Although you may not need a personal vehicle if you live in a large city with public transportation, having a family vehicle is convenient and provides the independence necessary if you live outside the city. However, along with the benefits comes the responsibility (and cost) of maintaining the vehicle. That is why it’s advisable that you buy a family car that’s easy to maintain and has a good record of reliability. Nonetheless, if you own a family car, here are some of the essential maintenance costs you are most likely to incur at some point in time.
Air Filter Maintenance Costs
One essential cost of car maintenance is replacing the air filter. Whenever your engine is running it sucks air into the engine for combustion. Before air enters the engine, the filter removes dust and debris. Unfortunately, over time it gets clogged and must be replaced every 15,000 miles. However, if you often ride your family over dusty roads or off-road, then you’ll replace the air filter more frequently. Remember that if your air filter gets clogged it reduces airflow. Reduced airflow can cause your engine to “run rich” which wastes gas due to incomplete combustion. So replacing your air filter regularly can save you money on gas in the long run.
Engine Oil Replacement Costs
Engine oil is another essential car maintenance cost that isn’t avoidable for car owners. The engine oil effectively reduces friction making your engine last longer and get better gas mileage. With use, the engine oil gets dirty and heavy. Therefore, to keep your engine at its top performance, you will have to replace the oil. According to experts, family vehicles should have their engine oil replaced every 3,000 to 5,000 miles. However, using synthetic oil can extend oil life to as much as 10,000 miles. Often synthetic oil costs a bit more but since it lasts longer it can be a good investment. Also, be sure to always replace the oil filter when you replace the oil, (even if you are told the filter will last for 2 oil changes) it is a small expense that can drastically reduce engine wear. Changing your own oil is a simple procedure that anyone can learn to do themselves which will save you some money.
Wheel Alignment Costs
Wheel alignment is another crucial maintenance costs you will incur frequently. Alignment ensures that your car tires are inclined to the road at a recommended angle. Note that if you ignore to do alignment as per the mechanic’s suggestion, your car can drift to one side of the road, leading to accidents and increased tire wear. Therefore, performing regular wheel alignment not only improves the safety of your vehicle, it extends your tire life and enables you to have a smoother driving experience.
New Tires
Obviously good tires are an essential car cost for having a safe car. As mentioned above a bad wheel alignment will cause your tires to wear out faster. But even if your wheels are perfectly aligned your tires wear out eventually. Depending on the quality of your tires they can last anywhere from 20,000 to 50,000 miles but they do still wear out.
So you need to keep an eye on your tread depth and as it gets low have money available to replace the tires. You can measure your tread depth with a penny. Simply insert the penny into the tread head first. If the top of Lincon’s head goes into the tread you still have enough left. Another way to check your tread depth is to look for little ridges that cut across the tread (making it a little shallower in some spots). When these markers become even with the surface of the tire (and start making extra noise) it is time to replace your tires.
If this happens your tire needs replacing. You should always replace tires in pairs i.e. both the front or both the back. But often you will need to replace all 4 if they have worn evenly. The only time a tire repair should be a surprise “emergency” is if it “picked up a nail” and got a puncture. Often a local tire repair shop can plug the hole, sometimes they will even do it for free in an effort to gain a new customer. Sometimes plugging is not an option because of the location of the hole.
N0te: Everyone that drives should know how to change a tire (and keep a spare that is in good condition) so a flat tire doesn’t leave you stranded on the side of the road.
Brake Pads Maintenance
Brake pads help you control the motion of the car by bringing it to stop smoothly and efficiently. These days most cars use disc brakes to stop the car. Basically, there are two pads for each wheel. They squeeze a metal disk attached to the wheel which stops the car. The metal disk is called a rotor and often it will need to be replaced along with the pads.
If you hear a metal scraping sound it may indicate that your pads need to be replaced. Disk pad manufacturers put a little metal tab on the pads that scrape against the rotor causing a scraping sound that alerts you to the worn brake pads. Although replacing brake pads and rotors sounds like a job for a mechanic, it is actually quite simple. If you can change a tire you can probably do it yourself and save a couple of hundred dollars. Just look for a youtube video for your specific vehicle and follow the instructions.
Cheap brake pads can cause a squealing sound right from the start, so it is better to pay a few dollars more to get high-quality brake pads that won’t squeal.
Family cars are very handy to have and often necessary if you have a larger family. Be sure to include extra funds in your budget to cover these inevitable car maintenance costs.
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