Cost of Vehicle Ownership
Post on June 27, 2018 by ultimateauadmin
Car ownership can be expensive. Not only is the initial purchase price of a vehicle getting progressively higher, there is also the cost of ownership that comes with it. While many think the two biggest factors in cost of car ownership are maintenance and repair, the reality is that the cheapest car you will ever have is the one you own. When you trade a vehicle in, you lose value on the trade & depreciation of your vehicle. Your new vehicle will depreciate quickly as well. You’ve also incurred more debt, and have taken on more interest on that debt. Let’s not forget, this new vehicle will still need maintenance & tires all the same even if under warranty, and repairs when it is not.
Considering you are paying no matter what, if you don’t LIKE your vehicle, get rid of it and find one you like! But if you like your car or it suits your needs, you are much better off financially to hold onto it and maintain and repair it as necessary.
Most people expect their vehicle to provide them with a certain mileage before extensive repairs are needed. And it will. If your expectations are be realistic: your car will only uphold as well as it is maintained and cared for. No different than expecting your body or relationships to grow healthy without any regular upkeep and caring for them. Here are some tips for getting the most mileage out of your vehicle:
1. Regularly have your vehicle inspected whether or not it is “due for service”. Ultimate European Repair provides complimentary visual under car inspections by appointment for new or existing clients as needed. Most expensive failures can be avoided if caught when developing early on. Equate this to proactive communication in your relationships instead of ending up in an argument before you fix it.
2. Change your oil AT LEAST every 6 months if you do not drive it often, and every 4 months if you do, regardless of what mileage is specified and the introduction of longer lasting synthetic oils. Because the reality is crankcase vapors containing blow by gases from normal engine combustion saturate engine oil on any vehicle over time. If that oil is not changed frequently, that fuel vapor saturated oil starts to swell both internal and external gaskets over the long haul causing leaks. Equate this to regular exercise instead of waiting until you develop an internal bodily issue or weight condition to start exercising
3. Address Important Repair & Maintenance Items As Soon As Possible – This is key to avoiding crisis situations…While some repairs you can postpone, others need to be addressed immediately before catastrophic failure occurs. Maintenance items are no different; flushing you cooling system every 3 years or 50,000 miles can save you an expensive electric water pump or radiator leak from electrolysis down the road. Car overheating? Get it towed to a repair facility Immediately! A relatively inexpensive coolant tank can easily blow up into an $4000+ engine overhaul requiring expensive parts and labor hours if the vehicle is driven hot even for a short period of time. In our diagnostic reports we always let you know the priority level for any issues found and make honest, experienced recommendations with your best interests in mind. Equate this to seeing the doctor as soon as you start feeling off instead of waiting until it is so bad you can’t go to work today.
4. Don’t Shop Hop – Unless you are in a crisis or out of town. Find someone you trust and stick with them. When a vehicle passes through multiple shops it becomes serviced by different levels of technician competency and varying qualities of parts. This distorts the service history and may also bring the vehicle out of manufacturers operating specifications without your knowledge, creating more work for the current technician to diagnose and repair the vehicle correctly – costing you significantly more money in the end. Also,
5. Don’t Price Shop – There is a mechanic for everyone. The important part is not to find the best price, but to find someone you TRUST who is willing to stand behind their work with a reasonable warranty. If you do shop anything, shop warranties: A quality warranty for automotive repair is 2 years / 24,000 miles. At Ultimate European we provide an unprecedented 3 year / 60,000 mile warranty. We believe you deserve to get what you pay for and a repair facility offering a 6 month or 1 year warranty on a repair you have to spend your hard earned money on is frankly a joke. Be careful! If you are simply price shopping and not inquiring about warranties, that 1 year warranty repair facility will likely offer you a few hundred bucks less than the last place you called and sound great! But when your car makes some noise after picking it up it didn’t before, or has the same warning light come on you brought it in for a few weeks later, that facility isn’t going to stand behind their work and you will end up paying even more. You will always save a significant amount of time and money opting for a repair facility your gut tells you is trustworthy in the first place, even if that is at little more cost. Unfortunately, some of our best referrals have been other repair facilities’ mistakes! Don’t let this be you, trust your intuition & don’t let the emotional stress of your car breaking down get the best of you! Entrust your vehicle with us at Ultimate European Repair and take confidence in the fact that you’ll be getting the most experienced diagnostics and repair at an affordable rate with an unbeatable warranty. Stop by at 8335 W Sherman St Suite #200 Tolleson AZ 85353 or call at 623-776-6126.
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