Car Repairs & Maintenance: Are You In The 40% Risking Your Life?
Apr 22, 2017 08:48
Owning a car is a wonderful, liberating thing to do. You can go wherever you want, whenever you want (well, within reason), and for most of us that take the jump into car ownership, we never leave it behind. There’s plenty of benefits to public transport of course, but nothing quite compares to being able to have your own space, does it?
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However, the one downside is that cars have a tendency to break. Even brand new cars can have their problems right from the off. That’s not to mention the problems we might cause as drivers; clipping a curb, being a little too harsh on the steering - everyone has done it.
If you’re lucky, your time as a car owner will come with relatively few auto repair jobs and a clean bill of health at every safety check. If, however, you find your luck has run dry, then you’re faced with a need for a mechanic.
It’s no wonder, given the combination of all of the above, that surveys have shown 40% of Americans have a tendency to put off essential car repairs and maintenance. It can just feel easier to carry on as you are rather than running the gauntlet of finding a person to do the work. The only problem is… that’s a really bad idea.
You might try and justify putting off a repair or maintenance job in the name of being concerned about finding someone trustworthy to do the job. Or you might be tight for cash and think that, hey, the car still runs, so it can’t be that bad - it can wait until the cashflow is a little less restricted, right?
The truth is that it can’t. Your car running as it should is a literal matter of life and death. While it may be expensive and it may take time to find someone you feel comfortable with, running those risks is always going to be better than just hoping your car sticks together and keeps you on the road. Come into the 60% of sensible folk: it’s nice here!
Pexels.com
However, the one downside is that cars have a tendency to break. Even brand new cars can have their problems right from the off. That’s not to mention the problems we might cause as drivers; clipping a curb, being a little too harsh on the steering - everyone has done it.
If you’re lucky, your time as a car owner will come with relatively few auto repair jobs and a clean bill of health at every safety check. If, however, you find your luck has run dry, then you’re faced with a need for a mechanic.
Except That Seems Fraught With Risks
It’s fair to say that there is an element of risk involved in selecting an auto shop and a mechanic to do the work. After all, we all want our cars to be safe, so it can feel like you’re handing over your entire life into the hands of someone you don’t know. Then there are the stories of the Bad Mechanic. The ones who tell you that something is wrong and needs fixing, when there’s actually no change needed at all. The dodgy dealers; the rough ones giving the good guys a bad name.It’s no wonder, given the combination of all of the above, that surveys have shown 40% of Americans have a tendency to put off essential car repairs and maintenance. It can just feel easier to carry on as you are rather than running the gauntlet of finding a person to do the work. The only problem is… that’s a really bad idea.
Repairs And Maintenance Are Important
The above goes without saying, but… you’d be surprised how many people ignore it. Maybe you’re even one of them. It’s one thing to know a statement to be true on an intellectual level, but that doesn’t mean it filters through into the common sense side of our brain, does it? It’s like people who smoke: they know that it’s bad for them, but they don’t know it to the point of making a change in their life.You might try and justify putting off a repair or maintenance job in the name of being concerned about finding someone trustworthy to do the job. Or you might be tight for cash and think that, hey, the car still runs, so it can’t be that bad - it can wait until the cashflow is a little less restricted, right?
The truth is that it can’t. Your car running as it should is a literal matter of life and death. While it may be expensive and it may take time to find someone you feel comfortable with, running those risks is always going to be better than just hoping your car sticks together and keeps you on the road. Come into the 60% of sensible folk: it’s nice here!
