(AP)
The summer months are near, the kids are almost out of school and the family vacations are about to begin! You’ve been saving money for park tickets, hotels and jet ski rentals…Is the family vehicle ready for the trip and the summer heat?
Fixing your car doesn’t have to be expensive. There are inexpensive maintenance items you can do to keep your car running all summer, and you don’t need to go to a mechanic to do them.
• Tire Pressure Check – All you need is a $2 tire pressure gauge and a few quarters for the air pump at your local gas station. Properly inflated tires will increase your gas mileage on the trip and extend the life of your tires. Having to replace tires earlier than expected can hurt your wallet!
• Antifreeze Change – This isn’t as hard as you think! A simple valve at the bottom of the radiator drains the old antifreeze, and you can refill it with new antifreeze from the top! Changing your own antifreeze will save you enough money for a full tank of gas for the trip!
• Oil Change – You can purchase the oil and filter from your local auto parts store for as low as $20.99. If you don't feel like you can tackle the oil change on your own…Look through your local paper for discount coupons. Many local big name auto repair places, hoping to get your car repair business, have coupons for $19.99 oil changes.
We haven’t spend much and saved quite a bit of money preparing the vehicle for the family summer trip. This gives you some piece of mind while singing show tunes with your family as your rolling down the highway…Priceless!
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