If you were expecting to see tips on getting discounts or coupons for car repairs and maintenance, sorry, you won't find it here in this article. But what you will find out are strategies to keep your car in top shape and what not to do to your car.
Some of these tips may surprise you and some may seem so basic that you’ll wonder if it is really worth the effort, but the short answer to this question is a definite “yes.” One thing you can do immediately is to just read through your car manual. We know, it’s not exactly quick reading, but at least go over the manual to familiarize yourself with the car and its maintenance schedule.
Just finding out about when you should change the engine oil, what type of oil your car should use, and how many pounds of air pressure to put in your tires can save you big money from sudden blowouts or preventing premature engine wear.
Ask for "Goodwill Assistance"
Everybody hates it when something they’ve purchased starts to breakdown just after the warranty expires. This is especially hard for car owners. But wait, there’s more! as TV infomercials are fond of saying. You can contact the manufacturer of your car and ask about a “Goodwill Assistance” for car owners who have expired warranties, which may cover what went wrong with their cars.
But if your carmaker has this type of assistance, you’ll need to provide them with details about how long since your car warranty expired, whether or not you have kept up scheduled car maintenance, and other factors that may go in your favor. Of course there is no guarantee that you’ll get a freebie out of this, but it doesn’t hurt the ask anyway.
Forget the Flush
You usually see offers from car service centers that offer radiator flushes, transmission flushes, and other car fluid flushes to improve the performance and general well-being of your car. It sounds like a great idea, but before you plunk down your cash for a flush, you may want to understand that the only flush you’ll really see is your cash going down the proverbial toilet.
Car manufacturers and experts say that car flushes, of any kind, aren’t very useful in terms of car maintenance and that the benefits are small, if not entirely lacking, when the cost factor is taken into account. In some cases a pressure flush may even damage your car because seals or couplings may not be able to handle the stress of the flush pressure. The best thing to do is to flush the idea of car flushes down the drain.
Check for TSBs
For owners of new cars, carmakers issue things called Technical Service Bulletins or TSBs as they are known in the industry. These service bulletins concern information about extended warranties to fix problems, free upgrades or free fixes to improve the car, or recommended free car service. These aren’t recalls but are voluntary service announcements to help maintain or upgrade the quality of the car.
The catch is that these technical service bulletins aren’t usually sent out to car owners, so you’ll have to go online to see if there are any TSBs for your car. The time you take to have the suggested work done could save you car repair bills in the future.
Source: MSN Autos/Hana Livingston