Keeping your car on the road, insured and taxed can often be a costly process. At Windmill Garage, we can give you all the car news and driving tips that you need to help you to reduce your auto-related outgoings.
Upkeep of Tyres
While tyres can represent a substantial expense, this can save you money in the long term. Worn and poorly inflated tyres will cost you more money, as they incur increased fuel consumption. While you don’t have to buy top of the range tyre brands, you should be weighing up whether much cheaper options are costing you more money.
Check your tyre pressure on a regular basis and keep them topped up. With just a few minutes of effort, you can go along way to reducing your fuel consumption and will provide an opportunity to make yourself aware of the overall condition of your tyres, and spot any issues early on, such as a slow puncture or worn patches.
Work on your Driving Style
If you drive poorly then you’re probably wasting a lot of fuel, which will also be costly. Over-acceleration, poor gear changes and erratic driving can end up costing you a lot of money and will also increase the amount of wear and tear on the car, increasing the amount of car maintenance required, thus leading to potential repair bills.
Driving in a less consumptive, safer manner will significantly increase the life of your car and reduce your repair bills. You might want to do a training course with an instructor to refresh your driving style or find out some useful driving tips.
Shop Around for Insurance
If you’re letting your insurance roll on with the same provider, then the cost might have been slowly rising over this time. While you might not be paying a lot of attention, they may have been increasing your premium as time goes on. With more years no claims, this should be coming down rather than going up.
Do your homework around the renewal time and look for alternative providers. You might be putting this off as you feel like it’s a bit of a hassle, but it won’t take too long, and you could potentially save yourself a lot of money. Just make sure you have all the correct documentation to hand and then you’ll be ready to make the switch.
If you get a cheaper quote elsewhere, then give your current provider the chance to match this. You can even knock a bit more off the price and find out if they’re able to do better.
Maintain the Parts
Parts like windscreen wipers and lights do not take much maintenance. You don’t have to be an expert to source and install these. It’s great to be able to maintain some parts of your car by yourself, as it enables you to become more knowledgeable in the process.
Maintenance will also allow you to alert your usual garage when something starts to go awry. Often, the more information you can give a mechanic on the problem, the better. You can describe more fully when the problem started and how it’s been impacting other parts if you know your car.
Share your Car
If you have a regular commute then why not consider splitting the cost with a work colleague. You can arrange to pick them up and share the cost of fuel. If they also drive then you can take alternate days to drive to give yourself the chance to relax on the drive to work.
Pay Annually
For bills like road tax and insurance, you often have the option to pay monthly or to pay annually. While paying monthly might seem convenient at first, it usually incurs an additional cost which could add up, if you’re covering multiple cars and services.
Saving up the money a few months in advance will allow you to pay the amount in full, saving you a significant initial outlay and also prevent you from having to pay fees for any potential missed payments.
Lighten Up
If you have the kind of car that remains packed with a roof rack and additional items all year round, then this will be incurring extra fuel costs. Any additional weight you add to the car will reduce your fuel economy and cost you money unnecessarily. Taking the time to empty out your car will help reduce fuel cost and consumption.
Even small items can add up! Each 50kg you carry in your car will reduce your fuel economy by around 2%. It’s worth having a regular clear out of your car, not only will it be tidier it will also save you money.
Conclusion
Maintaining and caring for your car is one of the easiest ways to save yourself money. Here at Windmill Garage, we’re happy to take a look at your vehicle and offer advice and suggestions on areas where improvements can be made.