In order to extend the useful life of your car, a correct maintenance of it is obligatory. Spaniards barely spend an average of 85 euros a month on the maintenance of the car, a small amount depending on the park we have and, especially, the age of it. The amount is so low because many drivers do not properly perform the maintenance of their cars, which in addition to not favoring safety on the roads can cause major breakdowns so high cost of repair that they would even force them to have to change cars.
Getting lost in the care of the car can be very expensive. Here are six common mistakes and mistakes that you cannot afford due to the high costs that can cause in your car.
Distribution belt
Vital for the functioning of the car, if the damage that is going to cause to the engine is broken, the cost of its repair will cause you to consider changing your car. That's why, even if it is one of the most expensive maintenance work, you should not neglect the deadlines or mileage that the manufacturer recommends for it.
The terms may change depending on the model and use, but most manufacturers recommend a first review at 80,000 km and replacement from 150,000 km (depending on the manufacturer) or every five years at most. According to Autingo, a web platform that calculates the price of car repairs, changing a timing belt can cost about 380 euros, while repairing breakage damage can vary depending on the parts affected from 1,500 to 4,000 euros. Sometimes it's even better to consider buying a new car. We also leave you a post with the differences between the belt and the distribution chain.
Pouring gasoline on a diesel
It is a mistake much more frequently than it seems, either because of confusion or because of the confusion often created by the "names" that pre-controllers put on their products. As we have already told you in detail, if you made a mistake when it comes to adding fuel, the best thing you can do is not to start the car and call a crane (the insurance pays for it) to get a mechanic to remove the fuel and clean the ducts. This simple operation costs about 200 euros (in addition to what you've paid for the fuel poured and the one you're going to have to poured into the car, which can mean another 120 euros more).
If in addition to pouring the fuel that was not committed two more errors, start the engine and drive with the car, the breakdown can be fatal, as the repair can force you to change liners, pistons, connecting rods, raising the bill above 2,500 euros.
Water entered the fuel tank
If you did not close the tank properly and rainwater entered or because of any other situation water has entered the tank of your car, you have a serious problem. Of course it is rare, but if it happens it requires immediate attention. It can cause rusting of the inside of the tank, damage to the filter and the engine's power system, serious damage to the injectors, break the injection pump, the cylinder head ... A very important damage, which can cost you about 3,000 euros to repair, in addition to the 200 that will cost the emptying and cleaning of the tank.
Lack of oil in the engine
Checking the oil level in the engine is one of the simplest preventive operations a driver can perform on his car. Just look at the levels on the dipstick to avoid problems. In addition, all cars now have witnesses in the box to warn of a serious drop in levels. For these reasons, this type of problems should not occur, but the truth is that they are still common because of the negligence in the maintenance of the vehicle.
When the engine runs out of oil the most important parts for its operation, the mobile ones, lose lubrication and rub at high speed generating such a high temperature that many of them literally melt, seizing the engine. It is one of the most expensive repairs and can cause us to have to completely replace the engine. The repair costs more than 3,500 euros.
Excess oil
It's just as bad to fall short as it is to overdo it. The dipsticks that allow you to check the oil level allow you to check not only if the engine needs oil, but also if it has leftovers. If the engine has a lot of oil, it can get into the cylinders and consequently burn more oil than it needs and reach the combustion chamber.
The excess oil causes the engine lubricant to receive more air than it should, which generates foams in its composition that deteriorate it and also do not allow the mechanics to be greased as it should, which causes undue overheating.
Eliminating excess oil is a simple and economical operation, just 40 euros. If we do not and let the engine run repeatedly with excess lubricant, the joke can be expensive, even exceeding 1,500 euros.
Lack of coolant
Nothing worse for an engine than overheating; antifreeze protects it from low outside temperatures and lime-scale in cooling circuits. Depending on the car, the cost of the maintenance operation can reach up to 70 euros. You should check the levels of the tank regularly, because if you don't, it's when the surprises come and leave you lying on the road. If you run out of coolant the engine overheats and this causes serious mechanical failures, including the most common breakage of the cylinder head, whose repair cost can reach 3,000 euros.