Top tips to handle unexpected car costs and surprises

Having recently been through this exact scenario, the stress is intense. I was left with a mechanic bill for over $800 when my trusty and relatively new, Volkswagen Polo had a fuel leak in the engine (not good) and the repairs coincided with a service also being due.

Of course, there are no set rules when it comes to owning a car and although it may be one of the most ‘grown up’ things you’ll ever do, the financial, and sometimes emotional burdens, can take a toll when something unexpected pops up.

However, it doesn’t have to be the most stressful time of your life if you have a few tricks up your sleeve to help you cope and be prepared for the times things are out of your control.

As a car owner, you know it’s expensive. From rego, insurance, and services, to daily running and fuel costs, there’s nothing cheap about having your own vehicle regardless of how old or new it is.

This may be the most obvious tip, but it’s definitely the most important. Being able to budget and put some cash aside for the unexpected is going to save you a whole lot of stress down the road. Also, if you have comprehensive car insurance, ensure you have your excess amount saved away ready for that just in case moment.

Work out roughly what it takes to run your car and add a little extra on top should any misadventure occur. Not only will you thank yourself come rego and service time but should say a warning light comes on while you’re at a set of traffic lights with an overwhelming smell of petrol fumes, and you instantly recognise that this shouldn’t happen with any car, let alone yours, you can at least take it into the workshop knowing expenses are covered.

I have a lot of friends and family members who are rev heads, so when something happens, these are the people I turn to when I have a list of questions about my car. But this isn’t always the greatest of ideas.

While they’re of course happy to offer their opinions and advice, and answer as best they can, when I rang every single one of them to help me work out why there was a strong smell of petrol throughout my car when I tried to turn the ignition on, I got a variety of answers.

This didn’t do wonders for my anxiety, especially since it was a Sunday and the mechanic on my street didn’t open until Monday morning. Ultimately, while my phone calls were more for me to try and get a wider understanding of what the possible issue could be, I wasn’t going to find out the problem until the mechanic was able to take a look at my car. Luckily, my mechanic was great and even kept the broken seal to show me when explaining what happened when I went to pick my car up four days later.

These bigger issues require a professional to look at the problem, so leave it in their more than capable hands! You’ll feel a lot better for it, and it may just bring your stress levels down a tiny bit.

In those seemingly long days between leaving your car to get fixed and picking it up, give yourself permission to sit down with a coffee and think of the worst-case scenario. Write it all out and have every bit of information you know right in front of you. Once you’ve done that, make a plan. It doesn’t have to be THE plan, but it’s a plan for what you’d do and how you’d be able to handle things if it’s the end of the road for your beloved little vehicle.

It might even be a temporary plan, to see you get through until your car is back in working order. Either way, knowing what you have to do to get through it will give you a sense of relief and may even lead you to ponder a few other things, which brings us to the next point…

I love my car more, and as I’ve previously written about, my Polo is a major upgrade from my 2005 Getz I had for a decade. However, the one major difference between a European car and a Hyundai? The running costs.

Everything that I felt was relatively affordable with my Getz, now has a much bigger price tag attached, and it’s no shock that parts of European cars cost a lot more if things head south.

Use these unexpected moments to work out whether it is all worth it for you personally. Could selling your car and relying on public transport or rideshare (Car Next Door, GoGet etc.) be a feasible option for you? Or if you happen to own something that is costly to run and repair, maybe trading it in for something on the lesser end of the expense scale could be something you think about.

This doesn’t have to be the road you take, there’s pros and cons to everything, including selling or trading in your car and there’s more financial matters included in doing that, but it’s food for thought and it may give you a chance to think about things in a way you haven’t before.

Obviously, this is one most people would struggle with the most, even though it might be easiest! But it’s maybe the most important, to keep yourself sane.

Unexpected things happen, but it’s not the end of the world. Know that whatever happens, you will be okay and back on the road zooming around and getting to plan your next road trip in no time at all!

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