We are all accustomed to the fact that a car is a means of transportation, not a luxury. Probably, you often hire a car for travel, giving preference to this way of transportation. However, sometimes the cost of maintaining and repairing a car results in significant expenses for the owner. They can sometimes be very tangible for the wallet.
A car provides a person with convenience, mobility and comfort, and the cost of owning a car is usually justified. Of course, you always need to be prepared for financial spending.
Knowing the most expensive parts of a car can help prevent or at least minimize potential car costs.
Engine
This is one of the most expensive units in terms of repair and maintenance. Its cost can reach half and sometimes more the total cost of a car. A routine but necessary procedure for a timely motor oil change can save the engine from damage and save your money.
Unfortunately, the cost of maintaining an engine is not limited to oil changes only. If replacing a blown fuse is usually not difficult and relatively cheap, then overhaul or complete replacement of the engine entails significant financial costs, not to mention the time and nerves spent on fixing.
Car bodywork
This is another expensive item on the list. No wonder that car hire companies carefully monitor the condition of the car body. Thus, when picking up, for example, an 8 seater car hire Heathrow for a family trip, be careful when parking in tight spaces. Removing even minor damage to the body that requires only local repair – scratches, chips, cracks, painting parts – is not cheap.
As for your personal car, body corrosion prevention generally doesn’t cost much. It’s enough to keep it clean and use special means in order to apply anti-corrosion compounds to the places most susceptible to corrosion: the bottom, wheel arches, hidden cavities and joints of body parts.
Brake system
Under some conditions, brakes can also become a very expensive part of the car. So, if replacing brake pads when they are worn out doesn’t hit the budget hard, then some other malfunctions of the brake system can lead to large expenses for their elimination. For example, repairing or replacing a brake line when it leaks or depressurises is a very costly procedure.
By the way, if you suspect a brake malfunction, you also need to check the caliper in addition to the pads, and replace it if necessary. Yes, this can already entail significant costs. Plus, you have to fork out for the work of replacing parts.
Steering system
The cost of repairing a steering system if it is defective can be very high. The main problems of the steering are the steering rack knocking and the leakage of the power steering fluid. Replacing the entire steering rack is expensive, and if the car owner has limited finances, then repair rather than replacement is usually chosen. However, even simple repairs will also cost money.
Suspension
When you buy or hire a car, you expect to experience a high level of driving comfort. The suspension of the car is what is responsible for this.
In the conditions of poor-quality roads, the suspension is often perceived as almost a consumable material, and its repair, as a rule, is quite cheap. Certain parts and spare parts can make it not very budgetary – for example, the cost of controlled shock absorbers or pneumatics in an active suspension is usually high.
Frequent driving on country roads along with harsh driving style, extreme overloads, as well as corrosion and constant temperature fluctuations contribute to the increase in spending on constant repairs of the suspension.
Transmission
Automakers strive to make the transmission as user-friendly as possible. In this sense, the automatic transmission is more popular, and it’s not for nothing that most drivers prefer it when they book a hire car.
However, compared to a manual transmission, an automatic gearbox requires more careful maintenance. Most often, problems such as untimely gear shifting, abnormal noise when shifting gears, grease leakage, overheating of gearbox assemblies are possible.
Transmission repairs are often expensive. In addition to the actual elimination of malfunctions and the possible purchase of spare parts necessary for repair, you will have to pay for dismantling, disassembly, troubleshooting of units, as well as assembly, installation and adjustment of the gearbox.
Air conditioner
This is not the most necessary part of the car – you can drive a car without it, but, of course, it’s much more comfortable with it. Additional comfort comes with additional costs.
The main costs are caused by servicing and diagnosing the air conditioning system. It’s cheap and uncomplicated, but it’s necessary to do it regularly – about once a year, in order to identify and neutralize possible malfunctions before they develop into a problem that will require significant expenses for repairs. More costs will be required by periodic charging of the air conditioner with refrigerant.