What’s all the hype about
preventative maintenance?
This is one case where the hype is not just sales
talk. If you want your car to last for
the long haul, without incurring major repair bills, you have to take care of
it. Next to a house, a car is the second biggest purchase most people
make. It makes sense to protect such a
large investment.
It's true, it does cost a lot to properly maintain a car. But
it cost a whole lot more to fix the things that break when you don't maintain
it! It may cost $38 to $75 to change the oil, but it can cost
$4,000 or $8,000 to change the engine!
The importance of changing oil, and other
maintenance items cannot be exaggerated. If you want to get your money's worth
from your car, you have to maintain it. New or used, a car will
cost you less overall if you spend a little more on maintenance. The chart
below does the math for you. You can compare overall maintenance costs vs. the
cost to repair.
Maintenance Cost vs. Repair Cost Here
is a list of suggested maintenance with its approximate cost. Shown also is the
system that is damaged by neglecting the maintenance, and the approximate cost
of repairing that system.
|
Maintenance item |
Options |
Cost each time |
Increase mpg & performance |
Prevents breakdown |
Cost over |
Interval miles |
System or component protected |
Cost to repair system or components |
Savings |
|
100,000 |
|
miles |
|
Change Engine oil and filter |
Good |
$38.00 |
Some |
Yes |
$1,266.67 |
3000 |
Engine |
$8,000 |
$6,733.33 |
|
Better |
$48.00 |
$960.00 |
5000 |
$8,000 |
$7,040.00 |
|
Best |
$58.00 |
$1,160.00 |
5000 |
$8,000 |
$6,366.67 |
|
Extender |
$49.00 |
$1,633.33 |
3000 |
$8,000 |
$6,285.71 |
|
Synthetic |
$120.00 |
$1,714.29 |
7000 |
$15,000 |
$13,285.71 |
|
Transmission Service |
from |
$100.00 |
|
Yes |
$196.08 |
51000 |
Transmission or transaxle |
$2,500 |
$2,303.92 |
|
to |
$230.00 |
$450.98 |
51000 |
$5,000 |
$4,549.02 |
|
Replace Timing Belt |
from |
$400.00 |
|
Yes |
$444.44 |
90000 |
Engine- If it is an interference fit |
$4,000 |
$3,555.56 |
|
to |
$1,000.00 |
$1,111.11 |
90000 |
$8,000 |
$6,888.89 |
|
Clean fuel air system |
from |
$75.00 |
Yes |
Some |
$208.33 |
36000 |
Fuel Injectors, catalytic converters. Includes Savings on the right
includes protected parts and mpg savings from the green area below |
$1,500 |
$3,498.56 |
|
to |
$150.00 |
$340.91 |
44000 |
$3,000 |
$4,865.99 |
|
Fuel Savings from Tune-up and fuel/air cleaning |
Price of gas |
$4.00 |
increase in mpg from maint. |
4 |
Total cost of gas |
$16,000.00 |
Less pollution, better performance and idle quality. |
Increase of mpg saves: |
$2,206.90 |
|
car's mpg |
25 |
Cost of gas with mpg increase |
$13,793.10 |
|
|
|
Ignition Tune-up, plugs, wires cap and rotor |
from |
$75.00 |
Yes |
Yes |
$187.50 |
40000 |
Required for proper performance- protects catalytic converter, etc…
Savings on the right includes protected parts and mpg savings from the
green area above |
1500 |
$3,519.40 |
|
to |
$400.00 |
$533.33 |
75000 |
3000 |
$4,673.56 |
|
Pack wheel bearings |
from |
$130.00 |
|
Yes |
$220.34 |
59000 |
Hub & spindle |
300 |
$79.66 |
|
to |
$250.00 |
$423.73 |
59000 |
1500 |
$1,076.27 |
|
Fuel filter |
from |
$60.00 |
Yes |
Yes |
$125.00 |
48000 |
Fuel pump, engine and performance |
600 |
$475.00 |
|
to |
$150.00 |
$312.50 |
48000 |
1500 |
$1,187.50 |
|
Service differential |
from |
$120.00 |
|
Yes |
$190.48 |
63000 |
Differential, RWD wheel bearings |
500 |
$309.52 |
|
to |
$200.00 |
$317.46 |
63000 |
2500 |
$2,182.54 |
|
Flush brake fluid |
from |
$100.00 |
|
Yes |
$178.57 |
56000 |
Master cylinder, wheel cylinders, calipers, ABS unit |
500 |
$321.43 |
|
to |
$150.00 |
$267.86 |
56000 |
3000 |
$2,732.14 |
|
Replace drive belts and coolant hoses |
from |
$300.00 |
|
Yes |
$315.79 |
95000 |
Prevents breakdowns and possible overheating with engine damage |
2000 |
$1,684.21 |
|
to |
$800.00 |
$842.11 |
95000 |
8000 |
$7,157.89 |
|
Flush power steering |
from |
$100.00 |
|
Yes |
$153.85 |
65000 |
Power steering rack and pump |
500 |
$346.15 |
|
to |
$160.00 |
$246.15 |
65000 |
2000 |
$1,753.85 |
|
Cooling system flush |
from |
$100.00 |
|
Yes |
$166.67 |
60000 |
Radiator, heater core, engine freeze plugs, intake manifolds, etc |
1000 |
$833.33 |
|
to |
$150.00 |
$250.00 |
60000 |
8000 |
$7,750.00 |
|
Service Battery |
from |
$16.00 |
|
Yes |
$35.56 |
45000 |
Starter, alternator |
300 |
$264.44 |
|
to |
$30.00 |
$66.67 |
45000 |
800 |
$733.33 |
©
1994, 2012
Dyrell Hicks All rights reserved
|
Located
off of Cedar Road in Great Bridge.