20 ways you waste money on your car - interesting!

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20 ways you waste money on your car
Don't spend a nickel without a darned good reason. Bone up, wise up and don't let anyone lead you astray.

By Des Toups
Cars make us irrational. We call them our babies and lovingly wax them every Saturday -- or we turn up the radio to drown out the sound of a dragging muffler. Either mindset will cost you money, sometimes a lot of it.

Walking the line between obsession and neglect means you never spend a nickel without a good reason -- and good reasons can include spending money on something that’s not broken.

Here, then, are 20 ways you waste money on your car.

Premium gas instead of regular. Buy the cheapest gasoline that doesn’t make your car engine knock. All octane does is prevent knock; a grade higher than the maker of your car recommends is not a “treat.”

3,000-mile oil changes. Manufacturers typically suggest 5,000 miles, 7,500 miles or even longer intervals between oil changes (many car markers now include oil-life monitors that tell you when the oil is dirty -- sometimes as long as 15,000 miles.) There may be two recommendations for oil-change intervals: one for normal driving and one for hard use. If you live in a cold climate, take mostly very short trips, tow a trailer or have a high-revving, high-performance engine, use the more aggressive schedule. If you seldom drive your car, go by the calendar rather than your odometer. Twice a year changes are the minimum.

Taking false economies. Better to replace a timing belt on the manufacturer’s schedule than to have it break somewhere in western Nebraska. Better to pop for snow tires than to ride that low-profile rubber right into a tree.

Using the dealer’s maintenance schedule instead of the factory’s. Of course he thinks you should have a major tune-up every 30,000 miles. Most of the tasks that we generally think of under the heading of “tune-up” are now handled electronically. Stick to the manufacturer’s schedule unless your car is not running well. If your engine doesn't "miss" -- skip a beat or make other odd noises -- don’t change the spark plugs or wires until the manufacturer says so.

Using a dealer for major services. Independent shops almost always will do the same work much cheaper. Call around, owner’s manual in hand, to find out, mindful that the quality of the work is more of a question mark. Some dealers may tell you using outside garages violates the car’s warranty. This is a lie.

Using a dealer for oil changes. Dealers sometimes run dirt-cheap specials, but otherwise you’ll usually find changes cheaper elsewhere. If you’re using an independent shop for the first time, you might inconspicuously mark your old oil filter to make sure it has indeed been changed. And don’t let them talk you into new wiper blades, new air filters or high-priced synthetic oil, unless your car is one of the few high-performance machines built for it.

Not replacing your air filter and wiper blades yourself. Buy them on sale at a discount auto-parts store rather than having a garage or dealer replace them. Replacement is simple for either part, a 5-minute job. A good schedule for new air filters is every other oil change in a dusty climate; elsewhere at least once every 20,000 miles. Treat yourself to new wipers (it’s easiest to buy the whole blade, not the refill) once a year.

Going to any old repair shop. At the very least, make sure it’s ASE-certified (a good housekeeping seal of approval from the nonprofit National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence). From there, look for a well-kept shop with someone who’s willing to answer all your questions. Estimates must include a provision that no extra work will be done without your approval. Drive your car to make sure the problem is fixed before you pay. Pay with a credit card in case there’s a dispute later. Be courteous and pay attention. A good mechanic is hard to find.

Changing your antifreeze every winter. Change it only when a hydrometer suggests it will no longer withstand temperatures 30 degrees below the coldest your area sees in winter. Your dealer or oil-change shop should be happy to check it for free. Every two years is about right. But you also should keep your cooling system happy by running the air conditioner every few weeks in winter to keep it lubricated, checking for puddles underneath the car and replacing belts and hoses before they dry and crack.

Replacing tires when you should be replacing shocks. If your tires are wearing unevenly or peculiarly, your car may be out of alignment or your shocks or struts worn out.

Letting a brake squeal turn into a brake job. Squeal doesn’t necessarily mean you need new rotors or pads; mostly, it’s just annoying. Your first check -- you can probably see your front brakes through the wheels on your car -- is to look at the thickness of the pads. Pads thicker than a quarter-inch are probably fine. If your brakes emit a constant, high-pitched whine and the pads are thinner than a quarter-inch, replace them. If your car shimmies or you feel grinding through the pedal, then your brake rotors need to be turned or replaced.

Not complaining when your warranty claim is rejected. Check Alldata and the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) to see if a technical service bulletin (TSB) has been issued about the component in question. Manufacturers often will repair known defects outside the warranty period (sometimes called a secret warranty). It helps if you’ve done your homework and haven’t been a jerk.

