SaveMoneyRight

When Ameerah’s not rolling up her sleeves with DIY projects, she’s a PR and Marketing Analyst for a marketing communications firm in St. Louis. Ameerah has an MBA from The College of Saint Rose in Albany and has served as a business reporter for newspapers in Kentucky and New York, as well as stints as a TV news producer, radio anchor/reporter and public affairs talk show host. In addition to staying well-read on the latest business news and issues affecting public relations and marketing professionals, she maintains a professional blog, Ameerah Amidst, on topics related to business, public relations and marketing. Follow her @IAmAmeerah for the latest.

Above: A passenger side view from my Hyundai Sonata, after backing the car out of the garage failed. Taken January 2011.

I hit the brakes as soon as I heard a loud, crunch sound from the passenger side of my Sonata. I didn’t want to look at the damage, but there it was, a reminder that my older brother, in a half-witted attempt at being helpful, placed the garbage collection bin in the trajectory of my morning garage exit routine. A collision between my passenger side mirror and the bin was the result.

“Thanks, bro!” I thought to myself. These are the things that family drives you crazy with.

For a few months I rode around with the unrepaired mirror, overlooking the inconvenience but too busy to stop and get the mirror repaired. Part of it was being annoyed at the incident still, but my main excuse was time, my most valuable commodity. I really have to take a Saturday or a short day at the office to handle anything with my car.

Finally, I just got tired of staring at it, of having to explain to coworkers and random people on the street what had happened to my car and soon, the time came to wrestle with the process of getting the mirror fixed.

I knew overcharging when I heard it
First I was encouraged to go to the junk yard and get a new mirror part and apparatus for about $100. The labor would be at least $70 and up. I called a local Hyundai dealer and he wanted twice as much. I also called around to a few small mechanics and they, too, wanted at least $150.

To all of them I made the same argument: the apparatus and mechanized part of the mirror was still mostly intact, . I just needed the glass repaired. THAT’S IT. I didn’t need a whole new passenger side mirror. So why would I pay for that? Yet, with no hesitation, they tried to sell me on getting the repair done THEIR way. They must have thought I was stupid. Most people don’t take the time to know how much repairs and parts should actually cost.

I turned to Google. I started researching the part I needed, until I found a website that I believed to be reputable, timely and affordable. That $100 part turned into a $25 part with free shipping, plus the $5 for special crazy glue I bought from Advance Auto Parts.

Within a few days, the glass for my passenger side mirror came in the mail from Hubcapsplus.com. I scraped the old glass off and squeezed a bit of crazy glue on the holding pad for the glass before attaching the new part. Then I glued together the fragments for the mirror casing. Done.

Above: A passenger side view from my Hyundai Sonata, after my DIY repair outside Advance Auto Parts. Taken March 2011.

What I learned:
1) Know thy parts
I knew what needed to be fixed and I knew what didn’t. That helped a lot. Be detailed when you talk to mechanics to avoid unnecessary repairs.
Tip: Have the handbook to your vehicle in the trunk or glove compartment so you have a sense of what needs to a happen.

2) Know thyself
I knew I could fix the mirror on my own. That’s a judgment call each individual must make with any DIY project – can I really pull this off? Many things should be left to professionals. For instance, I would never try to do my own oil change.

Women are very detailed-oriented by necessity. So why don’t we go the extra mile with our vehicles? Makeup is complicated, yet we as women synthesize all of the brushes and applications to build a masterpiece. Taking care of our families requires lots of multitasking and organization, yet, many women skillfully do this to the amazement of the men in their lives. Cars require an understanding of how things work, which parts go where and how to diagnose complex problems. Women already possess the skills to address these issues. Many women don’t harness the power they already have because we’re taught car repairs should be handled by men.

Tip: Challenge yourself with small repairs first before tackling something big. Ask for someone to assist or to observe, just to be safe if you need to build confidence. Or, you can wear MAC’s Wonder Woman blue nail polish like I do and feel like you can take on the world (smile).

3) Know what the repair is worth

From having a father who once sold cars and owned a few car lots in his heyday, I have an internal threshold of what is reasonable and what is too much. I also use several online tools like AutoMd.com and listen to NPR’s Car Talk to develop this common car sense.

Tip: Open yourself to the resources and online tools to educate yourself. Attend workshops and ask your mechanic questions to broaden your knowledge further.

How have you saved money with minor car repairs? Follow me on Twitter at @IAmAmeerah to discuss the latest DIY trends and ways you save money right.