Save Money On Vehicle Maintenance
Do you have vehicle? Do you pay others to perform maintenance work on it? Did you know that there are money saving, EASY ways you can do your own car repairs? It’s true! I’m gonna show you how in this article… follow along!
I’m a car owner. Actually, I own 3 cars… a Jeep, a Chevy Colorado, and a Mazda3. So, I know how expensive car maintenance can be. That stuff can really hit your pocket, especially if you haven’t been caring for your car properly. Oil changes, car flushes, air filter changes, you name it… all necessary.
Your car needs to be treated like a human body, in my opinion. If you put crap in it or don’t take care of it, it’s performance is going to suck and its life will be cut short. Most of the time, you take it to a mechanic & let them sort out things. But, I found a couple of ways to do easy maintenance by myself at home and save some decent money $$. The first way? Air filters.
Change Your Air Filters
My Car Service Preference
I normally go to my local Jiffy Lube car shop for my vehicle maintenance. I’m friends with the owner, it’s a Black Owned business, and I just love the service there. But, even though I love the shop, I love keeping money in my pocket more. So, I learned how to perform small car “repairs” myself.
Changing the air filters was the first repair. Its so super easy to do it yourself, and it’ll save you as much as $60… depending on who your professional people are.
Before, it cost between $15-$30 to get my air filters changed on my cars. Now, I get my filters off Amazon or the local Auto Zone or Advanced Auto, and switch them out myself. That normally saves me $5-$15 per vehicle for a regular air filter changes. But did you know that your vehicle has TWO air filters? Yup, it’s true. There’s the ENGINE air filter and then there’s the CABIN air filter.
Store Service Vs DIY Maintenance
That cabin air filter change… that’s the one that’s gonna cost a lot at a shop. A cabin air filter change can cost up to $90, depending on the make/model of your car or the service people changing the filter! Me… I spend $16. And that’s because the filter cost that much.
Let me tell you something… changing that cabin air filter makes a HUGE difference in your cars air quality when you turn on the AC or heat. And, I feel like it helps your car run better. Take a look at my Mazda’s air cabin filter. You might not think it looks “bad”, but it’s supposed to be a LOT whiter,lol!
I bought my Mazda3 used in 2019 and never checked the cabin filter before.. once i did, it was effing filthy.. it even had leaves and hotel receipt dated back to 2017! Now, I swap my air filters out myself. Saves money and time and … it’s simple to do! Trust me… if I can do it, so can you. If you need help in learning, ask your local Auto Zone, O’Reilly’s, Advanced Auto, or go watch a YouTube video.
Windshield Wipers
Another way to save money on car maintenance is to change your windshield wipers on your own. Back in the day, it was a little confusing/hard to do and most wipers came in multiple parts. But today, changing your wipers takes less than 10 minutes and you can get wipers at a lower price than what the shops charge. I buy premium wipers that are a little more expensive, but you could get the cheaper ones to save upwards of $20 per wiper.
Change Your Fluids!
- Your cars performance depends on the liquids you put in it… in my opinion. So, that means replacing fluids whenever needed to ensure that clean, fresh liquids are going through your car engine and other parts. Keeping clean fluids in your vehicle can help ensure that things won’t break down or corrode and it will lengthen the life & performance of your car.
I had a 1999 Dodge Stratus that I just got rid of earlier this year in 2022, and it never broke down on me once in the all 22 years I had it. And that was due to excellent maintenance.
The type of fluids you can easily replace would be:
- Transmission Fluid
- Oil (extra tools needed)
- Power Steering
- Coolant
Let me tell you, when I first started doing these easy car maintenance steps, I was scared to do it but amazed. The amount of money I was actually saving was tremendous. Also, this may even help you get to know your vehicle a lot better. Give it a try and then let me know how it works out for you!
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