Motoring can certainly be expensive when you factor in the price of buying a car, fuel, road tax and maintenance. This is why it is always worthwhile looking for areas to make savings and maintenance is certainly an aspect where a motorist could make big savings if they decide to work on the car themselves as opposed to taking it into the garage.
Cost of Repairs & Servicing
Taking a vehicle in for repairs and maintenance can be an enormous cost and, in many cases, you will find that often it is work that you could complete yourself. The cost of car servicing in the UK is around £125 and replacing certain parts can be of huge cost, such as:
- Radiator – £430
- Water pump – £240
- Engine exchange – £2,575
- Cylinder head gasket – £520
Disruption
Even repairs smaller than this can be a large cost which can negatively impact your financial situation unless you have money set aside for this reason. Car repairs can be stressful and disruptive enough without being a major cost that needs to be managed.
Work You Can do Yourself
There are, of course, times when it is important that you take the car in for repairs because it would be unsafe for you to complete the work yourself. Often, though, it is work that you could easily complete in a home garage. The internet is a fantastic resource where it is easy to find guides, videos and tutorials for basic repairs and vehicle maintenance. You simply need to have a suitable space to work and the right tools for the job.
Tools & Equipment
It will be at a cost to get set up with the tools and equipment that you need to perform minor repairs and maintenance but this will allow you to make long-term savings. Performing regular maintenance throughout the year will also help you to keep the car in top condition so that you should not need to carry out any repairs (although this is not guaranteed).
Investing in Quality
It is always important to invest in quality items so that you can carry out the work safely. Places like SGS will be the best places to buy everything that you need to get a home garage up and running as a supplier of impact wrenches and various other tools that you will need. There will also be equipment such as a trolley jack and engine crane which will allow you to carry out work efficiently and safely. Once you have everything that you need, you can then carry out work without any or very minor spend on replacement parts and not have to worry about taking the car in to be serviced.
Every motorist should consider performing their own maintenance and minor repairs. This could help you to make long-term savings by eliminating the need to take the car into the garage, plus many people also find that working on their own car can be good fun and highly rewarding. Once you have a few tools and bits of equipment there are all kinds of tasks that you can complete yourself, but you must always make sure that you know when it needs to be done by a qualified mechanic.
