How to reduce the maintenance costs of your car

Cars are a necessity for many people, but the costs can be difficult to manage. Even after you’ve bought the vehicle, maintenance can be expensive. Below, we explore how you can reduce the maintenance costs of your car.

Smooth driving

Harsh acceleration and heavy, sudden braking can put your car under undue stress. When you’re driving aggressively, your car will suffer wear and tear at a quicker rate. One way to avoid this is by driving smoothly: accelerate steadily and brake well in advance to protect the car. Sadly smooth driving won’t avoid internal problems such as your radio, interiors or things like your Car AC Evaporator breaking, so these may still need repairing or replacing down the line.

Avoid resting on the clutch

Gearbox repairs can be costly and can keep your car out of action for days. Common ways that people damage the gearbox are resting on the clutch while you drive and also resting your hand on the gearstick. If you can avoid these habits your gearbox should last longer.

Fill the tank regularly

Naturally, your car will run at an optimum level when there’s plenty of fuel in the tank. Ensure that you rarely use it when it’s running on low fuel, and you should be able to preserve the engine components for longer.

DIY

Small maintenance costs can add up over time. There’ll be £50 spent here and there on a new tyre or another small job. But if you can learn some DIY basics you can avoid these costs. In the case of a new tyre, this means that if you purchase a car jack to lift the vehicle you can quickly learn how to replace a tyre yourself.

Regular services

Regular services can seem like an avoidable cost, but it’s actually financially beneficial to undergo them. Engineers can quickly diagnose and solve minor problems during a service before they grow out of control and cost you more. On top of this, a consistent and transparent service history will boost buyer confidence and help you sell the car for a higher price.

Change oil

Oil is vital for the health of many components in the car and should be checked and topped up regularly. By learning how to change your oil you can protect your car and your wallet.

Changing the car

Sometimes, maintenance costs are unavoidable. At this stage of the car’s life, it might be worth selling. Once your mileage reaches about 60,000, you can try selling before it depreciates any further and incurs heavy maintenance costs.

Maintenance costs are one of the hassles of owning a car, but there are ways of minimising these expenses. By driving carefully, getting regular services and by learning to do a few small jobs yourself, you can save yourself time and money.