The Number One Way Car Owners Can Save Money

Posted on July 4, 2012 Written by 24 Comments
Number one way for car owners

If you have been reading this blog or following my debt free story, you will know that my car is my pride and joy. It’s the last debt I paid off and I plan to keep it performing at its best.

Purchasing a new car (and getting another auto loan) is not an option, so I will be doing everything I can to make sure my car lasts a long time.

Like most people, I use my vehicle for everything; my daily 40 minute commute to work, going on road trips, visiting friends/family and all my other daily errands. For these reasons, the parts on my car will wear out much quicker and need to be tuned up on a regular basis.

This type of regular use, will cause any vehicle and car parts, fluids and systems to develop issues or require complete replacement. Whether you get involved in an accident or cause major damage to the car yourself, repairs are expensive.

So what’s the absolute best way for car owners to save money on their vehicles?

 

Preventative Maintenance

Adhering to a proper car maintenance schedule helps to avoid automobile breakdowns, system failures and other expensive repairs. This is why preventative maintenance is the number one way car owners can save money. (Click to Tweet)

For a lot of car owners, tackling the topic of automobile repairs and maintenance is a scary and daunting task. But, even for a girl like me, it’s easy to take care of your car with these top preventative maintenance methods:

1. Learn to do small repairs and maintenance yourself

By doing a little upkeep now – like changing your oil regularly, replacing air filters, balancing the air in tires, or replacing worn out wiper blades – can help you avoid larger repairs down the road. All you need is a little knowledge, skill and the right kind of tools to keep your car performing at its best.

2. Compare the prices and find the best deals online

If your favorite mechanic or auto garage uses a certain brand of oil, for example, ask them if you can bring your own oil next time. With sites like Dearborn Classics, you can purchase some of the same quality brands and parts, at discounted prices. This site is also great for smaller auto parts like spark plugs or other lubricants.

3. Take advantage of the vehicle’s warranty period

Most dealerships offer regularly scheduled checkups, at no added cost, within the vehicle’s warranty period. This includes simple things like oil changes, filter replacements, tire rotations and other preventative maintenance. All you have to pay for is the consumables used during the checkup, but normally the labor is included for free.

Preventative maintenance is definitely the best way to save money for people who need to get the most miles out of their cars.

Doing some of the small repairs yourself can save a significant amount of money over time. Plus you will get other added benefits like, better gas mileage, a smoother car ride and easier navigation on the road.

Do you save money by doing preventative maintenance on your car? How do you save money on small auto repairs?

Photo Credit: Tire Zoo

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Filed Under: Save Money Tagged: , ,
  • Canadianbudgetbinder

    Good tips Carrie! One way you can save money like you mention is doing your own small repairs and maintenance.  My truck is not under warranty so I do my own oil changes. I actually did a blog post about DIY oil changes and how it can save money. They are relatively easy to do and you can save yourself some good money. Great post Carrie! Mr.CBB

    • http://carefulcents.com/ Carrie Smith

      Your absolutely right Mr. @1b871c1fe0220e2d407b5f0ebfa57012:disqus Spending a little time to DIY small checkups and repairs can help anyone save money. Thanks for the comment.

  • Jenna from Adaptu

    Yes!  I have an amazing friend who is a car mechanic and loves teaching people how to fix their own cars.  He’s definitely come to my rescue a couple of times and now I can change my own lights.  Plus side of having small hands / fingers!

    • http://carefulcents.com/ Carrie Smith

      Very true @ceb9ed7889cfe2cfafab8a8708574658:disqus I can do little fixes to my car, since I have small hands and fingers too. It’s great!

  • http://www.modestmoney.com/ Modest Money

    I probably should learn how to do my own oil changes, but I just like the convenience of someone else doing it.  Plus they vacuum and offer to do any manufacturer recommended maintenance.  I’d probably forget about too much of that scheduled maintenance if I was doing my own oil changes.  I do try to use a self employed mechanic for any bigger work.  Those usually give you a much better price.

  • http://twitter.com/seedebtrun See Debt Run

    I’m so awful about doing my own maintenance on our cars.  Confession: I don’t even know how to change the oil!  :/  
    -M

  • http://twitter.com/brightblur777 Robb

    One of the best resources for a lot of small car repairs is actually Youtube. There are guys on there who will do step by step walk throughs on video on how to do various things. Last summer I replaced my own A/C blower motor by following directions on a Youtube video and the total cost of doing that was like 50 bucks – there is no way I could have gotten it fixed by a mechanic for that much. 

