How Doing My Own Simple Car Repair Saved Me $115.00

Would you do your own simple car repair to save some money?
The week before last, I got a ticket right in front of my driveway. The trooper was driving on the opposite side of the road and noticed that my sticker was damaged (it was a little torn.) He had excellent sight which was unfortunate for me. See, my 12yr old had broken the lock on the trunk door and I didn't have the funds to repair it. My inspection had to be done, but I didn't think I would pass. Instead of trying to test my theory, I decided to wait until I had the funds. Yes, I know...wrong choice.

The trooper gave me a ticket for an expired NYS inspection. That put me in a position where I had to take it to the mechanic. Instead of failing me for the door, the mechanic failed me for a cracked headlight (thank you deers). He charged me $21.00 anyway and told me I had 10 days to remedy the situation. I also had to pay him an additional $10.00 for another inspection before he would give me the sticker. I asked how much the headlight would cost me. The answer? A used headlight would cost $75.00, labor is extra plus tax. A new one would cost me over $200.00.

Two things I did to decrease the cost of the car repairs:
1. I called the local salvage yard. They gave me a better price: $45.00.
2. I made the decision to replace the headlight myself.

When I went to pick up the headlight, the salvage yard realized it was slightly cracked on the bottom. It wouldn't alter it's performance in any way. They made some phone calls and told me the other salvage yards had them in stock. The problem was they were also scratched or cracked. They were also asking for $150.00, even though it was slightly damaged. A new one would cost me $150.00 in the Bronx and upwards of $200.00 locally. I decided to take the first one. Surprisingly, the owner gave it to me for $20.00!

Did I dare to install the headlight?
Of course! How difficult could it be? All I had to do was lift up the hood and unscrew the boltsand the lights to replace the old one with the new one. Guess how much he wanted to charge me...(because I did ask)? He was going to charge me $60.00 for such a simple task.

What was the outcome?
If I had purchased the headlight through him, the total cost would have been $75.00 + $60.00 which totals $135.00. I spent $20.00!

I took the receipt for the inspection and the ticket to the court today. They told me I would get a reply in the mail.

The next time you have a similar car repair needed, try to do it yourslef. You'll be sure to save some money! I saved at least $115.00!

Here are two great sites that provide FREE instructional videos for car repairs and maintenance.
DIYNetwork: Auto and Boat
ExpertVillage: DIY Auto Repair & Maintenance Tips

A Must Read About Ridiculous Ways to Save Money

Jim from Blueprint to Financial Prosperity wrote a great entry called:
Ridiculous Money Saving Ideas!

I have to say I was laughing pretty hard. I started to write a comment, but it turned into a post. I decided to not take up his whole comments area and to use a permalink. Besides, I wanted to share it with all of you.

The entry was about really crazy things people do to save money. I can't believe people really admit to doing some of these things. I would want the earth to just swallow me. Of course, I remembered a couple of things people have admitted to doing.

Here are a few:
1. Using table salt instead of regular salt to MELT THE SNOW. Why? Because table salt is cheaper...DUH. The question is: "Does it really work?" Umm, NO!
2. Freezing old brown bananas. Aren't they old when they are brown?
3. Buying and using expired canned goods. Hey, that can't be healthy. They already have shelf dates that span over a year!
4. This is the worst: taking advantage of someone. A caterer I know has a neighbor that just installed a $50,000 inground pool, a fence that cost $20,000 and had her kitchen and basement remodeled for an additional $100,000. She asked my friend to cater her daughter's recital. My friend called her from the store (while she was doing her personal shopping) to see what she wanted to serve. The neighbor gave her an extensive list of foods she wanted served as well as the paper products she desired. After the party, she refused to pay. She felt that the caterer would get future bookings from her wealthy friends. This cheapskate got free food, paper products and catering. Being a tight wad at someone else's expense- NOT COOL!

Read Jim's entry and see what I'm talkng about. Care to share the worst tales of tight wad behavior you've ever experienced or heard about?