Routine car maintenance optimizes engine performance, keeps car value high, increases safety, and reduces fuel consumption. As a car owner, you should be prepared to regularly incur maintenance and repairs costs, which can be expensive unless you know how to mitigate the costs. Saving money on maintenance through these practical ways makes owning a car less expensive.

Preventive Maintenance

Preventive car maintenance involves performing tasks, such as oil changes, topping up fluids, changing brakes, and tire rotations to reduce the likelihood of a breakdown. Through preventive maintenance, you will avoid expensive repair costs. By reading your vehicle owner’s manual, you will learn how to use and maintain your car. There are a lot of helpful hints in that manual. Some things like the best type of gas to use and the best type of fluids as well. It all kind of depends on the manufacturer and what they have included in the owner’s manual. 

Use OEM Car Parts

Wear and tear usually causes certain auto parts, such as the battery, tires, oil filters, and brake pads, to wear out at a predictable rate. Replacing worn-out parts improves car performance and safety. Nonetheless, you should be wary of generic car parts that don’t offer a sense of security and warranty. Even though original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts, such as Nissan tires, are more durable than most other tires on the market, be sure to pick some of these up for your car. Used OEM parts are super helpful for many car owners out there.

Find a Qualified and Affordable Mechanic

Car manufacturers advise car owners to use certified dealerships or mechanics for all repairs and maintenance, but this can be costly. Even though a better financial option is finding an independent mechanic, you should be careful about the certification and experience. An unqualified mechanic can subject you to expensive maintenance costs because of accidental mistakes or a trial-and-error approach.

Perform a Pre-MOT Check

A pre-MOT inspection aims to reduce the chances of your car failing by examining the condition of different parts. One thing you also need to maintain is the exterior of your car. If you have a Volvo vehicle, you might want to assess the bodywork for scratches or chips using a Volvo touch-up paint. It can be invaluable in restoring your car’s original aesthetic and potentially boosting its resale value. Since repair costs are usually higher than maintenance costs, you should find a reputable and qualified car mechanic to inform you about the parts of your car that are likely to fail. Insurance providers do not always cover repairs and maintenance costs resulting from MOT checks; hence, you should sort out all the issues before taking your car to an MOT station.

Purchase an Extended Warranty

Car manufacturers offer basic warranties that only cover major car parts and systems that might fail because of defects in factory-installed parts. The expiry of a basic warranty means that you will incur the cost, and the solution is to buy an extended warranty, which acts as an insurance policy for the major parts. Purchasing an extended auto warranty will protect you against expensive repair and maintenance costs.

The performance and safety of a car depend on how well it is maintained; hence, you cannot avoid maintenance costs. Nonetheless, you can make car maintenance less costly by adopting these practical money-saving ideas.