On average, Americans spend almost $800 a month on their cars. A huge chunk of this cost comes from vehicle maintenance.
Unfortunately, maintenance is necessary to keep your car running as smoothly as possible. Otherwise, it might prematurely die on you and you’ll need to fork over even more cash to get a new vehicle!
The good news is, you can save on car maintenance if you’re smart.
Below, we’ll give you a quick guide to cheap car maintenance!
Change the Air Filter Yourself
When you bring your car in for a maintenance check, the technician will often change the air filter for you. But this is one of the easiest tasks to do, so why not DIY it?
All an air filter will cost you is around $10 to $20 (unless you own an exotic/luxury car). Then, it takes you just 5 minutes to switch it out!
Compare this with a mechanic doing this for you. Many places will charge upwards of $50 for labor!
Make Your Own Windshield Wiper Fluid
Many people don’t know this, but you can make your own windshield wiper fluid!
Maintain your car for less by mixing 1 gallon of soft distilled water with 4 cups of white vinegar. Shake to mix thoroughly, and voila! You’ve got some cheap Windshield Repair Kewanee IL.
Get Tire Rotations for Free
Here’s another car upkeep secret: tire sellers will rotate your car tires!
You can also go to an auto chain shop to take advantage of free brake inspections. While you’re there, try to get them to rotate the tires since they’re already taking off all the tires to do the brake inspection.
Get Ceramic Car Coating
Ceramic car coating is basically an extra layer to your car’s exterior paint. While it comes in semi-permanent or permanent coating, they both do one thing: keep your car from getting scratched!
An added benefit is it’ll also keep your car cleaner. Not only will you have to wash your vehicle less often, but it’ll be much quicker to do so as well!
There’s a small upfront cost to ceramic car coating. But the coating will last for a few years, so consider it an investment!
Learn to Do Basic Repairs
There are so many tutorials online nowadays, including YouTube videos if you’re a visual learner. While there are definitely some fixes that are best left to the pros, there are still many basic repairs you can do yourself.
What’s great is there are actually car repair manuals that specifically address makes, models, and years for cars. So you can rest easy knowing that what you’re reading will work for your car!
Practice Cheap Car Maintenance to Save Some Cash
Owning a vehicle can be expensive. But by practicing cheap car maintenance, you can ensure yours will run for as long as possible.
While some costs might be a bit large upfront, the money you’ll save in the long run will be completely worth it!
Now that you’ve learned how to spend less on car maintenance, keep saving money by reading more of our helpful articles!