Car Maintenance and Repairs Are Important to the Investment That You Make in Your Vehicle

Auto repairs can be difficult and expensive when you are close to home and have access to mechanics who you have known for a long time. When your college student is 12 hours from home on a campus that is unfamiliar to her, auto repairs can be even more challenging. Having to rely on mechanics in a city that is unfamiliar requires you to to combine both trust and luck to make sure that you get the repairs that you need. Whether you are looking looking for information on types of tires that work in a particular climate or you are searching for someone you can trust to do transmission work, it is important to check references and get a second opinion before you make any major decisions.
Repair shops are not all the same and working with one that is unfamiliar to you can be unnerving. For this reason, it is important to make sure that you check references and consider getting a second opinion. On average, Americans drive their passenger cars and trucks a little more than 10,000 miles a year, and they get an oil change every 3,000 miles. This means, that at the very least, people are looking for a mechanic for an oil change at least three times a year.

In addition to oil changes, there are five other fluids in cars that require maintenance and replenishing. These include coolant, power steering fluid, brake fluid, transmission fluid, and windshield washer fluid. And while some of these fluids can be changed by the owner, many still make the decision to have a dealer or an auto shop take care of all of these maintenance needs. Perhaps because vehicles are the second largest investment that most people make, it is important to make sure that your car, truck, or van is carefully and professionally maintained.

Unfortunately, even though the investment that people make in their vehicles is significant, research shows that there is more than $60 billion worth of car maintenance that goes unperformed every year.