Car maintenance is one of the most crucial aspects of keeping your car in sound condition. While many will avoid the cost of getting new tires, inspections, oil changes or other regular maintenance, these types of things are essential for a longer lasting vehicle. According to MSN, modern vehicles do need less maintenance than cars made 20 to 30 years ago, but many of us have not altered our way of thinking to acquiesce to a wider maintenance schedule. Here are some of the best reasons it makes financial sense to perform regular maintenance on your automobile.
Oil Changes
The oils in your car, including motor, anti-freeze, brake fluids and power steering, make up the lifeblood of a car and should be taken care of on a regular basis. In order to prevent a transmission from failing resulting in thousands of dollars of out of pocket costs for the owner you should get your oil changed every 5,000 miles. Many oil change locations will tell you it is 3,000 miles, but this is only for cars older than 25 years or so. A standard oil change will cost around $20 to $45 depending on where you go and what is available in your domain. Check out commercial maintenance shop sites to print off coupons for even better discounts. If you don’t want to bother with changing the oil every 5,000 miles and wish to go up to 15,000 miles before an oil change, choose a synthetic oil instead. These cost an average of $95 to $160, but you won’t have the constant worry of timely oil changes to bother with.
Car Payments
Chances are you have a monthly car note, especially if you have a newer or luxury type of car. If you are one of those who can pay for a car in full, I applaud you’re ability to save for such an expense! But, if you’re like most, you have to finance a vehicle which means you must have full coverage insurance including; liability, collision and comprehensive. These costs can add up over time and the last thing you want is for some catastrophic mechanical failure to occur, in addition to the aforementioned costs. This is one paramount reason to keep your finances in order by utilizing regular maintenance care.
Garages
Depending upon where you live, a garage may be one of the best ways to prevent automobile failures. After all, it is likely that your home is your largest investment and your car is your second largest investment. A garage will aid a car’s ability to warm up or cool down more quickly, impede rust and corrosion of paint and, most importantly, give much less chance of damage due to external factors such as getting hit by another driver. If you have a garage, use it for vehicle preservation instead of storage.
Be sure to read your manufacturer’s or dealership guides for major maintenance milestones. Obviously some cars are going to require more maintenance than others, but your budget should reflect what your auto will need in the near future. Just remember the old adage: “An ounce of prevention equals a pound of cure.” This pertains to not just human health, but your car’s health as well.
