Everyone knows that if you have car troubles, your best bet is always to visit a reliable mechanic.  However, very few people can tell you how much money to budget for a standard trip to an auto service center.

To help you prepare, we’ve put together a concise guide to common mechanic services complete with price estimates and breakdowns.  In case you’re in need of other auto services we’ve also included resources for car insurance, car dealerships, body specialists, and rentals.

Explaining the Cost of Mechanic Services

General Inspections

Before your mechanic commences any repairs or maintenance work, they’ll usually conduct a general service inspection.  Depending on your chosen service center, some inspections can have as many as 30 key inspection points while others will have less than 20.

Naturally, inspections that have more points will end up costing more due to the higher level of scrutiny and labor involved.  From what we can gather, most folks usually pay between $100 to $300 for auto inspections.

Engine Repairs

If you’re unfortunate enough to need engine repairs for your car, you’ll likely end up spending a considerable amount of money to avoid sending your car to the scrap yard.  This is because car engines need special parts that are crafted with extremely high tolerances in mind.

In addition, heavy repairs also require a considerable amount of labor to take engines apart and reassemble them properly.  At the very least, you’re likely to pay between $200 to $600 depending on the specific service your engine requires.

Battery Maintenance/Replacement

Your car’s battery is responsible for much more than powering your headlights and turn signals.  A faulty battery can often render your car inoperable as most modern engine starters run on electricity derived from your battery.

Maintenance work can involve recharging your battery, replacing electrolytes, or even swapping it out if your mechanic deems your old battery beyond repair.  Based on the various quotes we found, you’re likely to pay between $100 to $250 for battery services.

Tire Maintenance

Tire maintenance often involves services such as patching leaks, aligning and balancing wheels, or even installing new tires.  Each of these services will have a corresponding service fee based on the amount of time and labor required.

Most tire services usually run between $15 to $200 with tire replacements often residing on the higher end of the cost spectrum.  Now if you’ve had tires replaced in the past, we’d recommend bringing them to an auto center for a recycling discount as opposed to tossing them in the bin.

With the cost of basic mechanic services covered, you should have an easier time budgeting for your next trip to the repair shop.  As one final tip, those who want to save would do well to look for a proper auto policy with an insurance broker in order to avoid paying expensive repair fees.

While you may end up paying a small deductible, the benefits of finding a good car insurance plan can certainly lighten the load on your wallet if you ever need repairs.