I don’t
know much about cars and, while I know it makes good sense for frugal living to
maintain your car, I also don’t want to pay more than I need to at the
mechanic’s shop.
So, I do what I can to learn about the (unfortunately, many) myths of routine car maintenance. By ‘myths,’ I mean what the shop will tell you your car needs, even though it probably doesn’t. For successful frugal living, any time you’re in a position where you have to pay for a service, stay on your toes at all times!
One of the most common car maintenance jobs that mechanics or dealerships will encourage you to do is to have the engine coolant replaced. Beware: if your car doesn’t have a lot of miles on it, then you don’t need the coolant changed. Today, coolant is made to last roughly five years or the equivalent of about 50,000 miles. If you know your car hasn’t hit this mark in terms of miles, just say “no thanks.”
Just because you’re not a car expert doesn’t mean you can’t do a little to better educate yourself about car maintenance and what you really need to do to get the most out of your vehicle.
*Image from Flickr, courtesy of Robert Couse-Baker
Learn More about Frugal Living:
*This week’s Thrifty Blogger is a 20-something Torontonian who got interested in personal finance at the tender age of 18. Read her take on how her peers are doing at managing money and more.
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