Automotive Maintenance | Vehicle Service & Repairs
Budgeting & Planning

Unfortunately vehicles need to be serviced and maintained regularly and this is becoming more and more expensive.

If you have a limited budget to spend on a vehicle, it is my advice to communicate with a service provider who can advise what needs to be done on the vehicle and prioritize the work.

It will cost less if more than one thing is being done on the vehicle in one day if you consider the following:

· Every time the vehicle is in a workshop you will have a problem with transport.

· You could benefit from a discount if you have a larger bill.

· You would normally pay less labour if you were to have brake pads fitted while the vehicle is being serviced.

· A dyna tune for instance is cheaper if it is done in conjunction with a major service.

If there was something which you thought may need attention before the next big service.

Pop into your Service Shop and ask if it would be safe to wait, if not, make an arrangement to repair it sooner.

It would normally be possible to have work done by your Service provider even if they contract the work out.

It would be easier to control and check if it is done that way.

You should work out roughly how many kilometers you will travel in one year and budget for a service every 10000km`s, e.g. If you travel 30000km`s per year your car would need to have ± 3 services at approximately R800-00 per time.   

This would equate to R2,400.00 per year divided by 12 means you need to provide roughly R200.00 per month for your vehicle maintenance.

This is good value for money if you consider that you pay a steep monthly bill (more than R200 pm) for short term insurance and in most cases don't claim for five years.