Back to all

Budget for Maintenance in Livonia

June 26, 2022

Sometimes busy Livonia residents dream about going back to the “simpler” days of our grandparents. But if you could travel back in time and take a road trip around MI in a Model T, you might change your mind. The improved designs and quality of today's automobiles have significantly reduced the amount of time Livonia residents spend at the side of the road during breakdowns. With proper maintenance, today's vehicles can stay on the road longer than ever before.

Some of those improvements, however, have led to higher repair costs. For example, older cars often broke down from vapor lock. Gas vaporized while traveling from the gas tank to the fuel pump. No gas, no power. The car quits going. The solution was simple — you just sat by the road until the car would start up again. Today's Livonia drivers would hardly tolerate that kind of inconvenience, and it's likely that yesterday's Livonia drivers didn't care much for it, either. So on today's vehicles, the fuel pump is actually located inside the gas tank. Problem solved. No more vapor lock. The downside is that now it costs a lot more to repair or replace a fuel pump at Livonia area auto service centers.

Livonia drivers certainly should be grateful for the improvements in auto design that keep us off the side of the road, but it comes at a price. Vehicle care in MI  simply costs more than it used to. So if you think about it, Livonia drivers can avoid many vehicle repairs by preventive maintenance. If we plan for maintenance, we can avoid a lot of costly repairs.

Just a bit of auto advice from Auto Lab Livonia: If you like new vehicles and can afford them, then buy them. But if you are buying a new vehicle every few years because you're afraid of the higher repair costs for older vehicles, then you ought to take a second look at the numbers. You can save a lot of money on car payments and MI auto insurance with an older vehicle and preventive auto maintenance can help you avoid most car repair bills. And if you budget for preventive maintenance you have done at Auto Lab Livonia, it can become as routine as a car payment — only a whole lot less!

Auto Lab Livonia
36251 Five Miles Rd
Livonia, MI 48154
734-432-6000
http://www.autolablivonia.com

Need Service?

Request a Quote

More articles from Auto Lab Livonia

Power Failure (Broken Power Seat)

November 30, 2025

Know anyone who doesn't love a power seat in an SUV, a car, truck or van? They're convenient and precise in their adjustments. But when they break, oh, what a pain. Not only is it inconvenient, it may leave your seat position too close to the steering wheel or too far from the pedals. This is ... More

Lean Times (Shocks and Springs)

November 23, 2025

You may have noticed your vehicle going through lean times. By that, we mean it's literally leaning to one side. When you notice that, you should get it checked out at your service facility soon because you could have a serious problem. Many things can cause a vehicle to lean. You may have pro... More

Why is Air Not Coming Out of My Vents?

November 16, 2025

You climb inside your vehicle, start the ignition, and reach for the fan control for the heating or air conditioning. But when you try to crank it up, no air comes out of the vents. It can make for a very uncomfortable trip, whether its hot or cold outside. Its important for the comfort of you a... More