How Much Should This Auto Repair Cost

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By Matt Schmitz

April 5, 2022

CARS.COM — They say if you take to ask, yous probably can't afford it. That means tens of millions of Americans must be asking that question every yr. According to a just-released study by travel-services behemothic AAA, the average auto repair bill comes to betwixt $500 and $600 — and 1 in 3 motorists can't pay it without incurring debt.

Related: Tin can Y'all Beget Your Motorcar? (Are You Sure Near That?)

Moreover, automobile owners are procrastinating on routine maintenance activities, which could atomic number 82 to problems downwards the line that send repair costs even higher. A split up AAA report found that a third of U.S. drivers defer or neglect recommended service and repairs. Not only does this threaten to ratchet up repair costs later on, information technology also puts people at increased chance of a vehicle breakdown.

"While it may seem that skipping maintenance and repairs tin can relieve money in the short term, staying on summit of auto intendance can save drivers hundreds of dollars in the long run," said John Nielsen, AAA'southward managing director of Automotive Engineering and Repair.

The average cost of owning and operating a vehicle, AAA said, is nigh $8,500 and includes monthly payments, insurance and gas. Merely the cost, for example, of a new timing belt on average is between $400 and $900, an alternator or starter replacement is $400 to $600, and brakes are effectually $500.

Here's what AAA recommends to keep your car — and your bank account — in expert health:

Set up bated $50 a month for emergency motorcar repairs.
Follow the automaker'due south recommended maintenance schedule, which tin exist establish in your possessor's transmission or often online.
Get cozy with a mechanic you trust earlier you lot find yourself in need of i.
Go a written guess for unanticipated repairs and ostend which repairs need to exist done with the mechanic.
Become a second opinion if you tin can.
Accept reward of shop discounts or payment plans that assist reduce out-of-pocket expenses, and see if there'southward room to negotiate those costs.

And for more on how to find the correct mechanic to practise the job, check out the video below:

Need to find a dealer for service? Go to Cars.com Service & Repair.

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