7 Clever Ways to Save Money on Your Car

This is a guest post by Sabrina Matheson. If you'd also like to contribute, apply to write a guest post.

In an urban setting with good public transportation, some people are able to go without owning a car. That's a great money saver and it's good for the environment, but the rest of us have to get around somehow, and that means we need cars.

Unfortunately, maintaining a car is an expensive prospect. No one knows for sure what petrol prices may do next, so you can only budget so tightly in that category. However, there is a lot you can do to decrease the amount you spend on keeping a car.

1. Compare auto insurance policies.

You might be surprised at how much you can save by finding the right cover for your situation. Every discount, benefit, bonus, free service, or reward you can claim adds up to big savings on one of the major costs of keeping a car!

2. Replace your own lights

On most models, this is a project anyone can do. Check your car's manual for instructions on what bulb to buy and how to replace it. This is a quick way to save a few dollars each time you do the job yourself instead of taking it into a repair shop.

3. Change your own oil.

If you're a bit more adventurous, you can try replacing your own oil. This is generally not a complicated thing to do, but it can be very messy and you should check your car's manual for instructions. A note on safety though: do NOT use a car jack to raise your car and then get under it. People die or are injured every year using a car jack in this improper manner. If you cannot change the oil without raising the car, use the jack to lift the car onto a pyramid, block or other device meant to support the weight of a car. If you can't change the oil safely, don't do it at all.

4. Make sure tyres are properly inflated.

This is to maximize your car's fuel efficiency. You'll burn a lot more petrol on low tyres than you will when they're inflated according to the manufacturer's recommended levels.

5. Keep up with recommended maintenance.

Every model has a manufacturer recommended schedule of services, including frequency of oil changes. Make sure you know what this schedule is and keep an eye on your mileage. The services are there for a reason; they're like having a yearly doctor's appointment or practicing preventative medicine. A small expenditure up front saves you a big surprise expense later on.

6. Keep a log of repairs.

You can buy a small book made specifically for this purpose; when you do have to have a repair, enter it in your log: the date of repair, the shop you took it to, the mechanic who did the work, the part or parts that were repaired or replaced and the cost. Let's say your alternator goes out and you have it replaced with a new part that has a warranty. Will you remember the date of the install in a year if the part fails? What about if you break down far from home and must take your car to a shop you don't know or trust. If they claim you need a large repair, won't it be nice to say, "That's not possible, I had that repair two years ago."

7. Wash it yourself.

Washing a car alone is a pretty big job, and that's why you should have a car washing party with a few friends you trust. As spring comes around and the weather gets warmer, get out the hose, buckets, sponges and bathing suits and enjoy a nice day outside. Why shell out money for a mechanized car wash and miss out on all the fun?

The trick to most of these tips is that they fall under the category of "preventative maintenance." By taking good care of your car, you get the best insurance you can against a major repair. And of course any prevention you can do for free is just that much better for your budget.

Sabrina Matheson is a personal finance blogger covering topics from car insurance comparison to frugal living for the Alternative Media blog network. She loves to find the "free" in everything, and spends her time writing and dancing ballet (not at the same time).

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