6 Suggestions to Save on the Maintenance of your Vehicle
Maintaining a vehicle is already very expensive, so why should you pay even more? Here are 6 suggestions to help savvy car owners get the most from their maintenance budget.
1. Find a Certified Automotive Detailing Technician:
Auto detailing technicians are like all the rest of the professionals: some of them are talented, some are not. How do you find one that will really go out of its way to give your car its new appearance?
- Find one that holds a certification from a training center in the matter.
- Although there is no official title for this kind of occupation (in other words, it is an unregulated industry), technicians who take the time to get the proper training are probably better equipped. than others to do flawless work.
2. Drop the Spray Wax in the Car Wash:
For a few dollars more, waxing your car with wax (or tri-color foam or paint sealant, depending on the car wash) might seem like a good investment. Will the appearance of your car be better for it? Certainly.
Where the rub is that this shine (and the extra protection it provides) only lasts for about a week. A good idea would be to save the few dollars that the wax would cost you to get the job done in a car wash. It'll cost you around $ 30, but the protection will last you longer.
3. Be Satisfied with the Wax Residue:
Car wash owners will certainly never tell you, but hot wax treatment is available for free at most car washes. If your car wash recycles its water (ask, if in doubt, and you'll find that most they do), then the spray wax applied during a previous car wash will remain in the water system and apply to your vehicle without your asking. This is another good reason to find yourself an ecological car wash!
4. Ignore the Warnings About "Dips" in the Tire:
- If a salesperson warns you about dips in the sidewall of your tires, don't be fooled - they're just looking to make some easy money off your back.
- An unscrupulous tire retailer will tell you that those dips are a problem and you need new tires, but those dips are actually perfectly normal.
- And then, it's not really a hollow, but rather the junction between the polyurethane cords of the tire.
- Conversely, if a convex bump appears on the surface of your tire, it is a sign that the latter is about to burst and that it is time to think about replacing it.
5. Put Your Mechanic Behind the Wheel:
A strange squeak comes from the front of your car. Quick! You go to the garage and tell them everything you know. Pretty soon your car is on the lift. Twenty minutes later, they come back to you telling you that you will have to shell out full price for new brakes and brake pads. But how can they know if they've never tried the car on the road?
An automotive service manager we asked the question told us that in such cases you should simply get your car off the lift and take it to another garage. Generally, a good mechanic will at least need to get behind the wheel to diagnose major problems; those who skip this step are only trying to sell you at a high price for a solution to a minor problem.
6. Beware of Shenanigans with Shock Absorbers:
There are unprincipled mechanics spraying oil on a customer's shock absorbers to make them believe an oil leak. If your mechanic comes to you with this kind of bad news, take your car kindly and get the advice of a second, then a third mechanic. You won't be able to escape costly repairs to your vehicle forever, but these few tips will help save you a lot of money and effort on basic cleaning and maintenance.
