Purchasing a new set of tires for your car can be expensive. So it pays to take care of your tires and not have them prematurely wear down. Adding the cost of the tire replacement, balancing and even possible alignment of the car is expensive. These can be expensive tire repairs. It can add anywhere from $500 to several thousand dollars to your car operating cost. Some low profile tires are very expensive. You should look after them as you would any other investment to avoid expensive tire repairs.
The best way to avoid expensive tire repairs is to take preventative steps that will keep your car and tires in the best condition possible.
Expensive Tire Repairs – Follow Regular Maintenance
The first thing to do is to follow the maintenance schedule as outlined in your owner’s manual, which among other things will tell you to make sure your tires are adequately inflated. Always be sure that your tires are properly inflated. This is especially important because tires with too little air, or too much, can result in excessive wear and may cause a blow out.
It is often recommended that tire pressure be checked during every visit to the gas pump. While this may seem like a lot, you won’t be sorry that you have kept your tires in the best shape possible. For reasons of both safety and the expense of new tires, this exercise is well worth it.
It also will recommend that you rotate the tires on a regular basis. This will even out the wear and tear on your tires and avoid having to replace all four tires prematurely.
Listen to Your Car
If you notice unusual noises on your car, check with your owner’s manual for information. Quite often, noises are perfectly normal and there is no need for concern. Your owner’s manual will let you know whether or not a visit to the car repair shop is necessary. You can also consult with your service counter technician to determine if these noise are anything to worry about. They might even want to do a test drive to listen for themselves.
If you notice that there is a vibration on the steering wheel or to the car in general, your tires could be unbalanced and if left for too long a time may cause uneven wear on the tire. Don’t put this off, have them check the tires immediately. Sometimes a wheel balancing weight will fall off, particularly if you hit a curb or a bump in the road too hard.
When it comes time to have any work competed always get an estimate in writing. This includes rotating and balancing tires. A quality repair shop will be able to provide this information and should also be able to assure you that the repairs will not exceed 10% of a specific dollar amount as outlined in the estimate.
Comments are welcome on avoiding expensive tire repairs. For more details about tire maintenance, click here.