The trick to saving money on repairs for your car, appliances or anything else may be something you've never even considered: Do the repairs yourself, or at least find out whether you can order the parts at a discount and have a technician install them.
It may sound like it's more trouble then it's worth. But doing your own repairs or supplying your own parts can save you hundreds of dollars.
For instance, a local Ford dealer recently said it would charge me nearly $600 for the parts it needed to overhaul my Explorer's air conditioning system, a job I wasn't confident doing myself. Searching online, I found a complete air conditioning overhaul kit for just $267. Just a few weeks earlier, I saved more than $100 by ordering a replacement power steering pump and hoses online and having the dealer install them, too.
And car repairs aren't the only ones where you can save by supplying your parts. Last year, a heating company charged my neighbor more than $300 for a replacement control unit for her furnace. Soon after, I found the exact same unit at a local home improvement store for less than half the price. Curious, I checked with the heating company, which said it would had no problem installing a customer-provided part. Of course, by that time, it was too late.
What to Do
When you need a repair, find out if you can do it yourself, even if it's just replacing a knob and handle on your clothes dryer, like I just did for $25, or a microwave over wave guide, which a friend did for less than $10. (An appliance repair shop wanted $100.) Or maybe it's something more complicated that you can handle on your own.
Yes, there are some drawbacks you should consider first. You may need to buy some more tools, although they're usually good to have. And there's always the possibility you might screw something up, as I've done a couple of times – increasing the cost and the time its takes to get things right.
There's also the danger that the parts store may give you the wrong part, which has happened to me twice – a big inconvenience if you discover the problem while you or your shop is in the middle of making the repair. And keep in mind that technicians won't warranty a part you provide. So if something goes wrong with it later, you'll have to get another one from the parts supplier (hopefully, it provided a warranty) and pay the shop another labor charge to swap out the bad one.
And sometimes a self-repair isn't practical. Maybe the problem is too complicated to diagnose or fix on your own. Or perhaps you're just not confident you won't seriously damage something or injure yourself. Of course, it's critical that you consider and follow safety precautions.
Alternatively, find out how much the repair shop will charge you for the parts and use a web to see if you can find them for less yourself. Verify that the shop is willing to install them. If so, it may even advise you what to order, as my Ford dealer did.
As with making repairs, supplying your own parts isn't always possible. Maybe the technician, in diagnosing the problem, already has dismantled your car or furnace and can't wait days for you to order parts. Or you may need your refrigerator or washing machine right away, and the technician has the parts on hand. (Of course, if you find a lower price on a part, you always can ask the shop to give you a discount, I've had success with, too.)
So use your judgment. But when it's practical to do your own repair or provide your own parts, the savings can be huge.
These days there are many online retailers of low-cost parts for cars, computers, appliances, and more. Many of them have posted online how-to videos and instructions that show you how to diagnose a problem and replace a part yourself. Those resources can give you a good idea about whether the job is something you can handle on your own. (If you're hiring a repair shop, online videos also an help you decide whether a technician is misdiagnosing the problem, perhaps intentionally, or charging you an outrageous amount to fix it.
I've saved a lot over the years making many repairs myself, among them replacing a belt and pulley on a clothes dryer, installing a new oven heating element, fitting my laptop computers with new keyboards and screens – most of ithis pretty easy wor. Last week, I followed on online video that helped me fix a problem with my washing machine that didn't even require any new parts.
Here are some recent repairs I made on my Ford Explorer: Replacing the alternator, $122; installing new front brake pads and cleaning and re-greasing the wheel bearings, $40, and replacing one of the power window motors and regulator (the part that carries the glass up and down), $50. That's a total of $212, far less than the $629 to $800 combined estimate I received from the auto website RepairPal and local shops.
Not only can you save money by doing your own repairs, there's a lot of satisfaction in fixing things yourself and knowing you're not at the mercy of a repair shop that may be cutting corners, charging too much, or fixing something that really isn't broken. Yes, your time is worth money. But doing your own repairs can provide valuable lessons that will make you a smarter consumer. And if you have kids, having them observe, or even help, can make them better consumers, too. Finally, it can be rewarding just finding out how the stuff you own works. Often, It's all less complicated than you think.
Supply Your Own Parts
Supply Your Own Parts
Even if you can't or don't want to do a repair yourself, you may be able to save by ordering the parts locally or online and paying a professional to install them. That way you'll avoid the big mark-up that shops typically impose on the parts they provide in-house. Not every shop will agree to install outside parts, but I haven't found one yet that wouldn't.
For instance, a local Ford dealer recently said it would charge me nearly $600 for the parts it needed to overhaul my Explorer's air conditioning system, a job I wasn't confident doing myself. Searching online, I found a complete air conditioning overhaul kit for just $267. Just a few weeks earlier, I saved more than $100 by ordering a replacement power steering pump and hoses online and having the dealer install them, too.
And car repairs aren't the only ones where you can save by supplying your parts. Last year, a heating company charged my neighbor more than $300 for a replacement control unit for her furnace. Soon after, I found the exact same unit at a local home improvement store for less than half the price. Curious, I checked with the heating company, which said it would had no problem installing a customer-provided part. Of course, by that time, it was too late.
What to Do
When you need a repair, find out if you can do it yourself, even if it's just replacing a knob and handle on your clothes dryer, like I just did for $25, or a microwave over wave guide, which a friend did for less than $10. (An appliance repair shop wanted $100.) Or maybe it's something more complicated that you can handle on your own.
Yes, there are some drawbacks you should consider first. You may need to buy some more tools, although they're usually good to have. And there's always the possibility you might screw something up, as I've done a couple of times – increasing the cost and the time its takes to get things right.
There's also the danger that the parts store may give you the wrong part, which has happened to me twice – a big inconvenience if you discover the problem while you or your shop is in the middle of making the repair. And keep in mind that technicians won't warranty a part you provide. So if something goes wrong with it later, you'll have to get another one from the parts supplier (hopefully, it provided a warranty) and pay the shop another labor charge to swap out the bad one.
And sometimes a self-repair isn't practical. Maybe the problem is too complicated to diagnose or fix on your own. Or perhaps you're just not confident you won't seriously damage something or injure yourself. Of course, it's critical that you consider and follow safety precautions.
Alternatively, find out how much the repair shop will charge you for the parts and use a web to see if you can find them for less yourself. Verify that the shop is willing to install them. If so, it may even advise you what to order, as my Ford dealer did.
As with making repairs, supplying your own parts isn't always possible. Maybe the technician, in diagnosing the problem, already has dismantled your car or furnace and can't wait days for you to order parts. Or you may need your refrigerator or washing machine right away, and the technician has the parts on hand. (Of course, if you find a lower price on a part, you always can ask the shop to give you a discount, I've had success with, too.)
So use your judgment. But when it's practical to do your own repair or provide your own parts, the savings can be huge.
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