Not keeping records. A logbook of every repair done to your car can help you decide if something’s seriously out of whack. Didn’t I just buy new brake pads? With a log and an envelope stuffed with receipts, you’ll know who did the work and when, and whether or not there’s a warranty on the repair. And a service logbook helps at resale time, too.

Buying an extended warranty. Most manufacturers allow you to wait until just before the regular warranty expires to decide. By then you should know whether your car is troublesome enough to require the extended warranty. Most of them aren’t worth the price.

Overinsuring. Never skimp on liability, but why buy collision and comprehensive insurance on a junker you can probably afford to replace? Add your deductible to your yearly bill for collision and comprehensive coverage, then compare that total with the wholesale value of the car. If it’s more than half, reconsider.

Assuming the problem is major. If your car is overheating but you don’t see a busted hose or lots of steam, it might be the $5 thermostat, not your radiator. Or it may be that ominous “check engine” light itself that’s failed, not your alternator.

Not changing the fuel filter. Have it replaced as a part of your maintenance -- every two years or according to the manufacturer’s schedule -- rather than when it becomes clogged with grit, leaving you at the mercy of the nearest garage.

Not knowing how to change a tire. Have you even looked at your spare? Make sure it’s up to snuff and all the parts of your jack are there. Changing a flat yourself is not only cheaper, it’s faster, too.

Not keeping your tires properly inflated. Check them once a month; otherwise, you’re wasting gasoline, risking a blowout and wearing them out more quickly.

Car washes. Ten bucks for long lines and gray water? Nothing shows you care like doing it yourself.
 
Car washes. Ten bucks for long lines and gray water? Nothing shows you care like doing it yourself.

Sorry, that's wrong. Cities recommend taking your car to a car wash because to keep the storm drains clean. The water goes to the rivers and streams.

I don't have problem with taking it to car washes because it did help the car to be clean for a good few weeks. The lines aren't long, either.
 
Car washes. Ten bucks for long lines and gray water? Nothing shows you care like doing it yourself.

Sorry, that's wrong. Cities recommend taking your car to a car wash because to keep the storm drains clean. The water goes to the rivers and streams.

I don't have problem with taking it to car washes because it did help the car to be clean for a good few weeks. The lines aren't long, either.

I guess it depends on where you live. We have a big backyard where we can do it ourselves. Those water just go down inside the lawn, basically where the septic is.
 
We wash our vehicles on the driveway, then rinse the driveway after. It keeps our concrete driveway looking clean. Our neighbors who never wash their car themselves, so they have a dark, dirty driveway. They are clean people, and they keep their car in the garage, and they don't have spills or drips on their driveway. It's just the car washing that makes the difference.
 
Waste of $$$ on car isn't good idea, though.
 
What if some people who live at an apartment complex? There is no way to wash their vehicle, so they have to take them to a car wash. :)
 
What if some people who live at an apartment complex? There is no way to wash their vehicle, so they have to take them to a car wash. :)
You do what ya gotta do, no problemo. :)
 
You do what ya gotta do, no problemo. :)

Yeah. :)

Better to pop for snow tires than to ride that low-profile rubber right into a tree.

Not always true because not everyone lives in a snowy region like for example Florida or South California, parts of Arizona, etc. Unless, they're skiing freaks, they would need that snow tires. I don't buy snow tires because it only snows 1-2 times a year on average here.
 
...Not knowing how to change a tire. Have you even looked at your spare? Make sure it’s up to snuff and all the parts of your jack are there. Changing a flat yourself is not only cheaper, it’s faster, too....
I keep my spare in good shape and inflated. I know where the jack is. The truth is though, in my 33 years of driving, I've never had a roadside flat tire that needed to be changed. I've had slow leaks (nail punctures) that I got fixed, and one tire went flat when I was almost home, so I was able to pull into my driveway. But none of my cars ever needed a flat tire changed on the side of the road.

I hope I didn't just jinx myself. :P
 
I once got a flat tire in middle of nowhere in Southern Oregon and I changed it with a spare and drove at 50 mph for 20 miles to the tire shop, they said it couldn't be patched so had to get a new tire for $35.
 
I like going to the car washes that recycle water by using greywater. Water is very precious here in the drought-prone state of Utah. I'd rather use the greywater to wash the car. Problem is, every time I wash my car, it rains. LOL
 
Glad I don't drive anymore, save me $250 a month, only pay $30 for carpool around the city buses :)
 
Car washes. Ten bucks for long lines and gray water? Nothing shows you care like doing it yourself.

