In megacities with cheap cabs and carsharing a personal car is gradually becoming an unnecessary expense item. Washing, gas stations, maintenance, and parking are the least of these expenses you have to deal with every day. If you add secure parking and insurance, it becomes quite sad.
And many car owners don't realize how much they overpay, and on what services one can save much. Let's consider how to spend considerably less on your car.
Wash self-service
Of course, if you live in the countryside and you have an equipped area, then you can in principle not spend money on a car wash. Residents of megapolises do not have such an opportunity, but even here there is a way to save noticeably - for example, to visit a self-service car wash. You will have to wash your car yourself, but the cost can be 50-60% lower than at a regular car wash. Snow foam from JennyChem would be a perfect solution for a thorough car washing.
Insurance with a franchise
Insurance takes a significant place in the total car ownership budget. However, you may noticeably save money here as well by choosing car insurance with a franchise. This scheme does not provide for paying the minimum damage up to the amount specified in the contract, but the cost of insurance may be 15-20% lower than the full hull insurance.
Independent service
Of course, if you are not a professional car mechanic, you most likely will not be able to perform full maintenance. But you can handle some elementary operations like changing light bulbs in headlights, spark plugs, or oil in the engine even without special skills. After all, such seemingly small expenses over a long period usually add up to a tangible sum. But it's better to save in this way on cars with an expired warranty period.
Repair at inexpensive authorized services
Cooperation with authorized dealers costs a lot of money. Refusal of their services will help to save a lot, especially if the warranty period has already expired. After the warranty expiration date, you should definitely look for a good and inexpensive car service. Almost every model has a fan club. There are also many forums where car owners communicate - they can advise a good authorized repair shop. If you are interested in crotch rocket prices, you can find the answer to this question in the forum as well. Some workshops even get the status of "club", and their owners value this title. As a rule, the servicing in such workshops is of high quality and reasonable price.
Independent Purchase of Spare Parts and Consumables
The workshop workers love it when the car owners trust them to buy spare parts. After all, even on this, they earn by slightly overestimating the cost. Therefore, it is better to buy all parts, oil, and other consumables by yourself and bring them with you to service. And to the workers of service stations, you should pay only for the work done. This will allow you to save a lot of money - you just need to find an inexpensive parts store. Again, other owners of the same car can help with it. With a little research on forums and fan clubs, you can easily find good parts store nearby.
Rejection of original parts
Many car owners don't even realize that there are two types of spare parts used for repair and maintenance: original and non-original. The first ones are used by the factory manufacturer during the conveyor assembly. The second ones are produced by third-party manufacturers. And sometimes the supplier of assembly line parts and the manufacturer for the aftermarket may be the same contractor company. And the exact same part with and without the factory label for the aftermarket can cost quite differently. Of course, it makes no sense to go to extremes and buy the cheapest analogs from little-known companies. But also beware of non-original parts, because the price of such parts with proper quality can be 20-30% lower.
Tire fitting with your own hands
Seasonal change of tires is an expensive procedure, but obligatory. However, you can save a little money on it. To do this you should get two sets of disks, one of which will be for winter, and the other for summer "rubber", and install them on the car by yourself. Such a decision will save a lot of money during several years of operation, which is usually spent on the expensive procedure of re-blending the rubber from one disc to another.
The right time for service
Another way to save money is to have your car serviced at the right time. For example, if you go to the tire service, it is better to do it not on the days of peak load. Spring tire change can be postponed for a couple of weeks, and about the fall to take care of a little earlier than the first frosts. After all, this is the time when tire fitting shops and services like to inflate the prices. In addition, even routine maintenance can be done at a big discount if you follow the promotions and special offers from auto services, or get the service in the "dead of the season". For example, during summer vacations or winter vacations.
