Bargain Advocate: DIY auto fix saves cash

There are many things I appreciate about living the frugal life, and any time I can stretch my money-saving prowess just a little bit further, you can bet your bottom dollar* I will seize the opportunity.

Recently, as you will read in a moment, Mr. Roy decided to attempt an admirable frugal feat involving our 1999 Honda Accord.

Never fear! Unlike if I’d tried it (car issues, along with electrical problems and projects involving sharp power tools, are on the Bargain Advocate’s “Do Not Mess With” list), this attempt had a happy ending.

This was all fine for me, but since I don’t drive the Accord much, I wasn’t affected aside from being filled with a sense of pride at my husband’s thriftiness.

However, I did take advantage of the opportunity for free labor by asking Mr. Roy to summarize his money-saving moves for this week’s Bargain Advocate column.

If you have a minor car repair you’ve been putting off for awhile but have doubts about your capabilities, I encourage you to read on for some resources you may, perhaps, be unaware of.

If you’re an auto pro and read this and think, “Psssh, I could have done that for about $2,” feel free to get in touch.

If you’re like me and couldn’t care less about automobiles as long as they have four wheels and get you from Point A to Point B, you should read it anyway, because it will give you a warm, fuzzy feeling and restore your faith in humankind. Ahem.

Without further adieu, then, I give you Mr. Roy:

Although I don’t consider myself much of a handyman, I like to think I can follow directions pretty well. Thanks to YouTube, just about any household repair has a video guide available.

I decided recently to (finally) fix the passenger-side mirror on our Honda. It’s been broken for a couple years — somebody decided it would be a good idea to hit the garage with it while backing out — and I’ve mostly just dealt with it since.

(Bargain Advocate note: That “somebody” was Mr. Roy.)

The first step in my crusade to fix the mirror was to Google it. I saw a couple of options: Either replace the entire mirror unit, or just replace the glass. After taking the glass part the rest of the way out, I realized the latter wasn’t possible.

I price-searched at some local and online auto stores for the mirror part, eventually settling on RockAuto.com, which has a ton of parts for super cheap prices. My mirror, including shipping, cost just $22.79, while it would have cost $65 at a national chain. I also picked up some brake lights for $1, versus $6.50 at the chain.

RockAuto got the mirror to me the next day, even though I’d chosen “no rush” shipping. My next step was to buy some spray paint, which I was able to get from a local auto store for about $8.

I painted the outside of the mirror — avoiding any paint on the actual reflective part — and was able to install the new mirror with relative ease. As a bonus, I got to take apart the car door interior and put it back together. And it only took about 45 minutes to complete, not counting the time for painting.

(Mr. Roy note: The YouTube video guide said it was only a 15-minute job. I usually budget for about four times what the “experts” say a project will take. So I still count it as a win.)

The total cost for the entire project, including shipping and taxes, was just about $40.

Bargain Advocate here again. Aren’t you so proud of Mr. Roy for his thriftiness in accomplishing a project for a little more than half of what it may have cost had he just taken our car to an auto repair place? I am.

Thanks to his efforts, our 17-year-old sedan looks a little less road-weary, and I have to say, I don’t miss the duct tape and floppy mirror. Having two functioning tail lights only increases its classiness.

I thought it would be good to have Mr. Roy share his story to prove to you that it’s always worthwhile to pursue alternate avenues when you’ve got a project that seems insurmountable. There are a lot of not-great things about technology, but thanks to Google and YouTube, this fix became feasible for us — both physically and fiscally.

*The Bargain Advocate in no way endorses the practice of gambling, but if she did, this would be a pretty safe bet.

If you have insight about a frugal living topic or an idea for a future column, please email me at amroy@nncogannett.com. I’d love to hear from you!

Happy saving,

Abbey