Sorry, that's wrong. Cities recommend taking your car to a car wash because to keep the storm drains clean. The water goes to the rivers and streams.

I don't have problem with taking it to car washes because it did help the car to be clean for a good few weeks. The lines aren't long, either.

you can always wash during rain where you live is plenty.
 
I can't use automatic car washes because I have a convertible and it's not good for the cloth top. I wash my car once a month on my driveway, then I go over every inch of it with a clay bar to make the paint smoother. I then vacuum the interior and then use leather cleaner & moisturizer on the seats. Keeps my car looking almost like new!
 
you can always wash during rain where you live is plenty.

Yes, but rain helps, but so it leaves lot of residues due to the dirty roads being washed up from water flying everywhere on the freeways, etc.
 
I keep my spare in good shape and inflated. I know where the jack is. The truth is though, in my 33 years of driving, I've never had a roadside flat tire that needed to be changed. I've had slow leaks (nail punctures) that I got fixed, and one tire went flat when I was almost home, so I was able to pull into my driveway. But none of my cars ever needed a flat tire changed on the side of the road.

I hope I didn't just jinx myself. :P
Great idea! The spare tire is usually the "forgotten one" and uncared for. Thanks for bringing this up.
 
In trucking we have our engines and rigs taken care of over and beyond normal because sometimes the tonnage and bad roads just tear em right up. Usually oil change at 15000, and tested at lab for metal and other particles. No more than 25000 (If you are two drivers you can do 30,000 in a month. Our last brand new tractor ran about 250,000 miles on it's original brakes, and clutch. Tires were replaced (10 x500 each) every October prior to winter ice. Steers are replaced instantly when damaged and front end checked as well and sometimes the problem is found and fixed also. In hot weather in death valley we take our tires to 100 pounds nitrogen generally. Its about 160 to 200F on the pavement at midday on really hot days. So those tires are checked three times a hour. Good tires equals life. Crappy tires well... you hit stuff, get hurt or hurt a family or kill at least one someone. Engines were left alone provided they did well in the old days past a million miles, particularly cat. Today's emissions are their own problems and you would be looking for another engine or new replacement rig at 400,000 miles (Which is around two to three years work) I have driven mid 50's rigs on original engines. However everything else was replaced at least one time. If a alternator fails a few times a year, its a hours work to drop a new one in and keep going. Having to replace 4 batteries is very expensive but much cheaper than not replacing them. Particularly in today's computer trucks that need a minimum voltage to stay on and run everything. Anything else that is broken on a big rig is replaced that day in the shop. We reschedule the load or give it to someone else in the company to keep it moving. But the broken truck is replaced. Money is secondary. Keeping a rig 100% benefits you when you head into -60 winter at 2 feet of snow over ice. A dead cold truck will kill you in less than a hour if you cannot get to a warm place fast. Even more reason to go over the rig.

I carry the same attitude to cars. They get to the shop that will fix whatever needs fixing so thats not a breakdown due to neglect. We check the tires daily. A side note on tires. We went through three sets of four Goodyear vivos premiums in 4 years flat. They get to about 25000 miles and then fail at the sidewall when they bulge or try to blow out. We quit buying those for good. We either use Michelin, Bridgestone or Mid tier American or Korean Hankooks which has traction A and temp group A, tread wear is less important. Although we check against the embedded DOT stripe to see how the treads are doing. Rotating them and keeping nitrogen in them, filling them back to pressure once a month. Our roads are bad and they get beat up so they need good loving care more so than some of the richer states in perfect roads.

Brakes on cars is the other thing. I always say pads are cheap. And they were One car I had long ago I did not do the pads until the rotors failed physically falling to the pavement as chunks of metal along with more damage. That cost me 1000 dollars for a set to be put on the front and a another 1000 for the back. It was more of a top end car back in those days and having bigger more capable brakes with better cooling helps keep them in good order. However today in regular cars I check and replace rotors and pads when I need to. BEFORE they eat too much into the metal. I don't bother turning them anymore. They get new rotors. I had to make a very hard stop from 75 mph on our freeways (We are a 75 state now) when some kid ran into my lane trying to get across in our rush. Good thing all of us stopped. We pulled him out from under the vehicle. He did not get hurt, only his pride and maybe 4 lives out of 9 being scared that we might not stop. (We almost could not, those tires and brakes acted perfect that day.) its worth a life or your freedom to have top brakes when possible. Kid wont be running across highways again for sure.

