Analysts have revealed that the 2016/2017
State Budget will mean that average WA households will need to find an extra
$160 per year to cover bills, with the main increases in electricity and water
bills.
The growing cost of living can make it more and
more difficult to make ends meet, and sometimes it is necessary to cut down on
luxury items. Sometimes, car maintenance
can be a casualty of cutting costs in households. But, it is important to remember that your
vehicle is not a luxury item, it is an important necessity for your family. Can you really afford to have your car off the road?
Getting your car serviced regularly can seem
like an expense you can do without, but as these case studies of some actual
customers show…cutting the cost of regular maintenance for your vehicle can end
up costing you a whole lot more.
Case Study 1
Our young married customers were awaiting the
birth of their first child and were trying to save as much money as they could
before they were reduced to one income.
The husband was self employed and drove a diesel van for his business. While money was tight, they skipped one
scheduled service, thinking it would not hurt.
However, at 62,000km their diesel van broke
down. The van was still under warranty,
so they towed it to their dealer, who advised that they were going to need a
new motor, as the engine oil had run dry and the motor had seized. Due to not maintaining their scheduled
logbook services, the customers had voided their warranty, and had to pay for
the new motor at a cost of over $6,500.
Had the customers realized the damage they were
doing to the engine, they could have paid a lot smaller amount for their
service, and saved themselves a lot of money!
Case Study 2
Changing your spark plugs can seem like an
expensive addition to your servicing schedule.
It can be tempting to skip that part of the service, and “put it off
until next time”. However, spark plugs are
a very important component of your car, providing the “spark” for ignition.
If your spark plugs are not changed within the
manufacturers guidelines, and they begin to deteriorate, the voltage required to
fire them increases. This increased voltage puts much greater stress on
ignition coils and wires, and can cause ignition failure – at a much greater
cost to your pocket!
For example, a 2012 Toyota Corolla requires its
spark plugs to be changed at a total cost of $150. Compare this to 4 spark plugs and ignition
coils (at $150 each because you waited too long) could cost anywhere from $400,
maybe more. As you can see, changing plugs before the ignition fails makes very
good economic sense!
