Did you know that it takes about 25 hours to build a car, 10 of which are spent on the paint, but it only takes a few seconds for something to put your car out of commission? It seems unfair that something that you paid so much money for should need constant maintenance, and occasionally some serious work, but it is a fact of life. So what do you do when your car needs repair?
Some people choose to ignore the grinding noises, or the weird shimmy-shake when the speedometer pushes 60 mph, but most of us try to find a way to diagnose the problem and get our vehicles repaired. If you are feeling proactive, then here are three tips on how to use smart car forums and online resources to prepare you for the impending repair.
Find smart car forums.
Helpful car repair forums might be able to tell you that the smell of maple syrup in your car could indicate issues with the cooling, and if your car pulls to one side when you drive it might be the alignment. Using a car mechanics forum is a great way to get some free advice from real car mechanics so that you can further refine your hypothesis and look into what possible repairs might cost.
Know what you are getting into.
Some things, like a worn out clutch, or transmission fluid in your brake fluid reservoir are without a doubt pricey, but can cost less than $3,000 to fix. Other things, like a dead transmission, or an overheated engine, can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 at their very worst in order to fix. You can use a car repair calculator to try and figure out what your repair might run, if the forums did not already give you an idea.
Talk to a mechanic.
Armed with the information from smart car forums, you are as close as you can be to being truly prepared to bring your car in and hear the good news, or the bad news. You may want to get several estimates on car repairs depending on how clear or how vague your particular car problem is. Clear problems tend to have clear prices, widely shared on the internet. Vague problems mean unknown solutions, so getting more than one quote will be helpful. When you settle on a mechanics shop, ask if they have any car repair coupons.
A car repair forum can be a great resource, but remember that there is no substitute to having a professional actually look at your car and investigate the problem. Knowing how much it might cost, and what problems it might be, can help protect you from a dishonest mechanic, so use these tips to learn as much as you can before you bring your car in.