by Kate Johns

Created on: November 06, 2008   Last Updated: November 16, 2008

You have the choice; you can either take your vehicle to a garage or do the work yourself. And with women being able to do it all these days, we can certainly educate ourselves in the methods of car maintenance. There are pros and cons to both sides of this coin toss of fixing the car yourself, or taking it to a garage or the dealer.

Pros of fixing the car yourself:

You will be able to save money doing the work yourself. By buying the parts from a wholesale store, and asking a lot of questions, you can do the work yourself and save money. Garages and dealerships charge you very much like a plumber does; a certain rate for the work their mechanic does. Don't you wish you could make $50 dollars an hour?

You will feel empowered by learning how to change the oil, put air in the tires and do minor repairs on your vehicle. You will gain confidence and get that feeling of I can do anything. With women in the United States Senate and a woman as a vice presidential candidate, women are learning to trust themselves and do more than ever before.

The cons of doing the work yourself:

You could actually do more harm to the vehicle, than good. You have the best intentions, but something might go wrong, costing you more money than originally intended. When it is a large job, and you really don't know what you're doing, leave the driving to the mechanics.

You have to do the work yourself! This means that if you really don't have your heart in the job, you probably won't do a great job. Besides, you could end up getting dirty, mucky and greasythat's what mechanics are for.

The pros of going to a dealership or a garage are:

They know what they are doing and they can do the job well. It may be worth it to pay the astronomical fees they charge for labor costs, to have them do the job. The dealership sold you the car in the first place, and you are a valued customer.

The dealership has an invested interest in your relationship. Therefore, they should be giving the best service for the absolute best price in town. They want you to come back and buy a car with them once again. You know more about the dealership that sold you the vehicle than the greasy garage down the street.

The cons of getting the work done at the dealership or a garage are:

The dealership or the garage may charge more money to do the job. They want you to come back many times to get everything done to your car, even changing the oil and putting air in the tires.

The dealership wants you to come back over and over again. Why? Because they have an inventory of vehicles they need to sell. They want you to come back and get your oil changed, or that muffler changed. The more you drive into their lot, the better their chances are of selling you a newer vehicle.

Do you trust yourself enough to do the job, or would your rather have an expert do the work? Ultimately, the decision lies in your hands. It depends on what you can afford, and how much time your have. It also depends on whether you want to take on the challenge or not. You just might surprise yourself, and have an expert mechanic hiding inside your inner being.

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