In the current economic climate, the last thing that you want to do is to have to make a claim off your insurance because your trusty car has gone faulty. It’s a catch-22 situation: if are on a zero-excess policy, you can be almost certain that your premiums will go up at renewal; meanwhile, if you are on an excess policy, it is highly probable that you will need to find some spare cash in order to pay your percentage of repairs before an insurer will contribute the rest.
Claiming for accidents can be fairly unavoidable if the accident in question isn’t your fault (remember though: accidents that are your fault can be avoided if you drive more carefully!). Something to consider is claiming when your car is in a state of disrepair. If you do not treat your car well, it could be your lack of maintenance that results in you having to claim. Surely it is better to take the time to keep your car in a good condition than to have to go through the arduous processes of claiming?
As a trained and qualified driver, it would be horrific if you didn’t know that it is the engine of your car that needs to be kept happy more than any other part of your car. This means ensuring that you check your engine has adequate oil supplies to prevent any malfunction that could result in a hefty bill from a mechanic.
You need to keep a close eye on your engine, as a problem here can be catastrophic. One of the principle causes that make cars break down is an overheated engine, mostly caused by a faulty thermostat that means the engine doesn’t have the notification to open valves in order to cool down. Additionally, ensuring you take the time to balance the anti-freeze and water levels that you place in the engine’s circulation can prevent the amount of trouble that you experience, too.
Now – you can look after your car to the point of infatuation if it is your pride and joy, but sometimes you can find that some problems occur on their own. If you detect a problem like a windscreen crack or a similar problem, it is always wise that you address it sooner rather than later. Some glitches in cars can worsen and a repair that would have been fairly simple in the summer of a year can snowball into a significant claim by the year’s end. If you put off repairs, you are practically asking for trouble, and it could be said that you should simply pour money down the drain.
Maintaining a car can be easier said than done, particularly if you have no prior experience. However, taking the time to get to know how your car functions can be informative and useful. Further, as your no-claims bonus racks up because you have begun to take good care of your care, the money you save can be remarkably good, too!
Tags: car maintenance tips, economic climate, hefty bill, pride and joy, trusty car