The Cost Of Neglecting Modern Cars

At the time of writing this, the automotive world is in upheaval thanks to international wars that directly or indirectly affect fuel prices. This nation runs on fuel. When these dreadful events occur, like the sun in the morning, all costs rise, including, obviously, car costs. Thus, the temptation is to leave that automotive work until another day. Wrong. Neglect of car maintenance has hidden expenses that are very likely to cause greater financial pain than might be anticipated, long term.

Once, long ago in the last Century, it was possible routinely for a modestly skilled home mechanic to change a hose, a head gasket or a thermostat. Not any more: Today’s vehicle is a rather complex assembly of components, each playing a role in ensuring you stay safely and comfortably on the road. All components are important but some are more important than others, and need to be carefully maintained as time goes on. Tyres are a prime example.

Stay Up To Date

Every car manual (which, of course, you always read from cover to cover, don’t you?) gives all the details of service requirements, both routine and occasional. A new car will also come with a service record which enables owners to maintain regular maintenance. You take your car to a local recommended car servicing garage, they will service the car and fill in the book. A full service history will always go down well with buyers come resale time.

By staying on top of your car maintenance, owners will reduce the chances of a sudden fault and potentially a breakdown. Paying attention to what the car is telling you means owners should also be able to spot issues before they become more serious (and costly) to fix. If one area of your car’s maintenance is neglected, it can have a knock on effect on other components. For example, if you ignore worn suspension components, your tyres are likely to wear down faster.

How Much Is A Car Service?

That’s not an easy question to answer. Obviously simple, small city cars won’t cost as much as a powerful high-end sports model.  It’s straightforward to check up on prices for any given vehicle via a search engine. Fortunately drivers don’t have to take their cars to an overpriced main dealer any more to protect a warranty. Reliable, trustworthy car servicing garages with an MOT Testing Certificate are the best bet. They may not necessarily be the cheapest but what price quality work and safety? A properly maintained vehicle is far less likely to let you down just when you don’t need it. Do a search engine trawl to find the best garage near you; there’s usually plenty of recommendations and reviews.

The Crucial Timing Belt

If your car has a timing belt, it must be replaced as per the manufacturers’ guidelines which is usually between 60,000 (more likely) and 100,000 miles. If the timing belt snaps on an interference engine (common in today’s cars), the pistons will strike the valves and your engine is totalled; there’s no going back. A replacement engine will cost thousands. If your vehicle has a timing chain, it will last much longer but, and this is important, regular oil changes are vital in this instance. That’s why different cars have different service intervals.

Staying Cool

We don’t often see broken-down cars at the road side belching steam any more. The days of the dreaded thermostat sitting on top of the engine block are long gone, but, in those days it was possible for a reasonably skilled driver to change it at the roadside, provided that a spare thermostat, a gasket and some more coolant are carried on board. Yes, we did used to do that.

On a modern car the engine coolant needs to be replaced periodically, usually every 30,000 to 50,000 miles (or 3 to 5 years). Check your user manual to find out the recommended interval. Owners who do a lot of towing, stop-start driving, or a lot of motoring in colder months may need to do this more frequently. While your car is in for service or MOT why not change the coolant then. A fully equipped professional garage will make short work of this and they can check hoses and accessories at the same time.

Aside from overheating, failure to change your coolant could leave you with a warped cylinder head, or a blown head gasket, both of which, unlike olden times, are extremely expensive to remedy. Why would you neglect coolant issues and risk disaster? In such an event an older car may only be good for the scrap yard, such is the cost of modern motoring. That’s why regular servicing is so vital these days.

Braking

Clearly, the importance of maintaining your car’s braking system cannot be overstated. To keep it in tip top working order, you’ll need to replace pads and discs (or shoes on the rear wheels on some cheaper cars) in line with the car’s manual or sooner if you notice something wrong with them. A soft, spongy feel at the pedal or alarming grinding or squealing noises means trouble. Dashboard warning lights may appear.

If brakes are not looked after, pads will wear through and the result will be metal-on-metal grinding, so, instead of just changing pads, the discs may need changing too. Keep the brakes pads and fluids in good order and discs will last much longer.

 

Finally

Knocks from suspension components, a steering wheel that vibrates, tyres that are worn unevenly are just some of the tell-tale signs that your car is not at the top of it’s game. Modern cars are costly but those costs can be mitigated by proper, regular, on time servicing. You know who to call.