Car Repairs Best Done Early

Here’s a bit of advice for the mechanically disinclined folks: if your car is making a noise, you should probably get that checked out.  And by probably, I mean as soon as possible because it just might end up saving you hundreds of dollars.

For several months my car breaks have been squealing.  I’m aware that this is usually an indication that something is wrong, but since I have little to no savings in my bank account I figured that the impending car repair bill could wait until 2011 (paid for with, hopefully, the X-Mas cash I would be receiving from my obliging relatives!).  However, my doting father would have none of it when I mentioned my car trouble to him, so off we went to Tires Plus.

Not only were my rear brakes entirely destroyed, but my front brakes were so worn down that the metal was starting to dig into the rotor.  If I had gone much longer before bringing the vehicle in for repairs they’d have to replace the entire rotor for an additional $400 on top of my already pricey repair bill.  Thankfully I hadn’t managed to cause any permanent damage to my car and they were able to salvage the rotor, but I still had to replace all four brakes as well as the rear supports.  My overly obliging father offered to pay for the bill at the expense of my X-Mas AND future birthday presents, and I was more than happy (and thankful!) to accept the deal.

Bottom line: cars are expensive, so heed the squeaks and groans of your vehicle and save yourself the hassle (and the money) by getting it checked early!  You might think you’re saving money by holding out a trip to the repair shop, but you’ll only be earning yourself a larger bill in the future.