How to Reduce Your Costs When Running the Family Car

Apart for your house, the car can be one of your most
expensive purchases. you will be better off financially
if you minimize the costs of keeping your car on the road
and reliable. Looking after your car yourself is not all
that complex. Take the time to learn a few basic skills
and you'll save real money while running the family car.
Ready to start? Let's go.

There are 3 main areas you can help in reducing its running
costs. Some of these are:
- Day-to-day running expenses
- Lessening the servicing costs
- Reducing the car's depreciation as it gets older
Let's concentrate on each of these in turn.

Day-to-day Running Costs
a) Treat the throttle and the brake pedals easily.
Anticipate the traffic ahead and road conditions a little
more and you can save fuel and brake pad wear. Take your
time, go easy on the car controls.
b) Keep the tires pumped up to the right pressure. If they
seem to be wearing too quickly/unevenly or are scrubbing,
take your car to a service center. Get a wheel alignment
done at least once a year.
c) Keep a look out for the best fuel deal. Always use the
discount dockets or coupons.
d) Don't be afraid to ask "What is your best price?" when
it's time to replace your car tires. Compare retailers,
prices and brands. Get to know the best, most economical
tire for your type of driving needs. Compare one retailer
against another. This applies for brake pads as well. Don't
just accept any quote.

Lessening Service Costs
a) Do-it-yourself oil change and greasing. This is
not a very difficult job. I actually enjoy the time under
the car. You can save a significant amount of your
hard-earned cash by spending about half an hour on oil and
filter changes. Just be sure doing this does not void your
warranty. Changing the air filter can save you even more
money.
b) Listen to the cars normal running noises. If these
change, see if you can work where the new noise is coming
from. If you can do this you will be able to offer some
suggestions to the mechanic and reduce the time taken to
diagnose the problem.
c) Look for any loss of fluids. This factor can cause large
maintenance costs if fluid loss is not fixed right away.
Check these regularly: the radiator water level, engine oil
level, brake fluid level, automatic gearbox oil level,
power steering oil and/or clutch fluid levels are all close
to, or at, the "full" mark. Also check rubber hoses for
fluid leaks.
d) Has oil been dropped on the garage floor recently?
Did it come from the back or the front of the car?
Get oil leaks checked right away.
e) If you choose to do your oil changes, look out for the
best prices on oil and filters.
f) If your car does need some work by a mechanic, get
competing quotes. Get the best price by comparing prices
and service.

Minimizing the car's depreciation
a) Keep the car clean at all times, inside and out.
b) Polish the car at least once a year. Twice a year
is better. Find a good brand of polish.
c) Always use floor mats to protect the car carpets.
Keep them clean. Keep the mats and carpets vacuumed
regularly.
d) Any time you buy parts or have work done on the car keep
a record in a log book. Include the date, cost,
mileage/kilometers. Keep the receipts. This will give you
best chance of getting good money fromprospective buyers
when they can see you looked after the car well.
e) Use a good quality leather/vinyl on your dash, seats and
door trims to save them from cracking and discoloration
and getting hard, as they grow older.
f) Keep a lookout for rust spots. They often occur around
the windscreen, under the doors, in the door sills and
other parts of the body. Treat them with a good quality
rust killer. If you can't do it, get a specialist to fix
it right away.
g) Keep the car as close to its original condition if you
want to maximize its value at sale time.

These are just a few ways you can save real money when
running the family car. Your hard-earned money can be
better used in your pocket that in the pocket of the local
mechanic for easy maintenance tasks. Agreed?

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