Back to Motoring Advice

	Back to Cutting motoring costs

Avoid big garage bills

One of the best ways to avoid expensive garage bills is to have your car serviced regularly, as recommended on the manufacturer's service schedule. Regularly changing the engine oil, for example, is far cheaper than having old contaminated oil ruin the engine.

There's another benefit too. Having the garage stamps in your car's service logbook (and ideally, keeping copies of the bills too) creates a service history that will increase your car's value when you come to sell it. So in effect, you're reducing the cost of servicing, because you'll be getting more for your car.

Shop around

If you have a nearly new car, you can go to an independent garage for servicing, where you could find significantly lower labour rates than a franchised dealer. As long as the servicing garage uses original parts, follows the authorised service instructions and is VAT registered, your car's manufacturer warranty is not affected. However, if your car needs a repair, you should go back to the franchised dealer, to have the work done under warranty and to keep the warranty valid.

A franchised dealer is usually the most expensive place to buy spares, yet you can get equivalent parts from stores like Halfords and Motorworld or from independent parts retailers such as Euro Car Parts, Discount Car Parts or Car Parts Direct.

When you need new tyres or an exhaust, you'll find plenty of suppliers listed in Yellow Pages or by doing a local search on the internet. You can save even more by buying retread tyres. It's usually only the tyre tread (the part that contacts the road) which wears away, so a retread replaces the worn surface and reuses the rest of the tyre. It's cheaper and more environmentally friendly, but won't last as long as a new tyre. Only buy from reputable retread sellers, as some very cheap foreign imports don't satisfy safety laws.

Do it yourself

If you don't mind getting a bit dirty, can tell a screwdriver from a spanner and can follow instructions, you could service your car yourself. Some jobs, such as repairing an automatic gearbox, are best left to the experts. But changing the oil and the air filter, replacing spark plugs and light bulbs are well within many people's abilities, and knowing you've done the job yourself can be quite satisfying.

You may find some basic servicing instructions in your car handbook, but you'll probably need a repair or workshop manual. Those produced by Haynes are widely available and easy to follow.

Bear in mind, though, the newer the car, the less you'll be able to do - the latest models rely on specialist software for their diagnostic systems, and many parts of the car are now controlled by electronic modules than can only be reprogrammed or replaced.

Spread the cost

One way to avoid a big bill is to be prepared by taking out Car Warranty cover. It covers any car up to 10 years old that has done less than 100,000 miles, for repairing a breakdown due to mechanical or electrical failure and includes parts and labour.

	Use less fuel

	Choose the 'greenest' cars

	Pay less road tax

	Avoid road tolls and charges