Colorado car expert says maintaining vehicle helps prevent costly repairs down the road

Colorado car experts say maintaining your car is a key component of saving money. While it might seem expensive to take your car in for an oil change or inspection, the alternative could be much more costly. 

A local car expert says there is a lot you can do to maintain your vehicle and prevent costly repairs down the road.

Eric Beutz works at Yoder Chevrolet in Fort Lupton, and he said auto repair costs have gone up significantly due to manufacturing going overseas and fewer people making parts in the United States. Beutz said on the low end, an engine replacement could be $10,000 or on the high end up to $40,000, depending on what kind of vehicle you have.

"A diesel pickup truck could die as early as 80,000 miles with bad maintenance or live as long as 480,000 miles with excellent maintenance, with a replacement cost on that engine. That's $40,000," said Beutz. "We'd love to help you avoid those costs, and I think a lot of people might be in a world they're unfamiliar with, but we also want to make sure you're safe," said Beutz.

Beutz recommends taking care of the engine and transmission by maintaining fluids and getting regular oil changes. Maintain the steering on your car by driving it properly and getting regular fluid checks, and ensuring proper wheel alignment.

"The two most important things we want is we want the car to go, and we want the car to stop, right? So, we want to keep it going. That's going to be our engine and our transmission, and that's important to maintain fluids and filters to keep the car going," said Beutz. "But more important, if we're going to get that car going, is we want it to stop and we want it to steer safely, and that's where we can really run into problems."

Some other common parts Beutz recommends for repairs or replacement are your brakes and serpentine belt.

"Your belt runs all your accessories on the front of the vehicle. Your steering is involved in this. When this comes off, the engine might even stall. If you lose this belt at highway speeds, you might lose control of the vehicle," said Beutz. "So, it's important to keep up with this belt. New belts pretty much never fail."

Tires are also important to maintain. Beutz said your tires need to be rotated every 5,000 miles, and rotating tires makes them wear evenly.

"Tires are super important. Here in Colorado, you go anywhere from 105 degrees outside to negative 25 degrees and we want your tires to perform in all those conditions," said Beutz.

He also recommends going to a dealership for oil changes instead of places that do a quick oil change. He said they'll use better quality oil targeted toward the needs of your vehicle, among other reasons.

"If there are any updates that are related to safety or just the convenience of using your infotainment system, if your car needs a software update, it can be done then and there at the dealership. The dealer is also going to know what common failures on your vehicle are, so they're going to pay extra attention to the things they know are common to fail on each make and model," said Beutz.

During inspections or oil changes, they will also look at your suspension components, including struts, shock absorbers and ball joints to ensure a smooth, stable ride.

Also, don't let your car sit idle for too long – drive it at least once a week to keep the battery charged.