To Repair or to Replace – That Is the Question
AAA offers advice for motorists debating costly major repairs vs. new vehicle purchase
With the downswing in the economy and the country in a recession many motorists have delayed the purchase of a newer vehicle. But as existing vehicles continue to age, major components can begin to fail and leave motorists facing a tough decision — invest in costly repairs to an older vehicle or the purchase of a newer one.
“Repairing major vehicle components such as the transmission or engine can run upwards of $2,000 or more,” said John Nielsen, director, AAA Approved Auto Repair and Auto Buying. “When faced with the decision of whether to invest in the repair of a current vehicle or purchase a newer one, motorists need to consider a number of factors.”
Comparing costs
It is typically less expensive in the long run to repair the vehicle already owned rather than purchasing a newer one. Financing even a $2,000 repair typically results in lower payments (or similar payments for a shorter time) than those incurred when purchasing a newer vehicle.
If motorists are still paying off a car loan on an existing vehicle, they need to take a careful look at the equity they have in it. If they are ‘upside down’ in the loan, meaning they owe more than the current value of the vehicle, purchasing a newer vehicle could mean not only financing its purchase price but also the negative equity from their current vehicle.
The 50-percent rule
After receiving the estimate of a major repair, consider the ‘50-percent rule.’ When the cost of a needed repair approaches 50 percent of the vehicle’s value, it is time to seriously consider replacing it. Current trade-in and retail values of vehicles can be determined using tools available in the Auto Buying section of AAA.com.
Reliability and maintenance history
The decision to make a major vehicle repair should always be based on knowing the vehicle is otherwise in good condition and likely will not require additional major repairs anytime soon. Consider the reliability of the vehicle so far. If it has a history of problems, it could indicate there are more costly repairs still to come.
The best way to know a vehicle’s condition is by maintaining it on a regular basis and using the same repair shop. If a repair shop knows the service history of a vehicle, consumers can look to its technicians for guidance on when their vehicle likely will need major repairs. Keep in mind that the best time to make a repair or replace decision is always before the vehicle breaks down. A car with its transmission scattered by the roadside has little or no trade-in value.
“Following the vehicle manufacturer’s maintenance recommendations can greatly increase the lifespan of a vehicle,” Nielsen said. “It’s the difference between paying $100 now to replace a part before it fails or being faced with a $1,000 repair bill later when the part fails and causes major damage to other vehicle components.”
Cosmetics
The cosmetic condition of a vehicle can greatly affect its value and a motorist’s desire to hold on to it. Motorists should take a critical look at their vehicle for signs of a wear and tear and evaluate how important their vehicle’s cosmetics are to them. For someone who frequently drives business associates, vehicle appearance might be a higher priority than it is to others.
Nicks in the paint that are starting to rust or snags in the upholstery might not seem like a big deal now, but they can grow into larger cosmetic issues that can depreciate the value of a vehicle. If opting to hold on to a vehicle, be sure to address those little things to prevent them from getting worse.
Lifestyle
Changes in lifestyle can be a large factor in changing vehicles. Family size, commute length, recreational usage and business needs are all legitimate reasons to consider purchasing a newer vehicle that is better suited to a consumer’s driving routine. Changes in priorities can also be a factor, such as the desire for a more environmentally friendly vehicle or one with more safety features.
Outside factors
Several outside factors may impact the decision between repairing and replacing a vehicle such as reduced pricing and special offers from manufacturers; the ability to secure financing; and other upcoming expenses. A vehicle that could become an appreciating classic sometime down the road also might be worthy of extraordinary repairs and maintenance.
“Given proper maintenance and an occasional repair, modern cars are highly reliable and can be safely driven far beyond 100,000 miles,” Nielsen said.
If deciding to go ahead with a major repair, be sure to use a qualified and trustworthy auto repair facility. AAA offers a free public service to assist consumers in their search for a quality auto repair shop. AAA Approved Auto Repair facilities have met stringent standards for customer service, quality and expertise. A listing of AAA Approved Auto Repair shops is available at AAA.com/repair.
As North America’s largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides more than 51 million members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services. Since its founding in 1902, the not-for-profit, fully tax-paying AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers. AAA clubs can be visited on the Internet at AAA.com.
Battech’s Tips for Laptop Battery Maintenance
Nowadays almost all laptops and notebooks use rechargeable Lithium-ion (Li-Ion) batteries. This is because Lithium Ion provides less mess, better performance, and insusceptibility to the so called “memory effect” than Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH).
To improve battery performance Battech International’s team of battery experts have come up with the following tips:
1. Fully charge new batteries before use: To ensure laptop batteries are in optimum condition for long-term usage it is important to fully charge the battery. The first 3 charge cycles of the laptop battery must also be done on fully discharged batteries, and charged to their full capacity.
2. Calibrate batteries every few months: Most laptop batteries are created with an internal microprocessor which provides an estimate of battery conditions such as number of charges, discharges, full charge capacity and cycle charge count. The full charge capacity often becomes a little inaccurate after a few months and calibrating it can often help to restore the battery’s performance.
Some laptops provide calibration tools in the BIOS or a Windows application.
3. Turn down the display brightness: A simple tip but something that people often do not consider is to lower the LCD brightness level on laptops which will consume less energy. As well as saving laptop battery power, this will also take strain of eyes and cause less fatigue.
4. Use the laptop’s power management system: When using Microsoft Windows the “Power Options” power management application can be found in the Control Panel. From the Power Options Properties tab select the “Portable/Laptop” power scheme.
5. Close unused applications: Applications require energy to run and become a burden on the system. Closing unused applications will reduce that burden and also decrease energy consumption.
6. Remove unused PC Cards or USB Devices: Even when these devices are left idle they are using energy, so by removing them consumers will be surprised at how much extended battery time can be gained.
7. Reduce unnecessary optical drive activity: Avoid activities that require a laptops optical drive to operate constantly, e.g. listening to CDs
If you follow these handy hints then hopefully the battery on your laptop will last for longer. If you try these hints though and you still see no improvement you may need to replace your battery. Battech International Limited have a wide range of replacement laptop batteries which are cheap and affordable, they do replacement batteries for high quality brands such as:
- Acer laptop batteries
- Advent laptop batteries
- Apple laptop batteries
- Asus laptop batteries
- Compaq laptop batteries
- Dell laptop batteries
- Fujitsu laptop batteries
- HP Compaq laptop batteries
- IBM laptop batteries
- Packard Bell laptop batteries
- Samsung laptop batteries
- Toshiba laptop batteries
Visit their website for a full list of their replacement laptop battery range.