Drivers count on their vehicles to get them to their destinations safely. If you’ve been avoiding car maintenance because you can’t afford it, you will end up spending more money on car repairs in the long run. This delay in servicing and maintenance of items like brakes, tires and internal mechanical parts has consumers running the risk of larger and more costly problems down the road.
You are not alone
A study by the Car Care Council found that in 2011, 84 percent of U.S. vehicles needed service or parts. It is the highest percentage in more than five years according to the source. Most of the drivers that were postponing their car maintenance had vehicles with poor safety conditions. These numbers reflect the fact that most of the drivers don’t know that delaying their maintenance will certainly cause problems that require costly repairs later on. Furthermore, most of them are putting their families in a dangerous situation on the road.
Young drivers are more likely to delay their car maintenance
Another poll by Consumer Reports showed that over 40 percent of respondents who delayed car work in the past year admitted that the safety and reliability of their vehicle suffered. Some of them reported that their car was becoming an embarrassment. The poll also highlighted that young drivers were more likely to delay their car maintenance. Twenty-one percent of drivers that are aged between 18 and 34 years are delaying their maintenance compared to only 14 percent of people aged 55 or more.
Due to the current economic situation, many drivers are buying used cars and they intend to use them for at least ten years. This means that after the home, the car takes the second place in the list of the longest investment a family can make. So a car is more than just a way of transportation, it’s an investment that should be taken care of.
It costs 2.4 times more…
According to the same source, a major repair bill can costs 2.4 times than the amount spent on car maintenance. That’s also another reason to take car maintenance very seriously and avoid deadly incidents.
- The average car owner has more than 78,000 miles on his vehicle which means that maintenance shouldn’t be ignored at all.
- Twenty-two percent of those drivers postpone their scheduled services. Seventeen percent postpone their wear items and fifteen percent postpone other exterior damage.
- A major bill costs around $2,000 and becomes a very serious financial burden especially for lower income households.
Think long term!
You have to think long term! It may be wise to delay your car maintenance if you are under some financial burden. But, the above numbers show that when car maintenance is delayed it will cost 2.4 times more. Thus, it doesn’t make it a wise investment. While under some financial pressure you can always apply some tricks that would lower your car maintenance bill like cleaning your air filter or replacing your burned out fuses yourself. An air filter costs around $10, but if you want to save more, you can extend the life of your actual air filter by cleaning it using an air compressor. Another example would be to replace your burned out fuses yourself; if a light goes off there are chances that a fuse was damaged. Nowadays, most of the cars come with spare fuses. The fix would only take you five minutes. The fuse bow is usually located under the dashboard. Check the diagram, locate and replace the broken fuse with the spare one.
Bottom line
Finally, your car is an investment that should be taken care of. It’s also a essential to your day-to-day life and it is responsible for the security of your family on the roads. Respect your car and don’t miss your car maintenance.
See Also:
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- Car Insurance Lessons for Young Adults
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- Money Saving Tips for Online Shopping
- Large Family? Check Out Four Ways to Save on Health Insurance
- Earning More Money is Not the Answer
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