If you can work on your car yourself, you will save a TON of money. The big catch is that you need to know what to fix and of course how to fix it. At Autozone, you can talk to reasonably knowledgeable people that can perform diagnostic tests that your mechanic would probably charge an arm and a leg. I've had my battery, ODBII codes scanned (check engine light, etc), and other stuff tested for free! http://www.autozone.com/autozone/inourstores/services.jsp#Testing If there is a problem, you can almost always buy the replacement part right there and not have to sit in some nasty mechanic waiting room with other sad people. They even have a free Loan-a-Tool program where you can borrow the right tools for common mechanical repairs. http://www.autozone.com/autozone/inourstores/lat/latLanding.jsp Awesome! *they are technically not allowed to turn off your check engine light, but they will at least be able to tell you what is causing it.
My most recent trip included the purchase of a cabin air filter (filters the air inside the car) that Valvoline Oil change wanted to charge $50+ to replace and install. I used the handy book by the filters and confirmed with a worker and spent a mere $14 on the same filter. You do the math. I know that labor costs money, but the 5 minutes or less that it took me to open my glove compartment and remove and insert a new filter certainly shouldn't cost $36. Oh well, they wouldn't charge it unless people were willing to pay for the convenience right?
I highly recommend you purchase a Haynes car manual for your car. They are worth it. Basically, the book covers every aspect of your engine and includes pictures and recommended maintenance for the entire engine. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/ljy8_Pk4RZ_eJ6J7H-5FbQ?select=DDw7ajZizKe3VL5V7ubzJg
So, if ya got a car, like most people in Cincinnati, do yourself a favor and brush up on your car knowledge and take care of the thing that takes you places. You'll save time, money, and a lot of aggravation. And people will think your some kind of mechanical wizard... ha ha! read more