A car isn’t just a one-time expense. The down payment you make on your car is only the start of years worth of bills yet to come, which is what you probably need to consider before you make a commitment. On top of paying for your insurance and fuel, repairs can be quite devastating for your wallet. On top of paying for replacement parts, you’re paying for the services of a mechanic to get damaged and broken parts replaced and repaired, which does not come cheap in most instances.
While the type of car you choose to buy and your insurance coverage can affect how much your repairs bill is, there are some car repairs that you should try to avoid if you enjoy having a bit of spending money.
Engine and Cylinders
A damaged cylinder is a death sentence for your bank account. While damaged cylinders aren’t a common problem that motorists face, if you continue to ignore the warning signs, you could end up giving away hundreds or thousands of pounds to get them repaired. Otherwise, a blown engine is even worse and all you need is an oil leak to wind up with one hefty bill. To avoid the costs of replacing engines and cylinders, get regular services, change your oil and filters regularly, and don’t ignore the warning signs.
Car computer systems
The problem with these kinds of breakdowns and failures is not that the general repairs are expensive, but rather that a mechanic likely won’t know at first glance whether it’s a mechanical fault or a technological fault. In some instances, in-car computers may indicate that it has detected a damaged part when there is none, which means that depending on the talents of your mechanic, you may be paying for both mechanical repairs (that weren’t necessary) and technological repairs. You can probably imagine what kind of havoc this could wreak on your bank balance.
Transmission
The transmission is one of the most important parts of your car which means like you would expect, it’s one of the most expensive parts to fix and replace. This is the part of your car that transmits power from the engine to the wheels and over time can be damaged by rough gear changes or from simply neglecting to regular change your oil and transmission fluid. One of the main reasons why transmission repairs can be so expensive is because of how difficult they can be and you might need to take your car to a specialist for this kind of fix. Yikes!
Car keys
While this isn’t one of the most expensive repairs/ replacements to the others on this list, it certainly is when it’s put into context. There used to be a time when you drop by a locksmith and get a new key cut for only a couple of pounds, but now you can expect to be paying £100 and upward for a replacement set of keys and average costs for replacement car keys are leveling out at about £200! This is because of the computerized elements of the keys that need to be programmed or reprogrammed to your car when you get keys replaced or repaired. The lucky thing, however, is that you can turn to online loans for fast cash to afford a new set of keys, which can’t be said for most of the other expenses on this list.
Turbo
If you have a supercharged car, good luck. Replacing the turbo in a supercharged car is one of the most costly fixes and it doesn’t take too much to damage it, either. Labour alone can cost thousands of pounds, and all it takes to incur this bill is forgetting to let your engine idle after fast driving.
