After I bought my first car, I have to admit that I never knew the importance of tire rotation. I learned my lesson the hard way when the tread of my front tires wore down very quickly, while my back tires were still in great shape. I thought that the traction of the back two would make up for the front two. I learned I was very wrong one day when I slammed on my breaks while driving in the rain. I rear-ended the vehicle in front of me. Thankfully, no one was injured. However, I learned that if I had rotated my tires regularly, I could have avoided that accident. I know there are many new car owners who don't know much about cars, which have since became a passion of mine, so I decided to create a blog to share all my tips to help others!
American culture has long been focused on the freedom and opportunity that is provided by the open road, but car ownership is not exclusively benefits and excitement. The task of maintaining your car can require you to be a minor expert in a wide variety of maintenance tasks, and collecting all the information you need can be daunting.
If you've recently undergone an auto accident or you have body damage for any other reason, it's important that you seek out the most cost effective repair possible. Below, you'll find a guide that will help you decide whether a car part should be repaired or replaced, allowing you to get your car back on the road without lightening your wallet.
Consider Labor Costs
When most people deal with damage to their car, the first thing they want to know is the price of the replacement part. What this fails to take into consideration, however, is that the labor costs of refurbishing a damaged part can often be many times higher than merely replacing it.
You should ask your auto body shop what the associated costs are with repairing your damaged parts. Fiberglass often requires a great deal of grinding and repainting, and metal parts can even require time in the foundry to be heated to allow for reshaping. Both of these processes can make new parts far more affordable.
Ask About Lead Times
If you decide to seek a new part for your damaged car, you should keep in mind that inventories often don't contain every part that can be damaged. Often times, your auto body shop will need to specially order an original part. In other cases, a part may have to be custom manufactured, adding more time to the process.
Repairing a damaged part, obviously, cuts this time down because the part is readily available. This can decrease the amount of time you need a rental vehicle, cutting down on your bottom line and getting you back on the road as quickly as possible.
Ask About Durability
If you save money in the short term by choosing to repair a part rather than replace it, you may end up costing yourself in the long term if it fails again. Often times, the stress of damage can create fatigue damage that may not be noticed until later in your car's life. Having to repair a part multiple times can quickly become more expensive than replacing it once, and can also lead to further breakdowns and decrease the value of your automobile. Talk to places like Auto Body By Duie LLC for more information.
Share22 January 2015
