Auto Parts: Just the Parts You Need

Auto repair is expensive. Something as simple as a clutch repair can cost thousands. Even the cost of oil changes and tune up's add up quickly. How can you make vehicle ownership more cost effective?

With the sky-high prices of professional car repair, do-it-yourself car maintenance is a practical solution to capping the cost of vehicle maintenance. After all, a big chunk of what professional auto centers charge is a service fee to pay for the labor of the technicians and mechanics. If you're fine with the idea of getting down and dirty with your car, doing the repairs and the maintenance yourself is a much cheaper alternative. There are several routine procedures that don't really need a lot of technical know-how to do; just an auto part, the right tools and about an hour of your time will suffice.

Fix Your Own Filters

We know that the most typical service, an oil change, is a necessity to keep your vehicle operational. Replacing old and worn fuel or oil filters is one of the more common items in any car maintenance checklist. It's a little pricey to have to go to the auto shop for this replacement, though, because the auto shops' labor charge often exceeds the cost of the part itself! Because you have to replace your filters every 3,000 miles or so, those charges for labor can really add up. DIY filter replacement, as you could probably imagine, can and will save you a lot of money.

To replace your own filters, all you'll need to get is the filter itself. This will cost you as low as $5 for the oil filter or $15 for the fuel filter. Today there are many options as to the quality of your filters. Choose based on factors such as hard driving conditions and the age of the vehicle. When getting replacement filters, make sure to get the one that's specifically for your car's make and model because the specifications vary. The filters come with handy replacement instructions. No rocket science there!

Bring In New Brakes

Changing your car's brakes is another common car care procedure. Because it's so common, auto shops tend to charge a lot on brake replacement services as well. Just like the filter replacement, it's something you have to do regularly - every 12,000 miles - so doing it yourself saves you a lot of money in the long run. DIY service will free up funds for better quality brake pads.

The auto shops can charge as much as $200 to change your brakes when you can buy the parts yourself for as low as a measly $35. Yes, they charge that much. They also tend to use or recommend more expensive or higher-end parts because they make better profit margins on them.

Although you're most likely going to change just the brakes in front, you'll be buying a boxed set of brake items. That set should include the brake pads themselves, a set of secondary parts and, oftentimes, some lubricating powder. Aside from the set of parts itself, you're going to need some basic tools like wrenches, which you're likely to find in your garage or toolbox.

Changing the brakes and replacing the filters aren't the only things you'll have to do regularly to maintain your car. There are also things like hose changes, belt replacements, and so on. Having all of those maintenance procedures done at the auto shop will end up costing you in labor and parts markups. Why pay all that extra money when you can do it yourself?