Abandon Nest

Recently, my car has been acting a little funny. The engine has been getting hot and it looks like I’m leaking coolant. Tonight, I’m taking it to Midas to get looked at, but in the mean time I figured I’d go through a few points regarding why you should get your car serviced.

Nobody likes taking their car to the mechanic and everybody has their own reason. Some people think they’re getting ripped off every time they get work done. Others just don’t like how much time it takes. Finally, some abhor the prospect of sitting in a greasy auto shop while their car is being fixed. Whatever your reason, you need to get over it. Otherwise, you could do irreparable damage to your vehicle. Now let’s go through some reasons you should get your car serviced when something seems suspect.

1. You’ll save money in the long run - Really, you will! A few years ago I was an irresponsible teenager. I drove a 1990 Chevy Corsica. Now, this wasn’t the nicest car in the world, but it got me around. However, for the longest time the check engine light would flicker on and off. Because I didn’t have any money to pay for repairs anyways, I figured it wasn’t a problem. I mean, it only came on every once in a while. One day, the check engine light came on and decided to stay on. I decided then and there to take it to a mechanic. Unfortunately, as I was finishing my ride to school, my car pretty much self-destructed. As coolant flew all over the hot engine, I started to trail a long cloud of white smoke. It was like something right out of a spy-thriller (probably cooler because it was real.) Anyways, to sum it all up, I had to get a new car. It probably would have been much less expensive to just go to the mechanic when problems started occurring.
2. They know what they’re doing - Unless you’re a total gearhead, you probably don’t know your differential from a ball-joint, and this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. They say you can’t know everything, and I have to second that. It is not in my interest to know what is going on in my car as long as it works and gets me from place to place. Your mechanic, however, has a fairly good understanding of what is going on underneath the hood. Because he does, he’ll be able to diagnose your problem fairly quickly and accurately. This will save you time and effort if you were considering doing the work yourself. The only serious car work I’ve ever done involved replacing my alternator in a ‘84 Chrysler Laser. That was a heck of an experience, and something I really don’t ever want to go through again. From now on, I leave the complicated work to the mechanics.
3. You need your car - If you have a car, it’s probably because you need it to get places. Those places could include work, the store, the mall, sporting events, or any of a myriad of other locations. Without your car, you’re not getting anywhere. As I stated before, I once let an auto problem linger to the point where my car became completely useless. I could no longer drive it and I was without transportation for a time. This made it difficult to get to school and work. If you can’t get to work, you can’t make money to afford a new car, and it’s really somewhat of a vicious cycle. Take your car to the mechanic and you can avoid this conundrum completely (hopefully).
4. You won’t endanger your life or that of others - Imagine this, you hear your brakes squealing when you pull into a parking space. You can feel them getting mushy and know that it takes a lot more pressure to stop then it used to. It’s time to get that vehicle into the shop. Sure, it will be expensive. However, getting new brakes (and calipers, rotors, and whatever else you need) will cost a lot less than if you crash and kill/injure someone or damage their vehicle. This is a very real situation that you need to be careful of. If you think you can put it off, you probably can’t. Get your car checked immediately if your brakes start to fail. The way life works, they’ll end up failing at the worst possible time and then you’ll be out of luck.

Sure, mechanics may sometimes seem evil and untrustworthy, but they’re there for a reason. If you think your car might need work, take it into a shop and get it looked at. Only good can come of it. You’ll come away with a car in better shape, more peace of mind, and, admittedly, a little bit lighter wallet. And that can be good for your back, right?