After the busy holiday season, with credit card bills piling up, it's easy to postpone routine auto maintenance to save money. But those delays can be very costly in the long term.
When you fall behind on maintenance like tire rotations or oil changes, you could be looking at costly repairs in the new year.
Millions of cars are behind on oil changes and more
Auto mechanic Jeff Landrum, who manages a neighborhood repair shop called Ron's Service Center, sees this problem far too often with cars behind on simple maintenance like oil changes.
"That oil looks dirty," he said while pulling an oil dipstick from a car in his shop. "Definitely due for service."
He says the $50 to $150 cost of an oil change is money well spent.
"It's the cheapest money that you can spend for preventing problems with your car. That is a fact," he said.
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Landrum says low or even dirty oil can lead to engine failure or other expensive problems.
"Especially with the four-cylinder engines they have now in a lot of cars, they work really hard," he said.
CARFAX: What happens if you wait too long
Despite that, vehicle data company CARFAX estimates 20% of drivers are behind on oil changes. It also says nearly 30% of drivers are behind on tire rotations.
Em Nguyen, director of public relations for CARFAX, said, "It's millions of people on the road."
Not rotating your tires, for instance, leads to uneven wear, Landrum said, especially for vehicles with front-wheel drive.
"Those tires, they're pulling all the weight. They are holding the weight of the transmission, the weight of the engine," he said.
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Nguyen says not paying for a service now often leads to those unexpected charges later.
"What if you're stuck in traffic and a problem arises," she said. "Then you gotta pay for a tow."
Other services you should not delay:
- Changing your transmission fluid
- Changing your brake fluid
- Replacing the air filter
Landrum says the good news is you don't have to do those services very often.
"That's something that's done every, you know, three to five years."
Since colder weather reduces battery power, also have a mechanic check your battery health when your vehicle is in for an oil change.
In addition, Landrum says:
- Read the owner's manual for how often services are recommended
- Ask your mechanic if they have a system for tracking services, and keeping tabs on what has been done
- Don't stop servicing a vehicle as the mileage goes up
"Cars don't take a day off, they still break," Landrum said.
So give your car a good service check. It will thank you later, and that way you don't waste your money.
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