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“Auto Savings Advice & Tips On How To Reduce All Your Vehicle Expenses”
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Scheduled Car Maintenance (continued)
other services that are not required. Also, for the most part, the extra cost of synthetic oil is not worth it unless you drive regularly under severe operating conditions.
If you do routine and regularly scheduled maintenance on your vehicle, hopefully unscheduled repairs will occur infrequently. But when they do, consider the following:
1. When your car stops working properly and requires repairs, do not automatically assume that the problem is major. It may very well not be, but if you go to the repair shop and tell them you are expecting the worst, that may very well be what they sell you. For instance, if your car is overheating, do not automatically assume you need a new radiator. It might just be a bad hose or thermostat. Or, if your car seems to be running fine and the “check engine” light comes on, consider taking your car to an auto parts store and see if they will read the trouble code for free. It may be something small, or even just a defective check engine light. In other words, while you need to find out what the problem is, you are better off taking the position that the problem is not major and probably can be repaired relatively inexpensively. And ask the repair shop if that is indeed the case.
2. Make sure you go to your regular repair shop to determine what the problem is and whether they are capable of fixing the problem. Get a firm price quote for the work. If the repair is major, or you are concerned about the cost, get a second opinion prior to authorizing the work. Also, make sure that you will receive a call to get your authorization before any additional work is commenced. And when your car repair is complete, take the car for a test drive before you pay for the repair services. It is not unusual for there to still be a problem that needs to be addressed. And if any parts were replaced, ask for the old part back to help make sure they actually replaced the part.
3. Often used or rebuilt parts may be available for use in repairing your vehicle. These parts are generally much cheaper and often will last for the remaining life of your vehicle. Check with your mechanic to see if using used or rebuilt parts makes sense, and how much money it would save you.
4. Do not purchase an extended vehicle warranty to pay for major vehicle repairs. Most of the time these policies are very expensive and claims are very hard to collect on, as there always seems to be exceptions that allow the insurance company to deny the claim.
5. And, finally, buying road service coverage for a car less than three years
old is probably not worth the cost. But if you feel you need some sort of coverage,
consider buying it through your auto insurance company where they will usually add
towing coverage for no more than $5-
Hybrid cars are just like traditional automobiles in that they require regular maintenance including oil changes, air filter replacements, transmission fluid, coolant, and maintenance on brakes and tires. However, since hybrids overall have fewer components than vehicles with standard drive trains, some auto technicians believe hybrids will require less overall maintenance and repairs. But the uniqueness of hybrids also requires specialized maintenance and repair skills. Consider the following:
1. For more complicated maintenance on the drive train and electrical system
make sure your car is serviced by a hybrid-
2. Keep in mind that hybrids have an electrical system built into the drive train
that is unique and very high voltage. This includes the hybrid-
3. The high voltage battery in hybrids is expensive. While the battery can be expected to last at least several years and perhaps the life of the vehicle, replacing the battery can cost from $3,000 to $5,000. Make sure required maintenance is performed to ensure maximum battery life.
4. Be particularly careful with your hybrid warranty, which is usually about eight years or 100,000 miles. Determine if your warranty requires you to use a specific repair center. But, in any case, make sure to get all scheduled maintenance done and to keep all receipts to prove service was completed.
CAR REPAIRS & MAINTENANCE -
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