Here is why some repairs should be done later

Whereas there are some repairs worth fixing immediately for the dangers they pose when ignored, there are some that can be postponed. As long as the problems do not affect the car’s movement or spoil it generally, you can relax them.

Car repairs can be very expensive. When a car gets older, you tend to spend more money on repairs. Unfortunately there are some auto repairs that you have to fix no matter how we feel about them. For example, having a blown cylinder head gasket or an oil pump that isn’t working or something as mundane as replacement of a battery or fixing a tiny puncture.

Fortunately, there are some other repairs that can wait without much damage done. When it is hard to get money, it is hard to keep up with these things or to keep a car in proper working order.

If the cost of constant car maintenance has got you down, start thinking about some of the repairs you have been getting done to the car and ask if they are really necessary to do right now, or if they could wait.

Oil leaks
These scare many drivers because of all the other problems they could be precursors to. You picture walking out to your car to go to work and see an oil “lake” in your parking spot. Here is the thing, check the oil every day and make sure that you keep it at the proper level.

A minor oil leak does not necessarily require instant action. In fact for older cars oil leaks are largely a perfectly normal occurrence. It is true that you have to bear in mind that there is always a risk of losing a lot of oil and messing up the engine. But if you are short on cash, such repairs could be nursed for a little while.

Cosmetic repairs have to be the worst investment of money in used cars that have been acting up and not running good. There is no reason to spend a shilling painting a car when you have had engine problems, for example.

That sweet new pearl white colour actually won’t make it run any better. This same rule applies to body repair and to interior fabric rips and things of that nature. If a car is a money pit, don’t make it worse by wasting money on these things. If it is not a classic car (and we all know your Premio is not) or on its way to being one, there is usually never any reason to waste money on a paint job.

Small windshield chips
Unless the chips are obstructing your vision or are developing into growing cracks, you can usually live with them. I one time had a chipped windscreen that lasted for three years until it had to be replaced for other reasons.

Some electrical issues
If your battery or alternator dies, you have to replace them. However, if your radio dies or your air conditioner isn’t working well, you can still drive the car. Even a car whose air conditioning has failed is still driveable, albeit unpleasant.

Of course there has to be a little bit of judgement in deciding what can wait and for how long. You could get advice from your mechanic. Unfortunately one common mistake is that many people wait to do car repairs until the car won’t start or stops running.

Worse still is that today’s cars are so resilient that they can take all kinds of abuse and neglect and shall still move. There are many problems with this approach, first is the diagnosing a car that is not well maintained is much more difficult, costly, and time consuming. When the cause of a car not starting or running can be many things, determining the actual cause, the diagnosis, is exponentially more difficult.

A second problem is that a relatively simple repair or maintenance item can become worse and cause major damage if it is not attended to. If possible always address problems as they occur and as a consequence making repair bills smaller and the prioritisation of future repairs easier and less expensive

editorial@ug.nationmedia.com