5 Tips to Save money on Car Maintenanace

My car is over 11 years old, and it still runs well. This is true despite the daily abuse I put it through since I am always  late getting to the train station and have to employ time-saving driving tactics. But my car has been good to me; it sometimes acts like an extra wardrobe closet, storage facility, dining room, and even a meditation space. I do my best to keep up with it's maintenance and don't plan on buying a new one for a couple more years. But, I'm not about to pay more than I have to.


1. Use an Independent Auto Shop:
A good mechanic is like a good hairdresser, they are worth more than gold. Although some dealers will tell you that you must use their garage so that you do not violate the car's warranty, that is not true. 

First, narrow down your search to shops that is ASE -certified (approved by National Institute or Automotive Service Excellence). After that, make sure your mechanic is willing to answer all your questions about your car, and that he allows you to drive the car to see if the problem is fixed before asking for payment. Another good thing to note, is how well-kept the shop is. It's a repair shop, it's not going to be spotless, but a mechanic that is organized and keeps his shop relatively neat is always a good sign.

If you live in the Merrimack Valley, TheThriftyScholar recommends Ricardo at Advance Auto Parts, 12 Carlton St Lowell, MA.

2. Use Regular gas instead of Premium: Just use regular gas unless you have a high compression engine and your driver's manual specifically tells you to run on premium. According to CarTalk, it will save you "20-30 cents per gallon and for an average driver, that can run as high as high as $200 a year." Using higher grade gas is not going to add any extra benefits to your engine performance, it only benefits "the portfolios of impoverished oil company executives."

For a wonderfully illustrated explanation of what knocking is (a sound that occurs when air and fuel are not burning like it should) and how it occurs in the cylinders, see this link on CarTalk.com.

3. Replace your own air filter and wiper blades: Reference your owners manual for the correct model numbers on the parts and buy them on sale at a discount auto-parts store and spend 5 minutes doing it yourself. Replace the air filters every other oil change and new wiper blades once a year.

DIY Wiper blade replacement video
DIY air filter replacement video

4. Make your own windshield wiper fluid: Since wiper fluid is pretty cheap to begin with ($2/gal at Walmart), you probably won't save too much money. But, if you've run out and can't make a trip to the store, just make your own. Combine three cups of regular household window cleaner (like Windex) with a gallon of filtered water. Make sure you use filtered water with no debris in it so that it doensn't clog your nozzle. This is a good recipe for the summer.

One important warning is that a homemade windshield fluid without methanol or some sort of anti-freeze agent, will freeze in the winter. Don't let this  happen!

 To avoid freezing, add16-48 oz rubbing alcohol and mix that with water.

5. Rotate your tires: Front tires get worn out on their sides faster than rear tires, especially since they are used for turning the vehicle. Every 2 oil changes, ask your mechanic to rotate them and check the tire pressure while their at it. This will help you get the most life out of your tires and maybe even fix some alignment issues. A good mechanic will do this at no extra charge. Once you pick a pattern of rotation, make a not of it and print it out so that you remember which tire went where for next time.