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How to Save Money through Preventive Vehicle Maintenance
Preventive vehicle maintenance pertains to any of the routine checks and scheduled maintenance procedures that are done on an automobile.The daily use of any vehicle will cause its parts to eventually wear out, its systems to develop faults or fail completely, or its fluids – such as lubricants and coolants – to require replenishing or complete replacement. Having and adhering to a car maintenance schedule helps a great deal in avoiding breakdowns and failures, and the often expensive repairs that result from them. The following tips can further reduce the actual cost of preventive vehicle maintenance.1. Take advantage of your vehicle’s warranty period. Dealerships will offer regularly scheduled service checkups within the warranty period. This includes oil changes and other preventive maintenance activities, as recommended by the manufacturer. Usually, owners will just have to pay for consumables such as the engine oil and filter, with the labor costs given for free.2. If it is past the vehicle’s warranty period, you should ask or shop around for a garage that generally offers a less costly, but respectable quality of service. This will need some research via phonebook listings or online searches. Seek the recommendation of relatives, friends and acquaintances who are also car owners. Once you’ve found the right auto service center, it will be well worth the effort.3. Learn to compare and find the best prices of parts and materials used for preventive vehicle maintenance. If a garage uses their own brand of oil, for example, ask them if you can bring in your own oil. It may or may not be the same brand that they use but, if you got it at a good price, then that is definitely money saved. Be sure, however, to check your car owner’s manual for the correct specifications of lubricants, spark plugs, and other replacement parts.4. Lastly, try to learn how to do scheduled vehicle maintenance yourself. Some maintenance activities like tuning up the engine or changing the oil might require years of experience but, with knowledge, a little help, and the right tools, you can definitely do simpler jobs like checking and replacing a worn windshield wiper blade, or even rotating the tires on your own car.
