Wow! Is the “Check Engine” light back on? Didn’t you just have that checked out? Your car is getting to that age, isn’t it? The engine hums a little more, the suspension wobbles a little more – you hate to admit it, but every time you take your old pedal to the shop the same thought tickles the back of your mind: is it time for a replacement? We’ve all asked ourselves this question before. Perhaps it would be helpful to have a basic understanding of what a car service typically costs.
How much does car maintenance cost? The cost of a car service is between 250 and 800 euros – depending on the make, model and how old the car is. The price also varies from workshop to workshop. We recommend having your car inspected by a workshop every one to two years in order to spot small faults early on before they grow into big and expensive problems.
In the following paragraphs we will give you more useful information on when, how and, above all, how much you should pay for car maintenance. So be sure to read to the end!
Does a new car make sense?
Spending over $400 a year on maintenance and repairs may sound like a lot, but it’s nothing compared to the additional expense of buying a new car, especially when your current car is paid off. It’s been estimated that every five years you drive your car, after paying it off, you save the equivalent of a new car.
To understand this, let’s compare a new car to a paid-off car with regular maintenance. To make things interesting, let’s assume you drive 15,000 miles a year, twice the national average. In five years you’ll have 120,000 kilometers under your wheels, which corresponds to 35 to 40 oil changes. At 40 euros per change, you come to 1,400 to 1,600 euros – let’s say an average of 1,500 euros. Calculate another 2,200 euros for various maintenance work (filters, hoses, tire changes, etc.) and another 1,500 euros for some major repairs such as a new timing belt, new brakes and shock absorbers. If you add that up, you get 5,200 euros, so about 1,040 euros per year.
Let’s compare that to a new car. According to the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), the average price of a new car sold in Germany in 2020 was 36,300 euros. But let’s say you found a good deal for $32,000 and financed $28,000 at 7% interest for 48 months. This results in a monthly payment of just under 624 euros, which corresponds to 7,490 euros per year.
In other words, for the cost of a new car for a year, you could own a paid-off car for five years, drive it to the ground, and still have money left over.
Why is car maintenance important?
Maintaining a vehicle is important because it prevents major problems, major repairs, and even dangerous problems in the long run. For example, neglecting to change the oil can lead to major engine problems, and worn tires or brakes are a major safety hazard. Also, your car will depreciate faster if you don’t take care of it, which means it’s worth less if you decide to sell it.
After all, a vehicle in good condition is essential for commuting to work, picking up the kids from school and having a social life. We’ve put together a short list of important maintenance tasks so you know exactly what to look out for when you bring your car into the workshop.
5 tips for car maintenance
- Lasst euer Auto regelmäßig inspizieren. Ein geschultes Inspektionsteam kann Probleme an eurem Auto diagnostizieren und euch empfehlen, sie zu beheben, die ihr vielleicht gar nicht bemerkt habt. Ein erfahrener Mechaniker kann mit einem Diagnosegerät Autoteile prüfen, ohne euer Fahrzeug zu zerlegen.
- Lasst euren Motor und eure Bremsen routinemäßig überprüfen. Euer Motor ist wohl der wichtigste Teil eures Autos und sollte geprüft werden, um sicherzustellen, dass er auf dem neuesten Stand ist. Auch die Bremsflüssigkeit sollte aus Sicherheitsgründen überprüft werden, und die Pedale sollten gereinigt werden, um Fehlfunktionen zu vermeiden.
- Vergewissert euch, dass euer Auto für die Witterung gerüstet ist. Möglicherweise müssen eure Reifen nachgefüllt oder ersetzt werden, damit ihr sicher im Schnee fahren könnt. Bittet euren Mechaniker, eure Klimaanlage zu überprüfen, um zu sehen, ob sie repariert oder gereinigt werden muss. Es ist auch wichtig, das Getriebe und den Auspuff überprüfen zu lassen, um Überhitzung zu jeder Jahreszeit zu vermeiden.
- Lasst euer Öl regelmäßig wechseln. Einige Experten empfehlen, dies alle drei Monate zu tun, aber manche Fahrzeuge halten auch länger. Achtet auf den Kraftstoffstand, lest in der Betriebsanleitung nach, ob ein Ölwechsel erforderlich ist, und wartet nicht bis zur letzten Minute damit. Euer Auto braucht sauberes Öl, um reibungslos zu fahren!
- Achtet auch auf die kleinen Dinge. Wenn ihr festgestellt habt, dass eure Scheibenwischer Schlieren hinterlassen, lasst sie austauschen. Lasst die Windschutzscheibe und die Fenster reinigen, damit ihr aus eurem Fahrzeug gut sehen könnt. Möglicherweise müsst ihr auch eure Front- und Bremslichter reinigen lassen, damit ihr nachts oder bei Regen gut sehen könnt.
Consult your auto mechanic for regular car maintenance
Repairing your own car can be costly, difficult to manage and can result in major damage if done by untrained hands. Also, you don’t want to endanger yourself or others by driving a car that isn’t up to date. It is best to contact a qualified auto mechanic for the regular maintenance of your vehicle. A printed maintenance schedule should be included with your car’s owner’s manual, and you can check with your dealer’s service department to ensure scheduled maintenance is completed.
Your mechanic should be able to inspect and analyze your vehicle to fix any problems and prevent future problems. A professional mechanic can get your car back in shape in no time.
A diagnostic app can help
Diagnostic devices or apps can help you to identify errors in your car at an early stage and, if necessary, to rectify them immediately. The diagnostic apps in particular are very practical because they can be used from anywhere and nowadays you always have your cell phone with you anyway.
With the Carly app you can read out error codes and also get a detailed explanation of the specific error. Often, as long as the problem is not too big, you can fix it yourself with detailed instructions.
Carly also offers many other useful features such as the used car check, with which you can uncover odometer manipulation, the digital garage, where you can save all vehicle data, or the coding function, where you can customize your car as you wish.
The Carly adapter, which you need to read and use the app, costs around €60. The prices for the app vary between 20 and 80 euros – depending on which car you drive.
With around €100 you can practically read out and analyze your car yourself and then save yourself some costs in the workshop, since the mechanic does not have to read out the car separately. Also, you can’t be ripped off because you know exactly what needs to be fixed.
