4 Ways to Tell Your Car Needs Maintenance Without a Costly Mechanic Visit
Monday, September 2, 2019, 6:00 AM | Leave Comment
There’s really no avoiding maintenance on your car. You can, however, reduce the costs if you are willing to pay attention.
Below are four ways to tell your car needs maintenance without a costly mechanic visit.
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Keep a Maintenance Journal
This one is pretty simple, but it’s incredibly useful. Your car needs specific types of maintenance done at specific intervals, so keep track of when you get those jobs done. If you know you need an oil change once every three months, mark it in a journal that you need to get an oil change by a specific date. It’s one of the easiest ways to stay on top of regular maintenance and it prevents your car from falling under disrepair from old oil, bad breaking pads, and other common issues that otherwise could have been planned for. This will also help you keep track of when you need to have money ready to pay for these needs.
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Pay Attention to Grinding Noise
It’s generally a good rule to get your car looked at when you hear a grinding noise. The key to saving money, though, isn’t to go to a shop when you have heard the grinding noise for some time. Instead, take a moment to look over your car immediately after hearing the sound and check the wheel and hub bearings. If those are in good order, and your brake pads aren’t old, then you’ll know it’s time for a mechanic as soon as possible. These grinding sounds may indicate issues with the water pump, alternator, brake lines, and other internal mechanisms that require a professional to examine properly.
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Check Your Tire Tread
The best time to go to visit tire dealers is before you have a flat. To make sure that your car is in safe driving condition, keep track of the degradation of the tread. If you can get to a tire shop early, you’ve got a better chance of replacing your tires when you’re not in an emergency situation and being able to shop around for the kind of deal that best suits your budget. Instead of settling for the nearest tire shop, find a high quality, low-cost tire dealer that can offer warranties on the tires. Not only does this help prevent emergency buys, but it also prevents potential damage to hubcaps and other parts of your car that come when your tire blows and your car needs to be towed.
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Listen to Your Brakes
Finally, you should absolutely listen to your brakes. If your brakes are grinding, you’re already in trouble – you’ll not only almost certainly need new brake pads, but you might be looking at new rotors as well. If you want to keep your costs down, make sure you go as soon as you hear the pads start to squeal. This is your warning to get the pads changed and to ensure that you don’t do further damage to your car.
Your car really is designed to tell you when there are problems. If you can keep up with regular maintenance and look for signs of issues, you can get your car into a shop while spending much less money. Remember, it’s always a good idea to tackle these problems early so that you avoid making them worse.
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Meghan Belnap is a freelance writer who enjoys spending time with her family. She also enjoys being in the outdoors and exploring new opportunities whenever they arise. Meghan also enjoys researching new topics that help to expand her horizons. You can often find her buried in a good book or out looking for an adventure. You can connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.
