Cars, Caravans and Other Vehicles

Three Things You Should Know About Your Car Before You Take It To A Mechanic

For many, the car is the crux around which they build much of their life. Sure, the family home is the heart of lifestyle, but a car provides the freedom and independence to go anywhere you want or need to go.

It's important, then, as it is with our home and other major assets in our lives, that we get to know our car as best we can to understand how to keep it happy and what to do when it needs help. Often, and understandably, we turn to a mechanic to provide the care for our cars that is beyond our competency. As complex machines, this is certainly the correct port of call to look for.

However, taking your car to a mechanic for a diagnosis and, more importantly, a fix can sometimes involve a very lengthy process of trying to figure out exactly what is wrong. Communicating effectively the symptoms which your car is experiencing to a mechanic can drastically reduce the time they spend figuring out the problem as well as shrinking your bill.

Getting to know the basics about your car doesn't have to be daunting or as in-depth as a university degree, either. There are plenty of resources available and the most helpful one you can get your hands on is the official manual for your car. If there are only a few things you know about your car to make your mechanic's life a little easier, these are it:

Model & Year of Manufacture - It might seem like basic and useless information, but if you can communicate this early on it saves other people needing to investigate. It also means you can track down and study your car's user manual, which will also contain instructions on how to properly maintain and even repair your vehicle.

Previous Owners - Unless you're the only person to have ever owned the vehicle, it's important to know as much as you can about how many previous owners the car has had, what its history of service looks like, and whether it suffered any major damage prior to you acquiring it. While it can sometimes be difficult to ascertain all of this information, the more you can get, the better.

Last Repair / Service - Just as it is important to know the history of work done on your car, it's equally as critical to know when work was last performed on the car and exactly what it was. Sometimes it can be the most recent modifications which can be causing issues with a car, and quickly ruling these out can make a mechanic's day much simpler.

On top of these, it's important to strike up a rapport with your car and grow to understand its intricacies. The more you can help your mechanic, the more they can help you.


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