Car Maintenance Diary

It's almost the end of the year and my wallet is almost empty even if I had just my salary this week.
Well, not quite empty but there is definitely some gaping hole. It would have been better if it has gone to some investment fund but it went into the car insurance and maintenance instead. Cars are really a double-edge sword when it comes to life. The cost of freedom can be pretty expensive.

Since this is a "diary" entry, I will try to recall the big ticket cost that I had to get done for the vehicle this year. There are papers related to this but it's currently unavailable. I will have to update my notes and files before the month ends. For the meantime, here's the list.

Early this year:
belt - Cost: around 350K, included washing liquid, maybe change oil?

(whatever belt was that) This is a pretty expensive belt as I had to change every part. The mechanic informed me that the belt was almost totally broken and it was a miracle that I was still able to drive without a big accident. I caught it at a critical time, having heard some strange noise a few days before bringing it in. I was actually more concern about the brakes, those being the only thing I was familiar with as the common problem for a newbie.

Oct. - Car insurance renewal.
Cost: around 600K.

Hubs managed to get a 100k discount (cash back actually) by acquiring a new credit card (Shinhan) but it will be reflected after a month. So far, we only have 2 CC, both acquired because of some discount from car insurances I think.

Nov. - 2 or more liquids, and rear light.
Cost: 200k?

I got this nagging feeling that I ought to visit the mechanic around the last quarter. First was to check those break pads again, and perhaps change tires in order to prep for winter driving. But it will have to be after the insurance and before the snowy weather.

This happened around mid to end of November. Again, I went in for a concern but ended up with a different thing. It was still the breaks but we only managed to change the liquid and the left rear light. The light was busted and filled with water but I had never noticed it at all. When I asked if I can put that off, I was told that it was the signal light or something and it will be awfully dangerous not to fix it right away. Who knows since when that got broken? My only guess is when I drove through automatic car wash.

Dec. 2 - total tire change, breaks, break pads, and trans/emission fluid.
Cost: 600K

Finally, my main concern from the beginning and the real big ticket item that I know coming has been dealt with. I now have the peace of mind of driving more safely in this winter season.

The only thing that I may have to put in my laundry list by next year is the battery. From the looks of it, the battery would still be at best until next winter. Well, that plus the insurance, 17K-won required car safety check, and regular liquid checks. 

My to-do list for car maintenance:
1. find all those docs from shop
2. figure out when and which liquids needs changing
3. put the info in the calendar for schedule and budget
4. start building another running SA account for those expenses
5. start saving up for another car when I decide to let go of this one in a year or two

Bottom line. Having a car is a liability. It's better to maximize this "asset" to be able to offset all the expenses that comes with it.