4 Ways You Throw Away Money on Your Car

By Sequoia on 05/27/2010 – 4:31 am UTC  --- From Favstocks.com

 

Car dealership services and auto products make it easy for you to throw away money on your car without thinking. When life gets busy, you’re willing to delegate even the simple tasks to a professional so that you can check one more thing off your to-do list. You could be saving a lot of money if you would take the time to do a little comparison shopping and do some work yourself. Don’t throw money away in the process of selling your car or for basic maintenance.

1. Car Dealership Services

The two ways car dealerships try to make more money off you after you buy a car from them are with car repairs and oil changes. They probably made a lot of money selling you your car in the first place if you didn’t know how to negotiate the best price possible. On your way out the door, they warned you to get car repairs and oil changes with them in order to keep your warranty and get the best service. No one knows you car as well as they do, right? It’s a con game, and you end up spending too much money for car repairs. It’s better to hire a local mechanic to do the work if you’re unable to do it yourself. The same thing goes for changing oil. Any oil shop can change your oil, and everyplace, including your car dealership, carries the same quality of oil.

2. Falling for Car Maintenance Schedules

You should maintain your vehicle to save money on costly repairs down the road. When you create your budget, allocate a small amount monthly to save up for major repairs and to pay for oil changes, anti-freeze and other car maintenance issues here and there. Don’t fall for the car maintenance schedule offered by your car dealership, though. It’s one another way for them to make money and for you to throw away money on your car.

3. New Tires

Buying new tires for a used vehicle may be one way you throw away money on your car. Used car tires are often all you need, but you need to know what to look for. That’s something your mechanic or the person you’re buying the tires from, if you trust him or her, can help you with. There’s no rule against putting used tires on new cars either. If you’re looking for ways to save money, buy used tires and pay to get them mounted and balanced properly.

4. Car Detail

It’s often a waste of money to pay for a full car detail, especially if you have it done at the dealership. The only time that you’re not throwing away money on your car by paying for a car detail is when you’re trying to sell it. A car detail makes sense then if it’s affordable. Going to a car dealership is most likely not the most affordable option.

Think before you spend money on your car. Make sure you’re not just throwing money away.

 

Good advice from Car Repair Salinas