While people love making jokes about covering their cars dashboard with tape to hide the warning lights, this can be a very bad idea. It is well known that auto repairs can be very expensive and sometimes people put them off instead of repairing their car. Here are a few reasons why avoiding auto repairs can be a bad idea in the long run.
- Regulations: In states where your car needs to be regularly tested for emissions, you might not be able to register your car if it doesn’t pass. This means that you will need to get that check engine light fixed before you can register your car.
- More Damage: Sometimes when something breaks it can cause more damage when you continue driving. Consider a broken head gasket. It is not a terribly expensive repair, but if you ignore it and continue driving the car you will likely end up with a broken engine. Not getting auto repairs can be much more expensive in the long run.
- New Car Prices: Cars are worth maintaining and can save you money if you treat them right. Putting money into necessary repairs on your car can increase the life span. In fact, driving a single car for decades and putting in the money for large repairs when necessary will be less expensive than buying a new car every time your previous car requires a major repair.
While auto repairs can feel like a massive blow to the wallet, they are well worth the investment.
