Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Can You Afford to Repair your Vehicle?


Repairing your vehicle can be expensive, especially if your goal is to maintain safe transportation.
I want to be as realistic as possible in reaching a compromise in addressing the dilemma of not having sufficient funds to repair your vehicle.  Many people do not have access to public transportation; therefore, it is not an option.
It is not necessary to repair everything that goes wrong immediately.

New technology:  Many sophisticated options are standard equipment on various vehicles.  The value of the following equipment verses cost effectiveness is debatable, especially for those who live in dry areas.  Here is a list of some of the sophisticated equipment that is standard equipment (except NAV unit) on many vehicles:
  • ·        ABS (anti-lock braking system): Allows the driver to steer around objects on snow or ice by preventing wheel lock up.
  • ·        TPS (tire pressure-monitoring system): Alerts the driver when a tire is low on air pressure.
  • ·        TCS (traction control system): Limits a wheel from spinning on slippery surfaces.
  • ·        SRS (supplemental restraint system – airbags): Inflates airbag(s) during a frontal or side impact collision.
  • ·        Factory Navigation: Determines how to get to your destination or  locates points of interests.
If any of this equipment malfunctions, it will likely cost you a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.  Although this equipment has a place, it has nothing to do with safely transporting you from Point A to Point B.  It is my opinion that the majority of vehicles never have an occasion to deploy an air bag or activate the ABS system.  Therefore, consider if you want to sacrifice urgent needs for immediately repairing this equipment.  You may want to repair it at an appropriate time that is suitable for your budget.

Next topic: Should You Use Factory or After-market Parts?