Coolant. The bigger the engines, particularly the older V8's in big blocks the bigger the radiator over stock cores would be put in. And the transmission got it's own cooler that also worked off the front end which helps it. There were any number of radiator shops for the older cars back then, drop a big one in and quit worrying about it as long your coolant is right mix and strong. Today's cars however have computers that will tell you if it's hot (Take away your AC for example) and you can check the coolant at the shop against what the computer thinks. One time my truck had bad sensors that was telling the computer on it that is -5 inside a 65 degree air conditioned shop. All the sensors at the converter and the water pump coolant was replaced, I think it was 1500 for all three. Once the computer got the right temps it mixes the air and gas properly without being a rich open loop and turning you into a smoky joe which causes other problems.

All engines need ignition, spark plugs, wires, coil, etc etc etc. We are not a emissions state so it does not matter if we throw in a crate engine into our older truck and go. Some states will not let you do that. I have almost 300,000 on my Truck and its on the third engine. (The previous two were taken out and destroyed by melting glass during the cash for junker years a decade or so ago.) So that requires me to go over everything on that truck. All fluids, transfer, axles and bearings in particular along with shocks, brakes and the brake lines and other rubber hoses that are rotting and need replacing after almost 30 years. Its a southern truck so winter salt in the NE does not destroy it much. It does not know salt like they do up there. Just wash it and drive it regularly.

The battery has a solar charger on it. A relatively big one. Every 4 years the battery is replaced no ifs buts or maybes. I prefer the sealed ones big enough to support CCA in winter. Sometimes a battery getting tired will fail to crank your engine and have you get a jump thats the warning you need to go straight to a shop and have them drop in a brand new one. Likely as not the old battery got to where failure is a real possibility. Ive had old style liquid non sealed batteries and the heat here in the south dehydrates them really fast. Then they need replacing. The sealed ones get 4 to 6 years, but again I replace them every 4.

Engine belts. The serpentine belts go by the old trucking rules, if you can see a crack for a inch of belt drop a new belt or belts on there. Carry spares. Some engines suffer from timing chain problems if you fail to check and add oil because they burn a small amount of oil through the valve cover breather. (V6s from Cadillac comes to mind) you can install after market filters that keep more oil in the engine and follow up weekly with checking the oil level. Most people don't do anything with oil, engine goes through just enough and dries the chain out. The next thing it does is break. If your engine is the kind with the valves that go down into the cylinders you just bought yourself either a replacement car or a new engine at that point for not checking oil.

Shop time is not always fun. But we have a generic shop that has a good staff and computers to deal with the car. The dealer used to do it until we had a stuck cigerette lighter (Could not charge cell phones) and they asked for 150 dollars just to look at the thing. Forget it. Rip off. That was the last dealer visit. We have a shop that does nothing but engines and trans, a shop for tires and everything else particularly alingment and a shop for heavier body work and frame (We got tboned last summer, door was replaced among other things in the area for about 4000 dollars there.) The other driver's insurance paid the cost even though the vehicle was totaled on paper. Sometimes in the south a company does whats right even if it's a few more dollars to make it happen.

Stay out of high volume shops like say pepboys with 50 bays. You will find that you go in with a boo boo to fix then two hours and 2000 dollars later on a inflated list of other things they thought to upcharge and fix just to make some money.. well thats a problem. We don't go to those shops anymore. We have mechanics that do look and DOT inspect for problems and prove to us in person that it is a booboo and we get it fixed. As a trucker its easier for me to spot the same boo boo and say yea, its broken drop a new one in please. If I dont catch it he will.

We wash cars regularly, takes about 5 bucks top to bottom water then soap and then back to water. We also wash the underside because several times a year we get underneath the car on the lift at the shop and inspect everything.

Inspect inspect inspect. thats the key, if you find the busted boo boo, go have it fixed before it strands you when you really don't have time for that. My last breakdown with a big rig involved computer failure at the automatic transmission twice in 2001. Those autos were new to the industry and we were the first to have it. The problem we learned was with two drivers hauling medicines and highdollar blood plasma etc 6000 t0 7000 miles every 7 days you don't stop for anything. Maybe fueling twice a week. That was what was hurting the computer. Manual says it needs to be turned off for a hour every 7th day at a minimum to flush the buffer. Or it dies and you get a big rig tow back to the shop and its almost a week to rebuild the computer.

We keep a folder with ALL work done to the car in order. We already know that in the last 15 to 20 years worth we already paid tens of thousands to the shop. However we have a vehicle that is close to 100%. OR we can get a new car every few years and not worry about the shop stuff. ( Used to be a crew boss in auctions and we have first hand experience with people who do nothing to maintain their cars which fall apart and thrown away for another one.)
 
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