Are you looking to save money on car repairs?
Posted by Richard Sinclair
With Christmas just around the corner it is tempting to cut back on having your car serviced to save money, which can be a false economy as when something goes wrong it will probably be more expensive to fix than it would've been to prevent.
However, it is possible to save money when buying replacement car parts, with some people having the potential to save around 50 per cent – just what you want to hear if your car gives up the ghost this winter.
Thanks to a recent change in the law, motorists can now choose where to take their car for a service and they can also specify that cheaper equivalent-quality parts should be used.
Recent research carried out by What Car? found that big-brand aftermarket suppliers can often offer parts at lower prices than many dealerships.
An original-equipment battery to fit a new small family car was £71.66 from dealers, while a big-brand aftermarket part could be bought for £41.94.
A set of front brake pads bought from the dealer cost £65.40, compared with £36.60 for a matching-quality pair, while an oil filter costing £8.83 from the dealer could be replaced with a matching-quality part for £4.92.
Emma Butcher, consumer editor at What Car?, said there is a misconception that having a car serviced away from the dealer will invalidate a warranty, but this is simply not the case, as long as the replacement is either the original component or a part of matching quality.
Tips for buying car parts from aftermarket suppliers rather than dealerships include speaking to your garage to check which parts will fit without invalidating the warranty, sourcing parts from reputable companies, checking the warranty on the new component and getting a trusted dealer or garage to fit the parts.
Ms Butcher added that car safety is "paramount", so it's better to be safe than sorry.
What are your money saving tips when it comes to buying car parts?
