Cherilyn emailed in the following tip:
We recently realized we needed to perform a tune-up on our vehicle. We try to do this ourselves whenever possible to save money, so we purchased the needed items — but the prices were shocking!
- 8 Spark Plugs – $40
- Wires – $29
- 5 quarts of oil – $30
- Air filter – $21
- Oil Filter (someone had already given us the oil filter, thankfully).
I set out to find some deals and came across this one from Wal-Mart that would get us four quarts of oil for free after the mail in rebate… but the rest was all at full price.
When I came home, I was still disappointed that the entire procedure was going to be so costly. My husband wisely suggested I check online for some more rebates for the other items we purchased. Was I ever happy to find two more mail-in-rebates for the spark plugs and the air filter!
So in the end, what would have cost well over $140 ended up being $80 – a savings of over $50 for just a few minutes of checking.
We paid over $500 for a tuneup and some other work on our van.
This is right up my alley. My husband does almost all of our mechanic work. I have found a GREAT way to save on auto parts. Check AutoZone and Advance Auto Parts for online sales. Then do a search for promo codes. Advance usually has a 20% off promo code, sometimes higher. Also, they have MUCH cheaper parts that aren’t found in the stores and only ship from the warehouse directly to your home. So, planning ahead is most effective. Also, don’t forget to go through Shopathome.com for up to 6% rebate.
For example, we recently bought spark plugs for our car. For our vehicle there are three choices at Advance online. One is $15.99, but has no reviews. another is $4.99 and has 4 stars. Then, there is one that isn’t available in stores, but ships directly from their warehouse that is 2.99, with a 5 star rating. Subtract your 20% off promo code and 6% rebate, and you can see tremendous savings.
If you couldn’t wait for the cheaper warehouse parts, you could still get the $4.99 spark plugs for the cheaper online price (minus 20% and 6% not available in stores) and choose the “pick up in-store” shipping option. The parts are usually ready within 2 hours.
The savings to be had are really substantial, if you put a little planning into your auto parts purchases. And, this doesn’t even cover the mail-in-rebates. Happy Shopping!
You can do this with club memberships as well – some stores send you a discount coupon for joining. I saved 20% on a pricy new-baby gift this way at Buy Buy Baby.
Inspiring post! Thanks.
I never would have thought to check rebates. Great tip! I admire do-it-yourselfers. My husband mows our yard, does fencework, some simple plumbing. Haven’t ventured into car maintenance, but something to think about.
Youtube has some great instructional videos.
My husband used to be a mechanic and does all of our vehicle maintenance. It never hurts to check online for parts as well. He is going to replace ALL my breaks (pads + rotors, front & back) on my van, and had to order some sort of part for the tailgate on his truck. From the parts stores in town this would have cost us over $250; but we ordered them online for $100. Had to pay $50 more in shipping, but we still saved $100. Not to mention the $$ the labor would have cost us at a shop.
Thanks for the great tip. Unfortunately my husband said the boxes went out last week in the recycling and we could have gotten a rebate for oil and the air filter. I will keep this in mind for the next time.
While this is a great idea for those who want to do the tune ups themselves, I still go to the mechanic for a couple of reasons. One, it’s cheaper. It’s only $40 around here. Two, they check for problems that I wouldn’t know how to recognize.
I do this as well. I am not the handy type and I’d rather have them check the breaks, tires etc., while they do the oil change. They don’t charge me extra for it and I get peace of mind. If I tried to do this myself, I’d probably have extra parts leftover and would end up covered in motor oil…
Around here, changing the oil is only $20, so I agree with going to a mechanic for that, but it’s $260 to have our sparkplugs changed by a mechanic or the dealership. Cherilyn’s family saved a lot by doing that part themselves!
Wow, if they are changing your spark plugs for $40, that really is a bargain. Are you sure that isn’t just for an oil change with a filter change?
I just got my oil changed at the dealership last week. For the oil and air filter I paid $44.00 and I got a card for a rebate to get another $8 off.
It looks to me as if this rebate expired last month.