    • http://carefulcents.com/ Carrie Smith

      I love using YouTube as a resource too @twitter-56905548:disqus There are so many videos/tutorials for doing small repairs, and it can save tons of money.

  • JordannK

    These are great tips. My fiancee’s old neon (that I totalled last year) was definitely neglected. I’m pretty sure it never ever got any of the scheduled maintenance done to it except for an oil change. We were students when we owned that car so every dollar counted. As a result we had to spend at least 1K on it every spring to pass inspection. Now that I’m the primary driver of our new car, I always make sure everything is serviced correctly, oil changed, scheduled maintenance done, tires rotated, etc. Sure it costs a bit to get it done, but it’s worth it to have a well functioning car.

  • http://www.moneywatch101.com/ Moneywatch101

    I have to take care of my dinosaur as well as my car is going on 14 years old. Its a camry so hopefully I can get two more years out of it.

  • http://www.mymoneydesign.com/ MyMoneyDesign

    I drive my cars until around 200K miles before I stop.  My way of saving money is to make sure I’m up to date on all the maintenance.  It sounds like a lot, but I usually save in the long run because I have less stuff go wrong!

    • http://carefulcents.com/ Carrie Smith

      Wow that’s awesome! @MyMoneyDesign:disqus I hope to keep my car in tip top shape until it sees 200k miles. Cool stuff! 

  • http://twitter.com/MarriedWithDebt John | MarriedW/Debt

    My car is finally starting to accrue regular repair bills after 7 years of none. It is paid for and worth it though. I’m worried about what happens if it dies forever because I haven’t saved to replace it.

  • http://www.frugalquack.com/ Missy

    I usually go to the car repair website and stock up on coupons. My pet peeve about car repair places is when they want to charge you just to LOOK at the issue and then charge again to actually FIX the issue. I try to go to places that do not charge for looking and or diagnosing the problem. I too have an older vehicle but it is in pretty good shape (a ’98 model with less than 60,000 miles) since I hardly ever drive it and do maintain it well. But when it does need something and they always do – then I shop around for good rates and good service.

    Nice article, Carrie.

    • http://carefulcents.com/ Carrie Smith

      You make a really good point @dd97df7eef2fd66739e5142b5a1c23d6:disqus Finding a good auto shop or mechanic to not just look at the problem but fix it, can be difficult. Shopping around for good rates and stocking up on coupons is a smart idea!

  • http://www.lifeintransitionpf.wordpress.com/ LifeInTransition

    I am really bad at making sure I maintain my car well when I was single.  Now that I’m married, I let my husband handle all the car issues. 

    • http://carefulcents.com/ Carrie Smith

      If I had a husband or guy around to take care of my car, I totally would too @82e568bad403d0a54cf58f0c649658a8:disqus 

  • KriAm

    Buying parts online is a really great idea. I’ve been able to find a site that sells General Motors parts and it’s great. And bringing your own oil the next time you need an oil change is another great way to save some money on a regular expense. That’ll add up over the years.

  • http://www.commodorelights.com.au/shop/vy-commodore-ss-head-lights/ VY SS Tail Lights

    Thanks! These are especially wonderful since cars are getting more expensive today than it did before. It’s a huge help for all of us, great job here. 

  • http://www.warrantyheadquarters.com/ Auto Warranty

    Take advantage of the auto warranty period! But be sure you keep up with maintenance, as you can void your warranty easily by letting routine repairs go to the way side.

    • http://carefulcents.com/ Carrie Smith

      That’s definitely a good idea!

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  • Megan Billard

    Thanks for sharing this information! I am always looking for ways to save money when it comes to my car, yet keep it in good shape! I think another way to save some money is to make friend either with a mechanic or become friends with the mechanic your regularly go to. I live in Bremerton and auto repair has become so easy and cheap for me just by being friendly to the mechanic I always go to! It’s great how much money a smile can save you!

  • http://www.facebook.com/seattleautorepair Michelle Williams

    Great idea, We can save some money is we maintain something. We must know few common problem of a car and need to know small rapers and maintenance ourselves. European Auto Repair Seattle helps it’s customer to learn common problem and how to repair it.