Car Repairs You Are Wasting Money On

Fixing and maintaining a car can be expensive. Certain repairs you just can't skimp on, but there are others that may actually be wasting your money.

Take the cabin air filter, for example. You can easily replace this yourself and save as much as $70, Family Handyman noted in a recent report of the top money-wasting car repairs.

How else can you save some extra cash? Read on for six more tips, as reported by Family Handyman:

1. Regular engine tune-ups. Older vehicles required regular tune-ups but this does not necessarily apply to cars made in the last decade. If the engine is running poorly a tune-up could help, but you should also eliminate various other factors.
2. Lubrication. Heavy-duty vehicles may require lubrication of the undercarriage but when it comes to modern cars, the lube job may not be needed. This is because the chassis in a closed and sealed system is almost always lubricated.
3. Coolant (antifreeze) flush. Your mechanic may recommend a coolant flush but unless you drive regularly through extremely dusty and dirty conditions, you can drain and replace the coolant yourself.
4. Changing the oil every 3,000 miles. Before you change your engine oil, check the car's owner manual. Experts believe we change our oil far too often and, depending on what the manual says, you may only have to do so every 5,000 or even 10,000 miles.
5. Cleaning fuel injectors. Newer vehicles have improved designs, which includes their fuel injectors. They are far less likely to see build-ups of carbon and deposits. If your car is sluggish, first try switching to a premium gasoline that contains better detergents to provide protection to the fuel injectors.
6. Tire balancing and rotation. This needs to be done when you buy new tires, but thereafter it is unnecessary to have your tires balanced and rotated — unless there are noticable handling problems. That said, you can even out treadwear by rotating your tires every 5,000 to 6,000 miles.

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