For many of us, our car is a very important part of our lives. Having a vehicle means freedom, convenience, and are a way to get around at will. You have worked hard to save every spare dollar so you had enough for a down payment. Each month you have to keep making your car loan payment and afford insurance coverage. But when your car needs auto care, the expense can hurt your budget. That’s why these tips for getting inexpensive car engine parts and car repair tools can make a big difference in your month-end finances.
If you have a minor repair such a maintenance problem, why not cut costs by doing it yourself? There are many “how-to” online tutorials and printed books that can show you step-by-step. The bonus is that you’ll only be spending money on the parts and supplies.. The auto repair shops can really mark up the parts, plus, you’ll be paying them for labor at upwards of about $70 an hour. If you aren’t comfortable with doing any of these tasks yourself, ask your family or friends if they can help you out or consider taking your car to a college campus to have supervised students do the work. Many friends and family are glad to help out and can be paid for their time with a six-pack or a pizza lunch; student training facilities can cut the costs in half for you.
Additional non-major repairs that require a little more skill can still be accomplished by yourself. Take, for example, resurfacing rotors, figuring out what an engine code means, or replacing spark plugs. Local car parts stores often times offer less-expensive diagnostic and resurfacing services than at the specialized repair shops. Diagnosing engine codes can be especially frustrating. In some states, you can drive to your parts supplier and they can run the diagnostic test for you to determine the problem. However, some localities don’t allow this, but the code-reading tool is inexpensive to purchase (approximately $200). It can cost $90 or so to have your dealer run a diagnostic test on your car’s computer. But for the cost of 2 diagnostic tests you can have this handy tool at your convenience right at home!
Rotor resurfacing can be tricky because they have to have enough “meat” on them in order to be resurfaced. A specific range of rotor metal in millimeters must be met to remain at a nominal depth. Don’t worry, however, because the resurfacing shops will tell you on the spot if they meet the thickness requirements. Additionally, they have the machine right there to get the job done. In an equally easy manner, spark plugs are available for purchase at the automotive care and supply store and the minimum gap is displayed clearly on the package. A gapper tool for your spark plugs costs only $50 or less if you don’t already have one. You can also rotate your own tires by using a standard jack.
It is possible for you to save tons of money by doing your own maintenance on your car. You can stretch your dollar and the life of your vehicle, and use the left over cash to enjoy more time on the road!