You can save money on repairs by learning to do the work yourself.
Car Repairs are one of those brutal unexpected budget busters. When your car breaks down as your heading in for work, or you get your car inspected to find thousands of dollars of repairs needed, it can be frustrating. Your car is so important to you that you just want it fixed and over with quickly. I’ve been there. I did that for years. Then I married Mr. Busy Budgeter, who taught me the three ways that you can save on every car repair. He’s not a mechanic, and you don’t have to be either!
The Three Ways You Can Save On Every Car Repair
- “You Tube” it: Take specific notes when your mechanic tells you what needs to be replaced. Ask for part numbers on parts needed. If you have a great mechanic, tell him you’re good at tinkering and ask him how complicated this repair is. You can also google and find out from forums if a repair is good for a beginner. Find a You Tube video (or a few) that instructs you on completing your repair. You can order parts from amazon and they can be shipped overnight. Amazon will also take information on your vehicle and tell you which parts will fit your car. If you need tools that you don’t have, factor those in to the cost of the repair.
- Ask or Beg a Friend: If the repair is above your ability or you just need some guidance to start, ask around to see if you know someone who is great with cars. In the age of social media, this can be as easy as tweeting or posting “Free Pizza and a subscription to Car & Driver Magazine to anyone who wants to help fix my car this weekend!” You can buy the parts off of Amazon, and spent a few hours hanging out and learning a new trade.
- Save on Parts: If your absolutely not ready to try DIY car repair, then at least save money on parts. Ask your mechanic if you can purchase your own parts and bring them in to just pay labor. Amazon, Auto Zone and even the junk yard have parts for much cheaper than what you would pay for at the mechanic. Ask the price of the part the mechanic is ordering, then try to beat it.
We just saved almost $1,000.00 using this method. We took our van in for a state inspection and it failed the inspection. We needed to replace the outer left and right hub bearing and we needed to replace the outer tie rod end. Then we would need an alignment.
We were told it would be $1,189.38 for the repairs at the shop. We purchased the parts on Amazon and had them shipped overnight for $103.93. We paid the mechanic $15.00 for the state inspection, $1.00 to reinspect after a rejection was issued, and $90 for an alignment. In total, we paid $209.93 to fix our car and saved $979.45. It took about 2.5 hours to make the repairs and weren’t difficult at all.
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Holy cow! This is wicked smart. I never thought of buying the parts myself. I turn into a bumbling fool every time I walk into a car repair place. We don’t have any mechanically-inclined friends, so I always end up wondering if I’m paying too much for repairs I don’t need. Love these tips!
My poor husband has less of a knack for car maintenance than I do. Haha! Perks of being a mechanic’s daughter, I guess? Either way, we still work on our own cars and save a ton of money, whenever possible!
It makes such a big difference! I figure, I go out of my way to save $4 or $5 shopping with coupons, why in the world would I not go our of my way to save hundreds to thousands on car parts? Even if I desperately needed my car fixed… Amazon ships overnight and there’s always Uber in the meantime.
Get your car spoiled by adding some awesome parts that will totally make it stand out.
Taking care of your like it’s one of your own kids. It really is necessary to be maintained regularly to lasts a long long time.
Don’t get rip off on car repairs. Always perform a basic maintenance that you can learn yourself.
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I also tried the DIY car repair. Initially quite difficult, and I had to buy a scanner to serve it. Now, I was able to repair these errors simply and feel happy because of this.
That really sucks. Same thing happened to me. Now i do maintenance to avoid this kind of problem in the future.
The is conceptual blog in which 3 ways of saving on every car repair ideas are given. In short, these tips are effectual for people whose car expenses come in weekly or monthly. It is an commendable process of saving money when there is no any other way to get car repaired. Attractive blog !
Some car parts that adds more safety and security in your car is always a must.
Taking care of your like it’s one of your own kids. It really is necessary to be maintained regularly to lasts a long long time.
