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With ever-increasing car maintenance costs, drivers are looking for cheaper ways to keep their car in proper technical condition. You can't skimp on safety, but you can spend less and still drive a functional and safe car.
Vacation in less than a month is the last call to take care of your car and do it for a reasonable price. Maintaining a car in good technical condition is becoming more and more expensive. According to MotoFocus.pl, three years ago, the average Polish driver spent PLN 1354 a year on car repairs and maintenance. Today - more than 1600 zł. Given the parallel rising prices for fuel and insurance, it is worth doing everything to rationalize this cost as much as possible. “Rationalize rather than abandon this, which will lead to a rapid deterioration in the technical condition of the car and a decrease in its level of safety, and in the long term - a significant increase in the cost of eliminating defects that can be caused by negligence,” emphasizes President Alfred Franke. Association of distributors and manufacturers of auto parts.
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According to the French research company GIPA, already 45% of visits to European workshops are preventive work and technical inspections. In Poland, the vast majority is renovation. – We not only wait for the appearance of a malfunction, but very often we ignore the first signs of a malfunction while the car is moving. Only when something breaks off, some part falls apart and the car is unable to go further - we are looking for a repair shop. Compared to more developed automotive countries, we still have a lot to catch up when it comes to the frequency of preventive vehicle inspections,” says Witold Rogowski, an expert at the Automotive for All Forum.
Rationalization of car maintenance costs cannot be just a neglect that always reduces driving safety, but should consist in the selection of independent car repair shops that are as professionally prepared for car repair as authorized services, but much cheaper than them. – Independent workshops offer not only parts marked with the logo of their real manufacturer (e.g. Bosch or Valeo), which provide identical parts to car companies “for first assembly”, but also “parts 
comparable quality”, meeting all European standards. Parts in both of these categories are cheaper than those sold in dealerships in boxes with car manufacturers' logos, confirms Alfred Franke, president of the Association of Automotive Parts Distributors and Manufacturers. In Poland, according to a study by MotoFocus.pl, almost 90% of drivers use the services of independent car services, and only 10% use authorized ones. This roughly corresponds to the ratio of relatively new (under 5 years) cars to older cars. Meanwhile, owners of even vehicles covered by a manufacturer's warranty can safely outsource inspections and repairs to independent workshops, the right to which is enforced by European legal regulations in the form of industry guidelines, commonly referred to as "GVO". The fact that it is profitable to use independent car services is also evidenced by other data - although every tenth driver uses authorized services, the market share of these services is almost 50%. This shows that ASO is much more expensive than independent garages.
It is worth mentioning other data: over the past 7 years, the share of labor costs in the price of repairs has been steadily growing. In 2004, labor accounted for 40% of the cost of repairs, today it is already 53%. The price of a man-hour in an independent workshop is usually half as much as in an authorized service, so when using independent services we pay much less.
On the other hand, postponing inspections, and even more so repairs, is not saving. “It’s like with health: prevention is better than cure. The cost of periodic examinations and preventive measures is always lower than treatment by specialists. The review can even be done free of charge on the occasion of another service. Of course, for parts that are worn out, and their replacement will have to pay. However, if the vehicle is stationary, it may 
It turns out that you have to pay the cost of towing to the service. In addition, a serious malfunction, if completely ignored, has its consequences - and it will also need to be repaired. Stress, wasted money and wasted time, warns Vitold Rogovsky, an expert at the Automotive for All forum.
When is the car most in need of our care? A survey conducted by MotoFocus.pl shows that 43% of workshops recorded the highest turnover in the second quarter of the year. This is natural, because this period consists of the end of the most difficult period of car operation - winter, and the beginning of preparations for summer country trips. Interviewed services indicate that during this period the most frequent repairs are suspension, brakes and muffler replacement.
What should be on the list of things to check before going on vacation? According to Vitold Rogovsky, the most important thing with a thorough (but lasting up to 2 hours) inspection is the control of play in the steering and suspension systems, as well as the condition of flexible elements, metal-rubber joints. The condition of the discs and linings, as well as the rubber covers of the moving parts of the system, should be checked in the brake system. If sand gets in there, the clamps or cylinders can soon be replaced. - It is necessary to check the boiling point of the brake fluid - after a wet autumn-winter period, it can drop significantly. With a longer descent, for example, in the mountains, it can boil and, as a result, lose braking efficiency, - recalls Witold Rogovsky, an expert at the Automotive for All forum. This not only reduces safety, but also increases the risk of corrosion of cylinders and pistons in the brake circuit, clogging and accelerated repairs.
