1. Lesson Four: Maintaining a New or Used Car
© 2005 Consumer Jungle

2. Routine Maintenance Oil changes Tune-ups Brake Service Replace
Windshield wipers
Battery
Timing belt
Routine maintenance will help prevent more costly and unexpected repairs!
Information in your owner’s manual.
What is the worst mistake you can make when it comes to maintaining your car?
Not doing it!
Pay special attention to the things that will cost you a fortune if they break. That means regular oil changes, tire rotations and transmission tune-ups, even if the car is running fine. Timing belts, for example, are spendy at as much as $600, and replacing one for no other reason than that the odometer has turned 90,000 miles might seem wasteful. But let one break and you'll find that repairing bent valves could cost you three times that. Replacing torn CV boots, those plastic housings that keep grime and grit out of the car’s constant-velocity joints, costs about a third as much as a CV joint repair. (If your owner’s manual is long gone, MSN Autos has a free online service, My Car, that tracks your car’s service schedule.)
Des Toups, “Keep your old clunker or buy a new car?” The Basics Online, 1 December 2005.
© 2005 Consumer Jungle

3. Unexpected Repairs
When the new car bumper-to-bumper warranty expires, you must pay for:
Engine problems
Drivetrain damage
Internal engine repairs
Replace
Suspension
Alternator
Starter
Water pump
© 2005 Consumer Jungle

4. Find and keep a Reliable Mechanic
Find a mechanic before you need one.
Do your friends and family recommend the mechanic?
Is your mechanic reliable? ASE Certified?
Go to one place consistently
Does the repair shop have complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau or the Consumer Protection Office?
Think of your car as a long-term investment
ASE Certified Mechanic: Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) is an impartial, third-party endorsement of a mechanic’s knowledge and experience.
ASE is a nationwide agency that certifies technicians. Technicians have to apply for recertification every 5 years.
Automotive Service Association (ASA) is a membership group that mechanics and technicians join. The organization has nothing to do with testing, but members of ASA agree to abide by a comprehensive code of ethics.
If you see the ASE and ASA signs hanging at the mechanic’s shop, you’ve found a skilled and ethical person to work on your car.
© 2005 Consumer Jungle

5. Get Written Estimates
Describe the symptoms to the mechanic, instead of trying to diagnose the problem
Get the estimate in writing.
Get more than one estimate.
Don’t sign a blank repair order
Don’t sign blank repair order – Make sure the repair order clearly states what you want done.
© 2005 Consumer Jungle

6. Frequency of Oil Change?
Oil-change store will always suggest 3,000 miles
What does your manual say?
If you do a lot of driving around town, more often is better.
If you do mostly highway driving, you can change the oil less often.
3,000-mile oil changes. Manufacturers typically suggest 5,000 miles, 7,500 miles or even longer intervals between oil changes (many car markers now include oil-life monitors that tell you when the oil is dirty -- sometimes as long as 15,000 miles.) There may be two recommendations for oil-change intervals: one for normal driving and one for hard use. If you live in a cold climate, take mostly very short trips, tow a trailer or have a high-revving, high-performance engine, use the more aggressive schedule. If you seldom drive your car, go by the calendar rather than your odometer. Twice a year changes are the minimum.
© 2005 Consumer Jungle

7. But it costs more to repair the car!
Does the cost of repairs exceed the cost of a new car?
Probably Not!
Compare the cost of a new transmission vs. the cost of a new car:
Total Cost
Monthly
Annual
Repair
Old
Car
Buy
New Car
Total Cost
$1,500
$21,000
Monthly
(if financed)
$350
Annual
$4,200
Those repair bills are really adding up. Then do the math. Does the cost of repairs exceed the cost of a new car? A typical new car is $21,000, about $350 a month for five years after 20% down. A rebuilt transmission might run $1,500, a huge outlay in one chunk, but far less than the $4,200 a year you’d spend on new-car payments alone. If you can’t afford repairs twice a year, it’s unlikely you can afford a new car payment every month. In any case, anybody with a car older than three years should be tucking aside $50 a month for repairs and maintenance. If the gods smile, you’ll never use most of it and you’ll have a tidy sum to blow on your next car.
The repair costs more than the car is worth. A $1,500 engine rebuild that keeps your ’83 Toyota on the road still makes good financial sense. It’s at this point, however, that all but the flintiest drivers begin to think about upgrading.
Des Toups, “Keep your old clunker or buy a new car?” The Basics Online, 1 December 2005.
© 2005 Consumer Jungle