiator can lead to an expensive car repair provided that it is not rectified early. If you’d like to find out more about car radiator repairs head over to Natrad.
Catch these issues early and avoid unnecessary bigger problems and costs. For effectiveness, ensure you follow your manufacturer’s maintenance schedule recommendations. It will help keep your car in good shape and save you money.
3. Payment Plans and Budgeting
Car service centers to provide some form of flexible payment option particularly for the more expensive ones in terms of repair and replacement costs. It helps you to distribute the cost of repairing your items to different months.
Such a plan makes it easier to address in terms of financial commitment. For example, a payment plan helps ease the financial burden if you need some new engine work.
Instead of paying a huge sum, you can break it into smaller portions (interest-free) paid overtime.
These plans are especially good for those unexpected repairs – especially the ones not budgeted for, to help avoid the stress of coming up with a large sum of money at once.
4. DIY Vehicle Maintenance
You can do these maintenance tasks at home, saving on labor costs. For example:
- Replacing filters.
- Changing your oil.
- Changing wiper blades
These are somewhat simple tasks that do not require professional assistance, and you can easily do them yourself. Online tutorials can help you hack them safely.
However, avoid complex repairs, or you might spend more while trying to save.
5. Join Loyalty Programs for Exclusive Discounts
Repeat customers in most car dealerships get discounts or membership discounts. Join these programs to help you get free maintenance once in a while or enjoy discounted prices after a certain number of visits.
You can save hundreds of dollars in loyalty programs. These programs give you points for money spent, which you can redeem later for:
- Free oil change
- Free tire rotation.
Be a consistent shopper in the same store and inquire about these programs to take full advantage of them.
Conclusion
Vehicle maintenance must not be a financial burden. You only need to be smart about it, plan ahead, and use the above strategies to help you cut costs.
By using these tactics, you can have your car on the roads without having to empty your savings account. What are you waiting for? Go start planning to save.
