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Modern technology has made today’s automobiles the most feature-packed vehicles ever to take to the roads. Technology is a double-edged sword, however. While it has helped to create these modern miracles of engineering and made their modern conveniences possible, it has also driven up the costs of general maintenance and repairs.
When you compare the rising average cost of ownership to the general inflation rate in the United States, you will find that repair costs have far exceeded the rate of inflation over the last several years.
Why are automotive repair costs rising?
While these trends affect the cost to repair cars and trucks in the event of an accident, they also affect normal vehicle maintenance.
Keeping your car's routine maintenance up to date and paying attention to warning signals may go a long way towards reducing your normal auto repair bills. Not taking care of a minor problem could lead to a major problem.
Take your car in for a general check-up at least once a year. In colder climates, winterizing your car not only helps keep you safe, it can save you repair costs as cold weather is so hard on many of your car's systems. The easiest way to cut down on automotive repair costs is to avoid needing them to begin with.
When you compare the rising average cost of ownership to the general inflation rate in the United States, you will find that repair costs have far exceeded the rate of inflation over the last several years.
Why are automotive repair costs rising?
- Component complexity: When you consider the complexity of today’s vehicles, higher repair and maintenance bills shouldn’t really come as a great surprise. The replacement of a damaged bumper was once a simple bolt-off-bolt-on procedure involving a single part. Today's bumpers may contain a wide variety of systems ranging from motion sensors and video cameras to airbag controls and radar transceivers. The more complicated the components of a car become, the more the associated manufacturing costs and consumer prices increase.
- Higher labor costs: The complexity of the modern car makes vehicles more maintenance critical and more demanding to diagnose and repair when problems do occur. This requires more advanced training for automotive technicians, who rightly expect higher labor rates commensurate with their more highly developed skills. At one time, learning to repair cars occurred on the job under the guidance of an experienced mechanic. Today, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, it now takes an average of five years to become a fully certified and accredited automotive technician. Even after this period, today's mechanics must continually keep their education updated with the latest developments.
- Better materials: Vehicles today are made from better quality materials than in the past. The bodies of modern cars are designed to be more durable. Not only are they lighter to aid in stretching mileage ratings, they are built from composite materials that withstand minor bumps without suffering damage. But these modern materials do cost more. And, when damaged, these materials must be replaced because they can’t be repaired.
While these trends affect the cost to repair cars and trucks in the event of an accident, they also affect normal vehicle maintenance.
Keeping your car's routine maintenance up to date and paying attention to warning signals may go a long way towards reducing your normal auto repair bills. Not taking care of a minor problem could lead to a major problem.
Take your car in for a general check-up at least once a year. In colder climates, winterizing your car not only helps keep you safe, it can save you repair costs as cold weather is so hard on many of your car's systems. The easiest way to cut down on automotive repair costs is to avoid needing them to begin with.