Inspect the engine and transmission for leaks in the cooling system or oil. You should also take care of efficient lighting and - for your own comfort and health - the condition of the air conditioner. - Some drivers turn it off completely in winter, and this is a mistake - sometimes you need to turn it on. Modern systems have protection against starting and damage to the compressor in the event of a refrigerant leak, but it's not just about topping it up. The main thing is to check for leaks, and only then replace the refrigerant. For the sake of driving comfort and even health, ventilation ducts should be cleaned and disinfected. Winter is the perfect time for moisture to accumulate, which promotes the growth of fungi and bacteria, says Witold Rogowski, an expert at the Automotive for All forum.
It is worth checking the condition of the shock absorbers. The most common warning sign of wear is knocking. The play in the suspension at first only gives the unpleasant impression of a loss of steering precision. However, this phenomenon can be neglected only up to a certain point: with the improvement of driving conditions, the driver wants to go faster, and then what only made an unpleasant impression can have dramatic consequences, because in a critical situation the car will behave unpredictably. Play in the steering or suspension will also have similar consequences.
The loss of damper efficiency is a phenomenon whose significance cannot be overestimated. It affects not only the level of safety, but also the condition of many other components of the car. The braking distance of a car traveling at a speed of 80 km / h with inoperative shock absorbers increases by at least 2-3 meters. The worse the coverage, the longer the road will be. Defective shock absorbers disrupt the ABS (which leads to an increase in braking distance) and ESP (which, in a critical situation, may incorrectly interpret the signals from the sensors). When the shock absorbers are worn by 50%, the safe arc speed can be reduced by 10%, as well as the speed at which aquaplaning (skidding on a thin layer of water) can occur.
After all, shock absorbers that have lost their damping properties change the behavior of the car in such a way that it is less prone to turning the steering wheel. In addition, in a faulty car, the driver gets tired faster and, as a result, his reaction time increases by a quarter.
In addition, the poor condition of the shock absorbers causes additional wear on other components and causes additional costs. Suspension springs, rubber suspension elements, ball joints, and even the steering gear or differential are loaded more heavily. It also causes damage to the tire tread. Consciously or unconsciously (if we neglect
inspection) extending the life of non-working shock absorbers will quickly lead to the fact that the repair is not limited to replacing this element of the running gear.
In the brake system, the brake calipers in the guides or self-adjusters of the brake pads are often dirty, which reduces the braking efficiency. Another consequence is uneven, accelerated wear of friction linings and the need for their faster replacement. Cleaning these items during inspection avoids unnecessary, higher costs.
The exhaust system is one of those components that are particularly vulnerable to damage, especially from corrosion. In the end, the lining of the muffler boxes or the pipes connecting them is broken. Vibrations on irregularities accelerate the depressurization of the flexible connector. The result is not only an unpleasant sound that penetrates the interior of the car, but also the release of exhaust gases in a place where the car is not designed for this. This can lead to the fact that they get into the salon. If corrosion or other damage occurs after the system, including the catalytic converter, this can lead to malfunction of the lambda probe and further consequences, including damage to the catalytic converter and excessive fuel consumption. Even such a simple and seemingly insignificant malfunction, as a break in the flexible hangers of the exhaust system, can have serious consequences: it can lead to the failure of operable system components and the need to replace them, which means unnecessary costs.
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Windshield wipers are at the end of the list of items that require inspection. It is recommended to replace them at least once every six months. In practice, after a year, the feathers wear out so much that when working in the rain, they leave stains on the glass. Prolonged use of wipers, whose rubber brushes harden over time, can lead to small scratches on the glass. They can cause tiring reflections when driving at night. Their removal by glass polishing is another expense, not always effective.
“The cost of technical inspection should not include the cost of only the same service,” says Vitold Rogovsky, an expert at the Automotive for All Forum. – Sites are authorized with media support and conduct free reviews. However, it's not about their cost. Every car has a problem. The cost of removing it is one area where there will be real price differences. An independent service can also check for free. However, the cost of parts that need to be replaced can be even 2 times lower.
