When you buy a vehicle, you’re making a commitment. You plan for the car payment, the insurance, gas and preventative maintenance at the very least. No one buys a vehicle and hopes to pay tons of money on auto repairs. However, there are some expensive auto repairs out there. The good news, is that by maintaining your vehicle, you can help to offset those costs. Preventative maintenance and routine vehicle services are up to you to keep track of. Luckily, we have a service interval schedule available for you to follow. It might be the best way to avoid some of the following costly car repairs down the road:
Battery cable or alternator failure
Having to replace your battery cable or alternator could end up costing you up to $750. This could be due to purchasing a cheap battery at some point. Cheap batteries release gas while in use, meaning lots of corrosion with the battery cable terminals. Instead, you could have spent $75 on a better battery and avoided the expensive repair.
Head gasket failure
A failing head gasket could be due to improper coolant use or failing to perform a coolant system flush. It could cost more than a grand to fix, but a coolant flush is only between $130-180. Just like in a swimming pool, your cooling system needs to be pH balanced. Using the proper coolant keeps the dissimilar metals in the cooling system from being eroded by electrolysis.
Premature tire wear
Those tires you’re driving on are pretty important, but failure to rotate them or keep then properly inflated could mean $300-2500 for suspension problems, alignment services, ball joint replacement, control arm bushing and so much more. At our auto repair shop, we check these for FREE with our oil changes to help keep you safe on the road and help you avoid more expensive auto repairs.
Transmission failure
This could end up costing you a whopping $2000-4000!!! No joke! Neglecting to perform a transmission flush when necessary, or not using the proper transmission fluids could cost you an arm and a leg. A proper transmission flush should run you a couple hundred dollars. Things need to stay lubricated in there!
Engine Failure
Replacing a car engine is one of the most expensive repairs your vehicle could require – between $2500-5500! That’s nothing to joke about. Be sure to get regular oil changes every 3,000 miles or so to help keep your engine in tip-top shape.
The right maintenance and services could be the difference between being totally broke or enjoying a little extra cash in your pocket. We know you can think of plenty of other things you could do with those thousands of dollars not spent on expensive auto repairs! Taking care of your vehicle over time will help keep your repair costs to a bare minimum.
