Owning a car or truck is quite a financial commitment. Your vehicle needs regular infusions of gas and oil to work, as well as maintenance on a long list of systems and parts in order to run properly. Tires need to be kept at the right pressure. The battery needs to stay charged. Wipers need to be replaced. Headlights burn out. Tail lights need replacing. The list goes on and on.

However, there are ways to reduce maintenance and repair costs over the life of your vehicle. We’ve all heard stories of a driver who finds themselves stranded, hundreds of miles from home, facing a pricey repair. And in each of these stories, the driver “never saw it coming.” But in fact, there are many things you can do to anticipate issues and keep your car or truck running longer. When you carefully care for your vehicle, you can go for years, even decades, without a major repair.

In this article, we discuss some of the most expensive repairs you’ll face. We’ll also offer preventative maintenance advice to help you keep your car or truck working longer. With a little care and maintenance, you may be able to keep your auto running smoothly for many years to come.

THE MOST EXPENSIVE AUTO REPAIR:
Replacing the Engine and Cylinders

No doubt about it, this is the most expensive repairs around. Once an engine has blown, the cost to repair it is in the thousands, sometimes exceeding $10,000. Without repairs, your car or truck will be inoperable. When the cylinders or engine goes, even the most seasoned used car enthusiasts are hard-pressed to rationalize the cost of repairs. That’s why a blown engine is often an incentive to buy a new vehicle.

Why is it this repair so expensive? To replace old cylinders, the entire engine block will need to be removed from underneath the hood, and then and put back in place. It often makes more financial sense to replace the entire engine or even to buy a new car. Either way, this is bill is a “worst-case scenario” that you want to prevent.

The good news is that you can usually avoid this repair indefinitely by practicing good driving skills and making sure you keep up to date on essential engine maintenance. While blowing an engine is rare, it pays to understand what you need to do to avoid a breakdown.

Overheating is usually the cause of this kind of sudden and severe damage to the engine. To avoid experiencing catastrophic failure, you need to address seemingly small problems as they arise. Here are some tips to keep your engine and cylinders working better, longer.

TIP: Check Your Engine Coolant/Antifreeze

Overheating can ruin cylinders, warp parts, and cause the engine to stop working. Your radiator and engine coolant are the most important defenses against overheating. This system circulates engine coolant through your engine block using a water pump. Engine coolant is also called antifreeze because chemicals are added to keep it from freezing in cold climates.

The easiest way to keep this system working is to check your levels of coolant/antifreeze about once a month. It’s a simple visual check that takes just a few minutes. You simply pop the hood and check the fluid levels in the reservoirs.

Check your radiator’s plastic coolant reservoirs to see if the liquid reaches the “Full” line clearly marked on the container. Older cars may require you to remove the radiator cap to check levels. If you’re unsure where the coolant reservoir is, check your owner’s manual. Every vehicle is a little different. Best choice is to get to the experts at Top Speed Performance & Repair. Call us today    (313) 316-0091