Take Care of Your Car and It Will Take Care of You
In America today, we have built our lives around our cars. We rely on them for so many things and in so many facets of our lives. We need them to get to work. On virtually every application you fill out for a job theses days you’re asked if you have a car or reliable transportation. Unless you live in a major city like New York or Chicago, having a car to get to your job is a necessity.
We also need our cars for many other reasons besides work. We need them to shop for our food and other necessities. We need them to visit family and friends. We need them to travel to entertainment destinations. In short, we need our cars every day, and when we neglect them, it can cost us dearly. When we don’t give our cars the attention they deserve, they can not only cost us, but they cost the economy as a whole. Every year, the neglecting of our automobiles will cost the overall economy upwards of $2 billion.
Car breakdowns do not always have to be major costly occurrences like transmission repair or engine overhauls. Something as simple as having your car’s oil change done regularly or having the tires rotated when it is time can extend the life of your car dramatically.
Car breakdowns can often be avoided by doing simple things like periodically having the belts checked when getting the oils changed or during a simple stop for gasoline at a full-service station. Replacing hoses when they are worn down is also a way to prevent an annoying breakdown from happening unexpectedly, stranding you possibly miles from help.
We all know that car repairs can be costly. Anything that can be done to preemptively secure your car from having an unexpected breakdown will make you feel quite a bit safer on the road. A transmission checkup, for example, can alert you of any problems that might be brewing in your system. Transmission repair is something that is bound to happen sooner or later. You just want to make sure that when you need that transmission repair that you are as prepared for it as you can be.
One of the most under-diagnosed problems that a car owner has to face when dealing with minor car repairs is the issue of faulty timing belts. According to the Car Care Council, timing belts should be replaced anywhere between 60,000 and 90,000 miles. Of course, you should check your car’s owner’s manual for all of the details as they pertain to the make and model of your particular car, but checking with your mechanic from time to time is not a bad idea.
We need our cars for so many things. Just think of how many people depend on you for transportation and what this means regarding the shape of your car or truck. Maybe you have children that need rides to and from school. Perhaps you have family members that rely on you to take them to doctor’s appointments. Maybe you, yourself, need to travel long distances to and from your job each day. No matter what the circumstances, our car can be one of the most important things we own.
You don’t need to own your house. You can rent it. But you need to own a car. You need to own a reliable car. One that will get you from one place to another, time and time again. Don’t let minor maintenance issues turn into major repairs because you don’t take the time to care for your car as you should.