Frugality In Practice: Car Maintenance Sucks!

September 8, 2008 · Filed Under ·  

So my wife’s 2002 minivan is about to pass the elusive 100,000 miles and with that comes the BIG ONE! As a fella who believes that routine car maintenance is a good frugal move and will actually save you money in the long run, I was still dreading and procrastinating the BIG ONE. OK, I will cut the suspense, the BIG ONE is the 90,000 mile service.

This is the BIG ONE because it includes the following:

~ Timing Belt ($$$$) Apparently, the grand daddy of routine car maintenance.
~ Replace Spark Plugs ($$$) Apparently they are like hidden behind 312 other parts and take forever and a day to get to.
~ Replace Automatic Transmission Fluid ($$)
~ Flush the sucker! ($$) Replace power steering fluid, fuel injection fluid, brake fluid, etc., and of course all the sticky fluids in our 6 cup holders.
~ A bunch of other smaller things that are fairly inexpensive and completely boring to repeat here. (Run for the hills if your estimate ever has that sentence in it!)

But here is the reason for this post: I hate this entire process! Mr. Goodwrench I am not, so I often feel like I may be getting ripped off. How do we really know if we need all of these things done to the vehicle? We plan on driving the van for a long time so I find myself using that to justify all of this work.  Plus, I want a safe car for my wife and kids.

So here are my questions that I think could benefit many readers:

  1. How do you pick your mechanic?
  2. Do you ever take your car to the dealer for maintenance for peace-of-mind reasons?
  3. What criteria do you use when deciding what maintenance to have done on your car?
  4. Have you ever taught yourself how to do some of this stuff yourself?
  5. If so, do you have any websites or books that you recommend for the DIY’s?
  6. How do you find mechanics that offer free doughnuts in their waiting room?

Thanks, and as always, I look forward to your responses and knowledge!

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Comments

3 Responses to “Frugality In Practice: Car Maintenance Sucks!”

  1. Kaye on September 9th, 2008 11:23 am

    My hubby is NOT a mechanic by any stretch, but has turned to doing a lot of our maintenance himself quite successfully. He uses either a Hanes manual or a Chilton manual. Here’s a post I did about it last month.

    Good luck…and hope it helps!

  2. Kyle on September 10th, 2008 2:00 pm

    Thanks Kaye for the link! I will check it out!

  3. Heather B on September 21st, 2008 9:17 am

    How do you pick your mechanic?
    1. Do you ever take your car to the dealer for maintenance for peace-of-mind reasons? No, dealer labor fees are typically much higher than a mechanic not associated with a dealer.
    2. What criteria do you use when deciding what maintenance to have done on your car? We get maintenance done when it’s become necessary. Ex: new belt, new tires, out of alignment, etc.
    3. Have you ever taught yourself how to do some of this stuff yourself? Recently my husband did a google search on how to change your own oil and found some VERY helpful articles. He is changing the oil in both our vehicles today actually! Something so simple you should try and do yourself, that way you are only out the cost of the oil and your time.
    4. If so, do you have any websites or books that you recommend for the DIY’s? It’s been our experience that you can find a lot of usefull information on the car’s manufacturer’s website. Refer to your manual for tips, tricks and a URL.
    5. How do you find mechanics that offer free doughnuts in their waiting room? Word of mouth, seriously. Ask who has the best waiting room experience. It really pays to find one that has toys/activity table or cartoons on if you’re taking your kids with you.

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