How to cut down on your car expenses
Between insurance, repairs, and general upkeep, owning a car can be expensive. However, there are several ways you can cut down on expenses to make things more manageable.
Top up fluids regularly
The various fluids in your car help it run so if any of them get too low it could cause multiple problems, which can be expensive to repair.
Ideally, you’ll check the following fluids every fortnight.
Oil
Oil helps all the internal parts of your engine run smoothly and decreases the friction between metal parts. When you check your oil dipstick, the oil level should be between the minimum and maximum markers.
For petrol cars, the oil should be a yellow-brown colour. If it’s only a little bit dirty, you should top it up with clean oil. If it’s very dirty, you should replace it entirely.
In diesel cars, the oil collects soot as part of the normal process, so don’t be overly concerned if it appears dirty.
As a rule, you should replace your oil every six months, or every 5000-7000 miles, whichever comes first.
Engine coolant
Engine coolant, as the name suggests, circulates your engine and stops it from overheating. It’s vital to keep this fluid topped up as, without it, your engine could rapidly overheat and will either stop working or potentially catch fire.
Regularly checking your fluids and replacing them as needed may seem like an arduous task, but it works out less expensive in the long term than having to do big repairs when something goes wrong with your engine.
Maintain the battery
If you don’t drive for long periods at a time, you may find that your battery degrades and goes flat.
If your battery does go flat, you’ll need to jumpstart it, which can cause problems over time. It puts additional strain on the battery and can also damage the delicate electronics in the engine, which can be a very expensive fix.
To stop your battery from going flat, try to drive your car at least once a week.
Top tip: Did you know simply running the engine will charge the battery? If you can’t go for a drive, just switch the engine on for a few minutes every day. Do this in a well-ventilated area.
Stick to your service schedule
Getting your car serviced regularly is one of the best ways to keep your expenses down in the long run.
While you may not notice something wrong with your car until it becomes an unignorable problem, a mechanic doing your regular service is likely to spot a small issue that could become a huge problem later down the line.
It’s less expensive in the long run to regularly pay for small, easy, repairs than to pay for the new parts, labour, and time for a huge repair that could’ve been avoided.
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