Tip No. 1: Prevention always helps
Prevention is better than cure.
How many times have we heard that? If it applies to our health, the concept also applies perfectly to car maintenance.
Ninety percent of car problems are caused by poor car maintenance.
Bad habits like eating too much fat, smoking and not doing sport are (unfortunately) a sure guarantee of future problems.
The same goes for cars.
Neglecting fluid levels, not checking brake pads and linings for wear and forgetting coupons after the warranty has expired is like smoking, eating too much and not doing sport.
With regular maintenance, which takes a few minutes a month, we not only halve the time spent on car care, but we also extend the life of the car and reduce our expenses.
This "good habit" applies not only to car enthusiasts, but to anyone who wants to take as little time as possible off their cars and reduce their car expenses.
Tip No. 2: Learn to listen to your car.
Talking cars? Bet you didn't notice it in the catalog - too late!
All kidding aside, cars have different ways of talking to us and telling us there's a problem.
Many modern products are dumb. Think of it with a "factory" expiration date. They break without warning and leave us in chaos. This very unfair industry practice is called "planned obsolescence" and is designed by the manufacturers themselves to ensure the continued need for new products.
Typical of consumer product industries, such as light bulbs and color printers, it has spread over time to products perceived as quality. The smartphone from the famous Californian company through which you are reading this article, which costs a thousand euros, will be incredibly slow in a few years and its battery won't last more than a few hours. Clever, isn't it?
Cars instead are equipped with a bunch of spies that warn us of a problem in progress, advising us what to do. Each spy corresponds to a certain procedure (there's our Ultimate Guide to Car Spies for that).
Learning to listen to your car saves us hours of time waiting for the tow truck or waiting in a waiting room for the car to be repaired.
Let's take an example, we forget or ignore to refill the engine oil (strange circumstance but not impossible). We drive the car and the engine melts. The damage will surely be thousands of euros and several days in the workshop.
All because we ignore that little red light on the dashboard.
Listening to your car reduces maintenance time and also reduces costs. That's smart!
Tip No. 3: Get a clear idea of what you want
Too often when you go to the mechanic you want to get three things at once:
- Low price...
- Quick repair
- Quality work
Meeting these three requirements is simply impossible. Anyone who tells you otherwise is either misleading you or is not a competent professional. In both cases, we recommend that you go elsewhere to have your car serviced.
Therefore, the important thing is to have clear ideas about what you want to achieve and prioritize each need.
Let's take an example. If you have a 15 year old Fiat Punto with several hundred thousand kilometers you probably want to prioritize at a low price. This is because a repair, however minor, will add very little value to your car that can be replaced in a short time. We recommend that you use reconditioned components and go to an independent mechanic.
On the other hand, if it is a high-end car with a few years behind it, it is best to prioritize the quality of the work. In this case we will use original or equivalent components (those produced in the same factory as the originals but without the manufacturer's logo) and follow the instructions of the parent company.
Tip No. 4: be easily contacted by the mechanic
It may seem trivial, but very often a mechanic is forced to stop the repair because, on discovering something unusual on the car, he cannot contact the owner to ask how to proceed.
If the mechanic discovers that several crucial components are worn out during the periodic coupon, it is necessary for the owner to authorize their replacement and agree to an increased estimate. Any honest mechanic will never proceed without your consent, rightly fearing being accused of fraud.
To shorten the repair time and allow the mechanic to work quickly, remember to keep your phone on.
Tip #5: Take advantage of innovation
We live in 2019. Laeradigital has been around for 20 years now, and there are many services designed to make our lives easier.
Even those less accustomed to apps, the internet and phones can benefit from them.
While early apps and services were often complicated to use and reserved for a young audience, new trends point to an "all-inclusive" crowd.
From finding parking to booking car washes, there's an app for everything.
The industry's latest app is Pistonudos.
What does Pistonudos do and why does it save me time?
With Pistonudos you can find the best mechanics in your area in seconds and contact them directly to book an appointment.
The real revolution, however, is to allow you to book a "mechanic at home" or call a mechanic specialist directly at home to solve small problems on the spot or take the car directly to the garage.
This way, you can look after your car from the comfort of your armchair, making sure your car is in good hands and properly maintained.
