When you visit a 24 hour car repair shop, you should come prepared with a checklist. While some of the items on your list might be things you do before or after you visit the 24 hour car repair shop, they’re still important to consider. Keeping a running checklist in the back of your mind will help you make the most of your time at the repair shop so you can keep your car or other vehicle running smoothly and safely on the road. What’s more, you’ll be able to avoid extra trips to the repair shop if you get everything you need covered while you’re there. Sometimes, going to the car repair shop can be avoided if you take the steps you need to maintain your vehicle before you go.
Check Your Car Insurance Plan Before Scheduling Any Repairs
If your car’s damage was caused by a collision or other qualifying circumstance, you should contact your automotive insurance plan provider right away before you head to the 24 hour car repair shop. There may be ways in which your insurance company can help you cover the costs of qualifying damages and maintenance. If your auto insurance policy does cover the costs of your repairs, you might have to provide certain types of documentation or submit your claim in a certain way for them to approve coverage. Having all of this information upfront before you go to a maintenance shop for your car will ensure that you don’t miss any steps and miss out on a lot of money that could help make your car repair more affordable.
Speak With an Auto Repair Professional About Your Auto Concerns
Most auto repair services hire auto repair professionals who know what they’re talking about when it comes to cars. Any 24 hour car repair shop worth its salt will tell you frankly what needs to be done on your car and what repairs would be able to wait until a later date to complete. If you notice that something in your car or on the exterior of your vehicle looks, sounds, feels, or even smells different than it usually does, it’s time to call an auto professional or take it into the shop so that an auto repair servicer can look over it.
Rather than waiting until your car breaks down, we recommend speaking with an auto professional as soon as you notice a difference in how your car appears or drives. This can save you money in the long run if you catch issues with your car early. While there’s a chance that it could be nothing, it could also be a major issue that might get worse if you don’t address it right away.
Discuss How Often You Need to Check on Your Brakes
As any 24 hour car repair shop will tell you, it’s better to maintain your brakes regularly than wait until you need to complete a brake repair to pay attention to them. The frequency at which you should check your brakes varies, but there is some general guidance for how often you should get your brakes inspected by a professional. According to oxmoortoyota.com, “While brake maintenance is recommended at 20,000-60,000 miles or inspected every six months, most people have this done every time they get their tires rotated. Depending on the road and traffic type you drive daily, you may need inspections more frequently.”
Assess the Status of Your Garage at Home
Sometimes, you have to bring your vehicle to a 24 hour car repair shop because you put off a garage door repair and it harmed your vehicle. To prevent this issue, you should check your garage regularly. Inspect the door for signs of wear and tear and keep it clean to remove any hazards in the structure that could damage your vehicles if left unchecked. You should also maintain any air conditioning units or dehumidifiers in the garage for safety.
Ask About Repairs for Trucks
If you need a truck repair service, your local 24 hour car repair shop may or may not be capable of accommodating that need. Some car repair shops focus on specific types of vehicles while others hire car maintenance workers who are knowledgeable in repairing and maintaining all kinds of cars and trucks. If you have a large or unusual type of truck, you should call the car repair shop ahead of time and explain the features that may make your truck difficult for them to repair.
Even if they have the expertise and tools to repair your truck, they might not have the space if it’s particularly large. Still, it never hurts to call and ask if you wonder if they can provide a service. In the best-case scenario, they’ll be able to repair your truck without any extra hassle. In the worst-case scenario, they’ll explain that they can’t help you. Even if a car repair shop can’t fix your truck, they may be able to refer you to another shop or maintenance team that can.
Consider Purchasing a Trailer
If your vehicle frequently ends up in the 24 hour car repair shop because you’re putting a strain on it from hauling loads that are too large for it to handle, you should look into buying a trailer and scouring trailer sales for a good deal. A trailer can take some of the pressure off of your vehicle while still allowing you to haul the items that you need for work or your household. When you’re looking to buy a trailer, you should think about how much you’re willing to spend, how much you usually need to haul, and what special features might speak to your current needs. Even if a trailer is a good deal, you shouldn’t go for it if it’s too small or seems to be poorly constructed. Holding out for a trailer that suits your needs the first time around will keep you from buying a second one shortly after purchasing the first one.
