Smoke rises from the engine as you pull to a stop on the shoulder. Opening the hood, you hear the sound of sizzling coolant on the engine block. The head cracked on your motor, producing not only a mess and added inconvenience, but a repair with a very hefty price tag.
What are you doing to do?
Many of us have had to deal with a similar situation. Vehicles are imperfect, meaning that they are capable of breaking down at any time.
Many of us have had to deal with a similar situation. Vehicles are imperfect, meaning that they are capable of breaking down at any time.
Sometimes, the required repairs are quite expensive. If you find yourself in this situation, there are four ways you can dramatically reduce the price of your repair and get you back into your car quickly.
1. Do the Work Yourself
Some jobs require a lot of time, so if you are willing to source your own parts and spend your weekend completing repairs, you could reduce your repair bill from thousands of dollars to hundreds.
If you are comfortable doing repairs yourself, many parts can be found in salvage vehicles that have deeply-discounted prices over new OEM parts.
If you have not had the chance to get a lot of specialized tools, you can typically go to an auto parts store and rent a tool.
1. Do the Work Yourself
For most auto repairs, a significant cost in the repair at a garage or service center is labor cost. If you are mechanically-inclined, this could be a chance to save some major dough.
Some jobs require a lot of time, so if you are willing to source your own parts and spend your weekend completing repairs, you could reduce your repair bill from thousands of dollars to hundreds.
2. Visit a Scrapyard
If you are comfortable doing repairs yourself, many parts can be found in salvage vehicles that have deeply-discounted prices over new OEM parts.
Visit a pick-a-part style scrapyard, like U Pull & Pay, and ask for your year, make and model. Most sites will have a very similar vehicle. If you remove the parts yourself, you can get your car running for a fraction of the price.
3. Borrow Tools
If you have not had the chance to get a lot of specialized tools, you can typically go to an auto parts store and rent a tool.
This is significantly cheaper than buying a special tool you may only use once.
If you are not comfortable doing the work yourself, take your vehicle to a local and trusted garage.
4. Avoid Dealer Service Centers
If you are not comfortable doing the work yourself, take your vehicle to a local and trusted garage.
Dealership service centers tend to have higher labor rates and higher part costs. By finding a small garage, they usually know the best ways to save you some money. This could be by using remanufactured or aftermarket parts, or charging a lower labor rate.
The next time you find yourself needing an expensive repair, keep these tips in mind to save yourself a lot of money.
The next time you find yourself needing an expensive repair, keep these tips in mind to save yourself a lot of money.
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