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No matter how loyal you are to a particular make and model of vehicle, there is a very good chance that your “baby” will need at least one major repair while under your ownership.
The following tips and suggestions will help you reduce your chances of a costly mechanical breakdown, and help you prepare for one should a repair become necessary.
Follow Your Vehicle’s Scheduled Maintenance:
Ensuring that your vehicle is properly maintained is an important part of a sound financial plan. Most new vehicles come with a schedule of maintenance items that should be performed at various mileage levels to help detect and prevent any mechanical issues that may be developing.
These schedules can usually be found in your vehicles operators manual or maintenance record book. You can also find your vehicle’s maintenance schedule on The Edmunds’ Maintenance Guide website (Edmunds will even provide an estimate for the work based on your zip code).
Most dealerships have price listings for all of the major services. When my 2002 Volvo S40 was due for it’s 100,000 mile service which included the replacement of the timing belt,I called three different Volvo Dealerships and found one that would perform the service for $100 less than the others. Another great option is to ask around for a trusted independant mechanic shop in your area that specialized in your particular make of vehicle.
Establish a Car Maintenance Fund:
This fund is different from your Emergency Fund that you should already have in place. Setting aside additional funds to cover anticipated vehicle costs such as tire replacement, oil changes, and break jobs should be planned and budgeted for.
It would be a shame to drive a $40,000 luxury vehicle with bald tires because you couldn’t afford to replace the expensive tires that the vehicle requires. Be sure that you fully understand the costs associated with owning a particular make and model of vehicle when drawing up your budget. There will be fewer surprises, and much less stress “down the road”.
Learn to Do Some Basic Car Maintenance/Repairs Yourself
My wife and I love our 2002 Volvo S40, it was especially nice while the car was under the factory warranty, but once the mileage rolled past the warranted maximum I quickly learned that maintaining a European could get expensive. Fortunately, I was able to troubleshoot and repair a few problems myself with support from the Internet.
After spending over $30 one day to have a turn signal replaced on my car, I went online and learned how to change my Volvo’s blinkers myself for under $2. Another time I was quoted $410 to have the HVAC blower repaired. Through the website http://www.volvo-forums.com/ I was able to link up with other Volvo owners who have had similar problems. Forum members helped me isolate the problem, find the correct replacement parts, and guide me through the repair in under 2 hours costing me only $100 in parts.
A quick Google, or Yahoo! Search should turn up a number of helpful sites that may be able to guide you through a particular problem.
I hope that these suggestions will serve you well, with any luck you may be one of the few that literally never have to do anything but change the oil and tires on your car.
