There are car repairs you should not ignore because they have the potential to cause you great expense down the road (ugh, forgive the pun!). Some of these issues are ones you can fix yourself with some basic car maintenance knowledge, others you will need to book your baby into the repair shop for. Some of these car repairs you should not ignore can also make your vehicle not in prime roadworthy condition and that can lead to risk of accident. Not keeping your car in good condition can also make it depreciate more than it already does due to normal wear and tear. These are key car repairs you should tackle as soon as you can.
Perhaps the simplest of car repairs you should not ignore is simply to spend the few bucks it’ll cost to replace your windshield wipers once or twice a year. They will typically cost you between $20 and $40, depending on your car model, but as soon as you notice that activating the wipers doesn’t clean your windshield, get them replaced. Why? Because the last thing you need is to be stuck in torrential rain and find that you can’t see properly because your windshield wipers should have been changed three months ago. That can cause a very costly accident and is a risk to life.
Do not ignore your check-engine light. If the engine light is on, you should pull over as soon as you can and try to figure out the problem. If the light is flashing, pull over immediately and call for assistance. The further you travel with your engine light on, typically the more damage you are causing your car. Save on your mechanic’s bill by keeping an eye on your dashboard.
Have you checked your oil recently? Fantastic. But have you also checked the transmission fluid, brake fluid, coolant, power steering and water? If you want to save yourself hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars, check your car fluids. A quick Google search for your car model will give you all the information you need.
Although not necessarily a repair, and more a maintenance job, you should make sure to check your tire pressures very regularly. In fact, just check your tires. Check to see if they are the correct pressure, but also if they still have their tread and to make sure nothing has become stuck into the tire. Low pressure can lead to blowouts, which when traveling at high speeds can be fatal. It takes a few minutes of your time, but can honestly save your life.
Not just repair your windshield, but repair it correctly. Your windshield is the only thing standing between you and the outside of your car – the outside that you are driving many miles per hour head-on into. This is not so much about helping you to save money in the long-run, but helping you to save your life as well as the lives of your passengers and fellow road users. It takes one stray rock to fly up and hit your cracked windshield to make the whole windshield shatter.
Another of the car repairs you should not ignore is to replace your timing belt every 100,000 miles or so. If your timing belt goes, it can cause a lot of damage to your engine, which in turn will cause a lot of damage to your wallet. Belts aren’t particularly expensive, and can be changed in a very short space of time, so there’s really no excuse to let it snap from excessive wear.
If you are noticing your car is using up more gas recently than in the past, it might be that you have a faulty oxygen sensor. Lift up the hood and check that your wires are all connected still – if the wire is disconnected or has burnt out, go to a local garage and get them to replace it. You will have to pay the bill, but it will save you a lot of money on gas in the future.
It’s horrible to book your car into the repair shop to have the mechanic rub his hands in glee at the thought of a bill in the thousands. Don’t ignore car repairs that will save you long term. Do you do your own basic car maintenance or do you pull into the repair shop for everything?