Saving Money on Car Repair

It is easy to save a substantial amount of money when it comes to making repairs on your vehicle(s). Sure almost anyone can do things like top of fluids or replace windshield wipers or a burnt out bulb. But what about something more challenging like replacing the brakes?

I was very fortunate to grow up with a father that was very knowledgeable and mechanically inclined. I could literally hand my dad a pile of junk and he could build me a Cadillac if I so desired. I am not sure there is much he could not fix. He grew up in an age where he had to learn things on his own, and that included taking mechanical items apart and then reassembling them on a routine basis. To this day he still goes out in the garage to fix motorcycles and all kinds of items. To his advantage, he was always able to take things people threw in the garbage, make the repairs, and then turn around and sell them for a profit. It was my first lessons in knowledge and hard work equaled money.

As a kid I never really took advantage of all the information and experience my father could offer to me. I was always mad at the notion of going to hang out in the garage with my dad to watch him fix something. I was a kid interested in television or video games. However, as I got older, and inevitably had my own vehicles or appliances, I had to learn how to make repairs if I did not want to have to rely on others and shell out a large chunk of change.

Sure something more difficult like repairing an engine or replacing a transmission might need to be hired out. But minor repair jobs like replacing brakes I could easily handle. I have owned four vehicles so far in my life (including my wife’s SUV), and have always done all of my own brake work, thanks to my father. My current car, a 2004 Mazda 6S has over 133,000 miles on it, and I last replaced the brake pads and rotors around 80,000 miles, so I am due for replacement.

Since I drive a sportier car, I have modified rotors featuring cross drilling and slots (professionally done by a company, not me) with more aggressive pads. I was about to shell out around $180 on eBay for new rotors and pads when I came across a post on FatWallet for new Wagner brake pads. As you go through the thread, you will see that the offer was through Advance Auto Parts stores linking through FatWallet for cash back as well as the use of a coupon. This was the money saving deal I was looking for the past couple of weeks.

So I linked through FatWallet (then offering 10% cash back) to Advance Auto Parts. Then I searched for Wagner ThermoQuiet® Brake Pads for my vehicle. For the front and rear pads, the total came to $74.98. Then using a coupon (A123), I was able to save an additional $20, bringing the total down to $54.98 with in-store pick-up. Taking out my FatWallet (FW) cash back ($5.50) and the $30 mail-in rebate, my total cost would have been $19.48 plus tax. Except before I placed my order, I was waiting for some dust to settle in the thread over on FW.

Of course anytime there is a deal almost to good to be true, someone will be looking to cross their T’s to make sure there would not be any problems. Sure enough, the terms of the rebate stated the use of any coupons would void the rebate. However, other members stated that they found equal if not better deals on Amazon. So I decided to run the numbers to see how they compared.

Via Amazon, the same exact brake pads were $54.07 including free shipping. The big positive with going through Amazon instead of Advance Auto is there were no coupons. So after rebate, my total for both front and rear pads was $24.07, slightly more than if I had gone through FW to Advance Auto, but I might not have gotten the rebate. I feel confident in my selection of going directly through Amazon.

I also picked up a set of brake pads for my wife’s 2007 Chevy Equinox, which after rebate will cost me only $52.37. I am hoping I do not have to replace any of the rotors and can get away with only new pads this go around. Regardless, we saved a ton of money on the purchase of these pads, as well as by installing them ourselves. I look forward to getting to spend some time outside once it warms up to work on the vehicles…with my dad there of course just in case I can not handle it.