“Most people wait until their car breaks…”
Some people don’t put all that much thought into maintaining their vehicles. Instead, they choose to drive it until something goes wrong and figure it out at the mechanic.
But that’s only hurting your car’s longevity. A mechanic recently offered some advice on what you should do to keep your car running as well and as long as possible.
What may not seem like a big deal today could leave you stranded on the side of the road en route to the beach this summer. So instead of taking the laissez-faire approach to car maintenance, you may want to take his advice—or you could find yourself waiting for a tow truck in the summer sun.
In a TikTok with more than 2.8 million views, mechanic @pina.garage laid out five car maintenance checks that take less than two minutes each and can prevent repairs that run into the hundreds or thousands of dollars.
“Most people wait until their car breaks to check anything,” the caption reads.
Here are the five things @pina.garage recommends routinely checking:
According to Consumer Affairs, the average car costs around $900 per year to repair and maintain, though that figure is typically lower for drivers who stay on top of routine checks.
Every year, the cost gets a little higher; per Consumer Affairs, the price of car maintenance and repair climbed 44% between January 2019 and January 2025.
AAA estimates the monthly amount you should save to stay on top of routine maintenance at around $103 for the average driver, but notes that those with older vehicles and higher-mileage drivers should budget more.
The higher costs are the unplanned ones: a failing alternator runs $500 to $1,000, a transmission replacement can hit $6,000, and an engine replacement can exceed $10,000. Most of those disasters have warning signs like low oil, weak battery terminals, and dirty filters. In those situations, a quick check could cost you hundreds or thousands down the road.
Staying on top of routine maintenance doesn’t have to be expensive; it’s the repairs that pile up when you don’t stay on top of it.
Here’s what to expect to pay for the basics, according to Consumer Affairs and NerdWallet:
The mechanic’s advice sparked some debate in the comments.
“Once a year for an air filter change? That’s ridiculous; you should change every time you change your oil,” one person wrote.
“Oil check once a month are u ok ?” a second argued.
But not everyone was a critic.
“As a beginning tech in the automotive field, these things are way more commonly looked over than you’d imagine,” one commenter agreed.
Motor1 reached out to @pina.garage for comment via TikTok direct message and comment. We’ll be sure to update this if he responds.
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– The Motor1.com Team