Look Into the Cost of Buying an RV
If you tend to use your regular vehicle for long road trips and you find that this creates a lot more wear and tear on your vehicle than you would like, you should see how much it would cost to purchase a new or used RV. The money that you spend on an RV might seem like a lot. Still, if it keeps your regular vehicle out of the 24 hour car repair shop, it’s a worthwhile investment that will practically pay for itself.
Investigate the Ways to Safely Store an RV
If you notice that a lot of the damage that happens to your RV occurs when it’s outside or parked on the street near your home, it might be smart to look into RV storage before your RV ends up in the 24 hour car repair shop again. Appropriately storing vehicles may not prevent maintenance issues that are routine for cars, but it can keep you from taking your vehicle into the shop after it’s been nicked by a nearby vehicle or dented by a recent hail storm. Storing an RV safely also helps to protect other drivers on the road.
While you may debate whether it’s best to store your RV inside or outside, there are some drawbacks to storing it outside. As fleetwoodrv.com explains, “Humid, wet weather can cause mold, leaks, and filth to wreak havoc on your family motor coach. Hot and dry weather causes sun damage. If you do store it outside, you’ll need to occasionally wash, wax, and protect your RV, and that takes time and money.” It’s up to you to decide whether the risks of storing your RV outside outweigh the advantages. Storing your RV in a climate-controlled environment is ideal for the RV, but it might not be ideal for your budget.
Since an RV is a large vehicle, it can obstruct the view of other drivers on your street. This can cause accidents and other harmful events to occur if it’s left unaddressed. Outside of a garage, you may be able to find other local options for storing your RV. During seasons where you aren’t driving your RV on long cross-country trips or even around the block, you may want to store it in a climate-controlled storage unit that is large enough to house an RV so that it’s protected from theft, the elements, and more.
Research the Cost of Expanding Your Garage to Protect All of Your Vehicles
For some garage buildings, you might not have enough room to store all of your vehicles. When your car ends up outside overnight or parked on the street regularly, you run the risk of damage from the elements and other vehicles over time which may lead to you calling a 24 hour car repair shop to bring your car in for maintenance. Since this type of maintenance is avoidable if you have a large enough garage to fit all of your vehicles, the simplest solution to this problem may be expanding your garage. Although expanding your garage may be a costly endeavor, it might also be worth the investment if it’s more expensive to replace your vehicle or multiple vehicles after months or years of damage from the weather conditions outside.
Although the costs of expanding a garage may vary, there are some resources online that can give you a good idea of what those expenses could total up to be when it’s all said and done. As angi.com shares, “Building a garage extension is an excellent way to give yourself more space for work, recreation, and storing your belongings. To ensure you build an area that suits your specific needs, it’s important to understand all the garage extension costs. Adding a little extra room to a one-car garage can cost as little as $3,500 when you hire a professional while extending a one-car garage to a three-car garage can cost as much as $28,000 or more, especially if you need new electrical and plumbing.”
Even though hiring professional help will make the project more expensive, it could be worth it. Since a garage is a complicated thing to improve, even the most seasoned DIY home improvement enthusiasts may struggle to get the garage door to function properly if they expand their garage. What’s more, you could create electrical fire hazards if you don’t modify the wires in the right way during this improvement project. Shelling out extra cash for labor now means saving money later on repairs and redos.
Hire a Fuel Delivery Service to Add Convenience to Your Life
You may be pleased to know that if your car gets stuck on the highway or you frequently forget to add fuel to your vehicle, there is help available such as a motor fuel delivery. One of the common reasons why people end up in the 24 hour car repair shop is because they didn’t properly fuel their vehicle. Running low on gas every once and a while isn’t a big deal, but consistently running out of fuel is hard on your car. What’s more, it may lead a towing company to suggest that you get your car checked out if the reason why your car has stopped running isn’t immediately obvious to them.
To avoid the high expense of towing your vehicle to the nearest car shop or gas station, you can get a fuel delivery service to bring the fuel to you. For certain types of vehicles, it may not be safe or possible to transport the right type of fuel. In these cases, you may just have to plan for fueling up your vehicle more regularly so you don’t miss out on having your car properly gassed up. Still, if your type of vehicle is eligible for a fuel delivery service and you’re willing to spend the extra money for the sake of convenience, there’s no shame in doing what works best for you and your vehicle.
While no one loves taking their car to a mechanic, it helps to go to the repair shop prepared. This will spare you stress and time. It could even save money if you avoid costly repairs by taking the appropriate maintenance precautions!