Friday, February 21, 2014
Common Auto Repair Costs
Automobiles require regular repairs and maintenance in order to run properly. The car make and model determines the price of each repair. Schedule maintenance and standard repairs with automotive specialty shops or certified technicians at the service department of car dealerships. Obtain a basic estimate of the work required for your vehicles common repairs, before agreeing to have the work performed.
Oil Change
Oil changes are part of common automobile maintenance. Manufacturers publish a recommended oil change schedule in the owners manual for each vehicle. Automobiles need the oil changed every three to four months or every 3,000 to 5,000 miles, depending on how hard the car is driven. Some newer models have a warning system informing the automobile owner the oil needs changing. Average oil changes cost up to $30 or more, at the time of publication, depending upon the type of vehicle. Foreign vehicles, such as Mercedes, cost in excess of $220 for an oil change.
Coolant System
The coolant system consists of the radiator, the water pump, the thermostat, the water and anti-freeze running through the radiator and into the engine. Coolant needs changing on a regular basis, similar to the oil change, as over time, the coolant breaks down. Flushing the fluids out of the radiator prevents overheating of the engine and keeps the proper amount of coolant in the system. The coolant requires flushing every 24,000 to 36,000 miles depending on the make and model of the car, according to the American Automobile Association. Expect to pay between $50 to $145, at the time of publication, for this common repair.
Tires
Tires take most of the punishment during driving. The friction from the road and debris wears the tires tread over time. Tire replacements run into the hundreds of dollars for each tire. A damaged tire from road debris is repaired by placing a patch on the damage. Rotating tires on a periodic basis prevents premature wear of the tires and is part of a regularly scheduled maintenance program. The Tire Manufacturers Association outlines the procedures for making repairs or patches to tires. Check with your local automotive shop, as some shops offer free tire rotation, if you purchased the original tires there.
Battery
Everyone has experienced a dead battery problem. Batteries have a life of approximately three to five years and require replacing instead of recharging. Battery cables require periodic cleaning and is a process easy for the car owner to perform. The cost of a new battery, at the time of publication, ranges from $45 to $90 or more depending on the type of battery and warranty. Most automobile service departments install and clean the battery cables as part of the battery purchase.
Tune-Up
Part of a common auto repair cost and something necessary for regularly scheduled maintenance is a tune-up. With the soaring price of gas, ensuring spark plugs are clean, gapped correctly and spark plug wires are in good shape, goes a long way to help ensure your miles per gallon stay up instead of dropping. Dirty plugs, cracked spark plug wires or a dirty air filter gobble up that costly fuel. Tune-ups, if you do them yourself, at the time of publication, cost from $35 and up, depending on the make and model of your car. Conducting regularly scheduled maintenance and performing common repairs keep small problems from becoming big ones.
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