Have you ever been to the mechanic to have a minor repair done, only to be told you need thousands more in repairs? Upselling is a common practice, but it does not mean that it is a scam. Sometimes your car does need a lot of work, but you can save money and time doing some of the repairs yourself. Most of today's newer cars have parts that are as plug and play as you can get. Even if you know nothing about car repair, there are still some fixes that you can handle, saving hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars. You can also work on your schedule, which will give you back something more valuable than money, your time.
1. The first step in the process is knowing exactly what the problem is that needs to be fixed. What started me on this journey was my side view mirror. By a simple miscalculation, my side mirror was accidently knocked off. I went to the dealer to have it fixed and was quoted a price of $ 850.00USD! That was just to replace a mirror. My problem was easy to diagnose because I knew exactly what happened. For problems with your engine, if your light engine light comes on, you can go to your local Auto Zone and they will run a scan and tell you the problem for free.
2. The second step is to not take the first offer. Get on the internet and start scouring for not only a better price, but for specific instructions on how to make the repair. I first visited the Ford parts website to get the exact part number for my mirror. I found out that I could purchase the mirror assembly directly from Ford for $ 230.00USD. The mirror would come unpainted, so that led me to find out how much it would cost to get it painted. I found a local paint shop that was willing to do the work for $ 50.00USD. A flat rate for an excellent job. This step took me a while to complete, but I ended up spending $ 280.00USD in parts. That is $ 570.00USD in savings over having the dealer repair the mirror.
3. Complete the repair job on your own watch, and get your time back. I do not know how many hours I spent at a dealer waiting for my car to be repaired. Now, I am in control of that and I can save myself hours of pointless waiting. If you are lucky, then Haynes might have a repair manual available for your car that will easily guide you step by step through the repair process. They can cost you between $ 20.00USD and $ 30.00USD, or you might be able to pick up the official repair compact disc from the manufacturer off eBay or Amazon. I was not so lucky and it took me about three hours of diligent searching to find the instructions I needed.
All told, the job took me about an hour to complete, and saved me almost $ 600.00USD. That was a huge difference in going to the dealer. I would encourage anyone to try to look into doing their car repairs themselves if you have the desire. Do not bite off more than you can chew though. If a job is too tough, leave it to the professionals.