You have some great ideas here to save on car repairs. I know nothing about cars, so this is especially helpful for me. I had never thought to ask the mechanic if I could buy cheap parts myself and then have him make the repairs. Good idea though!
Washing your car keeps it clean, shiny and free from corrosion. Remember to clean the car interior too. Dirt particles are abrasive while spilled liquids such as sodas and juices can be corrosive. Vacuum your car interior thoroughly and wipe the lenses on the dashboard with a soft damp cloth. Take your mats out and brush or hose them down. This will remove dirt that may otherwise create wear in your mats if they build up. Dry the mats thoroughly in the sun before placing them back in the car.
Hello Rosemarie, You did brilliant post most car owner was spending money in auto shop because they are rich but for those cannot afford auto shop there’s a 3 ways tip to repair your car by your own and by watching You tube for some tutorial.
Only the best car pars for you, that will surely make your car more awesome and handsome.
Bring the best in your car by giving it the best car parts available in the market.
Pimp out your car with the best car parts that is available on town.
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I definitely don’t know how to fix cars so thank you for providing info on the three ways you can save money on every car repair. It’s incredible that you saved so much money by buying your own parts and such. I will definitely look into this the next time my car needs repairs. Thanks!
Car repairs may be so expensive at some times. The best way to avoid getting rip off is studying and getting more familiar with your car.
Good cars need to have better engines and parts. It would be easier if the car that you have is also common and easy to fix.
In a recent research I saw that China is growing rapidly in the Used Car Business and most of the chinease peoples are buying used cars. This post might be helpful for them. Thanks.
I understand mechanics need to make money where they can with parts and labor, but I don’t have a ton of disposable income. This has been a life saver for me!
Good job on saving money tips when repair your vehicle, many people would benefit from these tips
Well done! Nice post! This really helps me to find the answers to my question. Hoping, that you will continue posting articles having lots of useful information. Thanks a lot!.
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Wow my car always broken and i always waste my money with repair my car.Thank for sharing this article that can save my money.
I’m always afraid of buying car because i don’t know much about cars. I have started to learn on web pages regarding that. I find it something useful for me!Thank for sharing.
This article is really good and very informative. Really helpful for people who needs to save but doesn’t want to loose the care for their vehicle.
Maintenance on your car is a lot cheaper than repair. Have it regularly. Goes a long way.
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That really sucks. Same thing happened to me. Now i do maintenance to avoid this kind of problem in the future.
Overall, autonomous vehicles could be a major technology to fight against climate change. The technology can even pay for itself: It is probably the only technology which lowers overall costs of mobility, maintaining the infrastructure etc. Policy-makers, take note!
Hi,
Great ideas. Luckily, I know a good bit about cars so I can stand up for myself without being taken advantage of. Educating yourself is key to saving big bucks! A lot of maintenance can easily be done at home.
Thanks
Taking your car in for regular tune-ups is more than just running through a laundry list of potential problems. It can mean the difference between a prohibitively expensive breakdown and your car running smoothly for years to come. While this regular maintenance check isn’t a cure-all for major car maladies, it makes it much more likely that your mechanic will see a potential problem before it causes permanent damage.
If you have got a huge number of bolts to tighten, you don’t want to be working with a conventional ratchet or wrench. Obviously, these gear aren’t nearly as rapid and green as torque wrenches; however, there’s also every other drawback to the use of them.
Hey great share……
I was thinking of buying a used car for myself but I was little apprehensive of buying a used one but now after reading this post I am pretty sure I am gonna crack a nice deal
Thanks for sharing these amazing tips. Keep sharing more…
Cheers!!
Only the best car pars for you, that will surely make your car more awesome and handsome.
A good shop will remove as many of these things as possible so there is no possibility of a perceivable line between the painted parts and the unpainted parts.
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I really appreciate this article, this will help me a lot
Your post is very great. Hope you’ll be successful in your life!
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