You can save money on car repairs by using these simple tips.

1. Keep Your Mechanic at Bay: Most mechanics are reputable individuals. They will give you the best service for your money, because they know that they want to keep you as a returning customer, rather than a fly by night customer. They’ll do their best work, and they’ll even try to sell you MORE of their best work in the ‘consultation’ session that happens before any repair.

2. Get a Free Diagnostic Free diagnostics at the auto parts stores are absolutely awesome. You can find out about the repairs which need to be done, and make the decisions from there. Mechanics usually charge for the use of their machines, but the parts stores will give you the diagnostics for free in the hopes that you’ll use their services.

3. Wait: This is always a risky proposition, but if you know that the repair isn’t a major issue, you can get away with waiting and not spending your hard earned money on the repairs that your mechanic is proposing. This is something that’s only really suggested after you’ve done some research to find out how urgent the problem is.

4. Make Sure Your Repair is Necessary: Along those same lines, you want to make sure that the repair you’re doing is absolutely necessary. There are many repair shops which will give you a song and dance about what is needed and what’s not. If you get the feeling that the mechanic is pulling your leg, get another opinion on the matter.

5. Look for Awesome Coupons: Like with all other businesses, promotional coupons are offered to bring you into the store. If you’re able to find a coupon for free oil changes or many dollars off of the repair, then use them. If you’ve been a long standing customer of a mechanic, they will often give you loyalty coupons to make sure that you stay a customer.