Proper car care is one of the most common questions we hear from consumers. “What do I need to do to take care of my car and avoid major repairs in the future?” They ask. The answers are wide and varied. But here we'll address a couple quick good ideas to caring for your car.

The most tried and true response to proper car care is, regular oil changes and maintenance. Make sure your oil is changed regularly. Every 3000 miles with conventional oil. Every 5000 miles with synthetic and synthetic blends. If your car has over 75,000 miles make a habit of checking your engine oil around its half-life. This is because cars with over 75,000 miles can start to show signs of aging, and will often burn oil a little more rapidly.

A good mechanic can help you identify signs of aging vehicles as the oil will be more black than brown. But, don’t always expect them to come forward on this, especially at a quick lube shop. Admittedly, most mechanics are busy moving from one car to the next as quickly as possible. And they may forget to recount your vehicle's history every time. Because of this, don’t be afraid to ask questions. Ask if your car is burning oil, and if they noticed any metal shavings in the pan. There's nothing wrong with asking sincere questions. But, accusatory statements may taint your results.

There’s no secret sauce in proper car care to avoiding major repairs. Be informed. Learn about your car's basic maintenance warning signs. Pay attention to how your car is performing. My Dad used to say the key to good functioning car is a loud radio. Engine and suspension noises tend to go away when the radio is loud. Ahhhh.....Dad-vice. 

Generally speaking, it’s far less expensive to fix a problem before it’s progressed to the point of having your car towed. In other words, don’t wait to replace your brakes until they are making a horrible screeching, metal grinding noise before doing something about it. Because at this point your car doesn’t just need brakes—it needs rotors too, and if you let it go too far there will be more on the list. This just upped your brake job from $250 to $1500 dollars. So be conscious of your car’s performance and noises. 

The other way to avoid big repair bills with proper car care could be to shop the shops. While most automotive shops use the same estimating software to tell them how long a job will take to repair any facet, the rates fluctuate dramatically. In 2022, AAA reports “Auto repair labor rates vary widely across the country, and even within the same city...auto repair shops in the AAA Approved Auto Repair network charged between $47 and $215 per hour, based primarily on the shop’s cost of doing business.” If your job is a simple flat rate repair or menu board item, shop around and see where the lowest cost is. This becomes slightly more difficult with car issues that need to be diagnosed as most every shop will charge you a diagnosis fee up to $150 to simply look at the car. While you're shopping it's worth noting that Auto Monkey tends to charge their customers less, yet pay their mechanics more. 

Auto Monkey aims to buck the trend in paying inflated automotive repair rates. By providing controlled rates across its platform they are able to provide more affordable car repairs, while providing greater financial opportunities for its contracted technicians. 

If you haven’t yet, test out our mobile mechanic services. Auto Monkey technicians come to you anywhere you need them. Simply download the app, place the service request, pin your location and pop your hood. It’s simple. In the majority of cases you don’t even need to be around when the mechanic shows up and fixes the problem. So go ahead: attend your meeting, care for your children, listen to your customer. The technician will notify you via the app when the project is finished and the payment is virtually paid. We’ve got you covered.