Sometimes taking care of your vehicle when nothing is wrong can feel like you are throwing away your money. However, the opposite is actually true – spending money on maintenance now can save you hundreds or even thousands on repair later.
Here are some routine vehicle maintenances that can save you some money in the long run:
Get Your Oil Changed Regularly
Your owner’s manual should advise you how often to change your oil. It is not always every three thousand miles. It depends upon the type of engine, and what type of oil is used (some synthetics last longer.)
As for saving money, it’s better to have your oil changed on a regular basis than to have to replace your engine because it wears out. Replacing an engine costs thousands of dollars, which makes that $25-$50 cost per oil change pretty cheap in comparison. A reputable auto mechanic that gets to know you and your vehicle can sometimes spot issues before they become a problem.
Rotate and Align Your Tires
Over time, tires can wear unevenly from front to back or side to side. An unevenly worn tire can cause safety issues, as well as problems for other parts of the vehicle. If you are driving with unbalanced tires, they will wear out more quickly causing a need for new tires sooner. Uneven tires can also cause excessive deterioration to both the steering and suspension of your vehicle.
Recommended Routine Maintenance / Inspection
In the owner’s manual of your vehicle, there is a schedule advising when maintenance / replacements need to be done, such as your timing chain or timing belt and serpentine belts. Rather than following the schedule, a routine vehicle inspection will check for these problems and let you know when your vehicle parts need to be replaced.
Various factors such as the weather, road conditions, and salt air can cause parts to need replacement sooner or later than what is recommended in your owner’s manual. Vehicles do not break down on a schedule, car maintenance in West Palm Beach is going to be different than what is needed in Arizona.
Work with a reputable auto mechanic in West Palm Beach get to know them, and let them get to know your vehicle. Then you can feel confident that any parts they recommend changing need to be replaced rather than replacing them because your owner’s manual says it’s time. This can save you money and / or the hassle of a breakdown if parts need replaced sooner than anticipated.
Brake Inspection
South Florida is mostly flat, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t braking frequently, especially in all this traffic. New brake pads when needed may seem costly, but if you have to replace rotors because the pads were worn, it will cost you much more. That is definitely worth the time and money of a brake inspection to ensure your pads are in good working order.
Take care of your vehicle and it will take you places for years to come. Neglecting routine car maintenance lowers the value of your vehicle and typically costs so much more money long term than what you would have spent for preventive maintenance. Call us today at (561) 847-4097 to schedule a quick oil change in West Palm Beach or other car maintenance with one of our friendly mechanics.
