Married to the Empire

Friday, May 4, 2007

Routine maintenance saves money!

I'm a big believer in taking good care of the things we own. Even as a child, I took excellent care of my toys and other things. I would have gotten into trouble if I hadn't! But it's a great habit that has extended into adulthood.

We buy new cars, then do all scheduled, routine maintenance on them. Both of our cars are Hondas (a 1996 Civic and a 2000 CRV), and neither one has ever given us any trouble, and I believe it is because we take such good care of them. We get regular oil changes and use only Mobil 1 oil in them. (My dad retired as a VP from one of the largest oil companies in the world, and he says this is the best oil for your engine.) It's more expensive (I buy a case of 6 liters at Sam's for about $29.), but it's definitely worth it.

Honda recommends having the timing belt changed out after so many miles. It's an expensive procedure, but it extends the life of the car. And remember, if you try to save money by not doing routine maintenance, such as the timing belt change, then you're more prone to having far more costly repairs in the future. For example, if the timing belt breaks, it will ruin all sorts of things in the engine, and that is extremely expensive to repair!

Find a good mechanic whom you trust, and then take care of your cars! Make sure to budget in car repairs so that you're always able to pay cash for all repairs/maintenance. Our cars are still going strong because we're willing to spend the money to keep them well maintained.

For more frugal tips, visit Biblical Womanhood.

3 comments:

Sherry said...

I have to admit that I'm pleased to leave all the car maintenance to my DH. He used to rebuild cars. Nowdays tho', regular car owners can't deal with the computer components, so you have no choice but to see a mechanic.

Now if I can just get him to get rid of the old car he thinks he wants to rebuld. But I think that falls under tips for cleaning up the yard. ;-)

Anonymous said...

Good tips. This is something I tend to put off.

Spinner said...

Had a problem myself with a timing belt, though Martin at http://www.halifaxbearings.com sorted me out. Stocks all sorts of dodge bearings too which is nice. :)