How To Budget for Car Repairs

You and every other car owner will know that one of the hardest things to do is budget for car repairs. You have so many other things to consider as part of your weekly and monthly money calculations that when it comes to adding car repairs, it feels like far too much to add! These are the costs that are well known for stretching and bending your budget until it breaks, and as the average cost of car repair is pretty high, it’s important to realise how you can add it all into the budget regularly.

Don’t panic about this, though. The good news is that you can make this work so that you can afford to head to the accident repair centre if you need to. Ideally, you won’t have to bother because an accident isn’t going to happen – the power of positive thinking. However, if you do have to go to get repairs for your car, then you need to know how to budget.

• Keep a regular schedule. If you want to keep your car on the road and you want to ensure that you avoid a breakdown, then the best thing that you can do is to keep a maintenance schedule. Nothing will be wrong with your car in the long term if you are keeping up with regular checks in the short term. You should get your car serviced at least once a year, but if you hit 12,000 miles before the year is out, book a checkup for your car!
• Check the oil. Are you changing your oil yourself? Some people know how to do it without the mechanics to help them and if that’s you, you should ensure that you are keeping on top of the oil change. These are relatively inexpensive so you can work this into your monthly budget once or twice a year. Worn out engines need an oil change, but it’s better not to wait until the engine wears out to change it. 
• Changing the tires. This can be a big expense if you need all four tires changed, but if you choose a month of the year to put tire money away, you can then guarantee you have the money saved as you need it to be. If you get a flat tire on the road, you can then use the money you saved to replace the tire and it’s already worked in. A tire change really does matter if your car needs it, so don’t skip it! 
• Wiper replacements. If you are noticing your windshield wipers are leaving your car windows streaked up, then you need to get these changed so that you don’t have this constantly happening. It doesn’t have to be expensive – similar to the oil change cost – but if you get it done when it’s due to be done, you can ensure that your car has the wipers necessary to keep you safe when the weather is heavy.

These are the basics to budget for, but it’s all about knowing the general repair costs and working toward saving as you can.