>20
Jul
We all know that cars can be expensive. As well as fuel and insurance, there will also be regular car servicing and maintenance to pay for, as well as repairs when things go wrong. Luckily, there are a few things you can do to reduce the cost of car servicing and maintenance, to help save you money.
For more money-saving tips, you can read our guide on how to save money on your car and driving and how to save money on fuel. GetCarFinanceHere will help you to find cheap car finance, finding you the best deal from our network of lenders. Apply online or contact us today for more info.
Shop around for parts and tyres
Shopping around for parts can help you to find a good deal. When you’re looking for parts, you should bear in mind that you don’t want to skimp on safety – you should ensure you buy quality parts and tyres from a reputable supplier. Even so, you can often find second-hand or mid-range parts that are cheaper than top-of-the-range, brand-new items, but still just as safe and effective.
You should speak to different suppliers and garages to see if you can find the best deal for parts and tyres, rather than just going for the first option that might be offered to you. However, you will need to check with the mechanic who is carrying out the work if they will fit parts from elsewhere. Some garages will only fit parts they have sourced themselves.
Fix repairs quickly
As soon as you notice there is an issue with your car, you should get it fixed. Leaving a problem will likely result in it getting worse, which usually means it will be more expensive to fix. Fixing it sooner rather than later will often be the cheaper option, even if it can be tempting to try and ignore it if it’s not preventing you from driving.
If a light comes on your dashboard, check your manual to see what the problem is. Often it can be a quick fix and you may not even need to go to a garage to rectify it.
Get regular services
Keeping on top of your regular vehicle services can help to prevent major problems from occurring. You might think you can skip a service, but this will likely end up in an issue forming and causing a more expensive fault down the line.
Check your vehicle handbook for the advised service schedule. It will typically suggest a full annual service, or more often if your mileage is high. The service will check and replace or repair things like your lights, battery, wipers, exhaust, brakes, and steering, as well as fluids and oils in your engine. Not only will this keep you safe when you’re driving but it can help you to identify and fix a problem before it becomes a major issue.
Take care of regular maintenance yourself
There will be plenty of maintenance that you’ll be able to take care of yourself, without having to pay a mechanic to do it for you. You should make sure you don’t attempt anything that will cause a major problem or be dangerous if it goes wrong.
However, there will still be plenty you can do yourself, especially with the help of online tutorials. Things like changing the wipers, topping up the windscreen wash, changing light bulbs and keeping tyres inflated are all simple things you can do yourself.
It can be handy to do a pre-MOT check of things like bulbs and tyres, to save you money. Checking and fixing the things yourself will mean you won’t have to pay a garage to do it for you in order for your car to get through the MOT.
Get multiple quotes for service and maintenance work
When your car needs a service or repair, you should shop around for the best quote. Contact multiple garages and tell them exactly what you need and ask them for their quote. You might want to just get the work done as quickly as possible, so will want to go for the first quote you get, but shopping around will probably save you money.
When you speak to different garages, make sure to also check their reviews and accreditations. Whilst you want to get the best deal, you don’t want to sacrifice quality or safety.