P&M Automotive

Everyone in Salem OR does our best to budget for scheduled vehicle maintenance.

What’s hard is planning for unexpected Sedan repairs.

The truth is that our vehicles can stay on our OR roads longer than ever before with proper maintenance. That’s because of improved vehicle design and manufacturing quality. But some of those same improvements also lead to higher repairs costs for every Sedan or vehicle.

There’s a tool that can be found on Edmunds.com that you can use to prepare your Salem OR service and repair budget.

Let’s suppose you have a used Toyota Camry – a very popular car in the Salem area…

It’s now paid for and you’d like to keep it running for the next three years. You can go to Edmunds’ True Cost to Own calculator and enter your vehicle’s data. The calculator will provide estimates of what it’ll cost to service and repair your vehicle in Salem over the next five years. The estimate’s based on where you live in OR, manufacturers’ recommendations and repair experience for your particular model.

Of course these are just estimates – there’s no way to predict what’ll actually happen to the car in your driveway, but it’s a good starting point. The calculator also has estimates for depreciation, financing, insurance, OR taxes and fuel costs.

Let’s focus on maintenance and repair in the OR area: This table at Edmonds.com shows that the average monthly cost of maintenance and repairs for our example in OR is about eighty-three dollars. That may sound like a lot, but compare it to a new car payment.

So if you set aside eighty-three dollars a month, you’d go a long ways towards taking care of routine maintenance and being prepared for the unexpected repairs that arise.

Some folks in the 97301 zip code area are afraid of what can go wrong with their older car so they buy a new one. That’s fine if you really want a new car, but if you properly maintain your older vehicle, you’ll save a lot of money on new car payments and insurance. It just makes good economic sense when times are tight in Salem.

Give us a call for additional advice on how to keep your Sedan running on a budget.

P&M Automotive
264 Lancaster Drive NE
Salem, OR 97301

At P&M Automotive we install quality NAPA replacement parts. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

A lot of people in OR have older vehicles. They’re good commuters, grocery-getters or toy-haulers. They enjoy that fact that they’re paid off, or soon will be. They would gladly like to keep their vehicles for 200,000 miles or more – as long as it’s economical to do so.

There are plenty of people in Salem whose vehicles are running after 150,000 or 200,000 miles. We can learn from what they’re doing to keep our own cars on the road.

A common denominator is that they never skip an oil change. That may sound a bit unsophisticated, but it’s really not. First off, oil is the life blood of your engine and it needs to be clean to properly lubricate. Skipping oil changes leads to clogged oil filters and sludge that can damage your engine. Enough said.

There’s another reason why the scheduled oil change is so important. It’s simple – a P&M Automotive professional is going to be looking at your car. All of your fluid levels will be inspected and topped off so they won’t get so low that damage can be done. If there is a significant fluid loss, let’s use brake fluid as an example, your Salem technician can look for the cause of the loss and find the problem before it leads to an accident or costly repair.

Your Salem service technician will also visually inspect the vehicle for worn belts and hoses, uneven tire wear, leaking shock absorbers and more. Problems get addressed before they lead to repairs that cost more than the car’s worth. And your Salem service advisor will be able to remind you of other services that the factory recommends you get done.

Just think of that oil change the same way as you do about going to the dentist for your six month cleaning and checkup. Don’t skip it.

Of course, good maintenance costs money, but it’s far cheaper than new car payments.

Give us a call to schedule your next oil change today. You can find us online at P&M Automotive, or you can find us in Salem, OR 97301 at 264 Lancaster Drive NE. Or simply give us a call at 503.363.9956. At P&M Automotive we install quality NAPA replacement parts. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.