You’re busy shopping for holiday decorations and filling everyone’s stockings, making your list and checking it twice. Could there be a worse time for something to go wrong with your car?
Cold temperatures and tough winter road conditions make car repairs more common and more necessary than ever this time of year. Thankfully, unexpected car repairs don’t have to ruin your holidays! Before dipping into your savings account or selling Grandma's jewelry, consider these ideas for how to pay.
6 Ideas for Taking Care of Unexpected Car Repairs
1. Ask about coupons and deals.
Ask your technician about coupons, offers, and deals for everything from repairs to regular maintenance. While our offers are always changing, you can usually find tire offers on leading-brand tires, great deals on new batteries, and deep discounts on brake services and oil changes. We also offer a 10% discount on parts and labor to all active and retired military.
2. Only pay for necessary repairs.
There are usually some things that should get fixed right away and other things that can wait. If you need to time your repairs to fit your schedule or budget, ask your technician which repairs are essential to your safety and which can wait. We’ll break it down for you.
3. Finance your car repairs.
We know it’s not just a car, it’s your car and you need it every day! That's one reason we offer competitive financing so you can get the repairs you need right now. You can apply for a Firestone Credit Card online or in store to gain more control over how you pay for car repairs. There’s no monthly fee and deferred interest is available if your balance is paid in full within six months.* Plus, with the Firestone Credit Card, you'll never find yourself unable to pay next time you’re blindsided by unexpected car repairs.
4. Contact a community organization for help.
Many non-profits, churches, and charities are equipped to help people pay for car repairs when they can't afford them. Your local Salvation Army center will usually be able to provide more information about car repair assistance programs near you. Types of assistance can vary and might include cash to pay for a portion of your repairs, free bus tokens, or gasoline vouchers.
5. Offer to "sit" for friends and family.
House sitting, pet sitting, babysitting, and even plant sitting! People travel more during the holidays than any other time of the year. Offer to "sit" for friends and family or host their pets or kids at your house. If you really love animals, consider signing up for Rover and get paid to walk, board, and check on dogs throughout the holidays.
Out-of-the-blue car repairs don't have to leave you feeling blue. Turn to Firestone Complete Auto Care, where we're proud to keep your car running newer, longer, and we'll never recommend a repair we don't believe is truly necessary.
*DEFERRED INTEREST IF PAID IN FULL WITHIN 6 MONTHS. MINIMUM MONTHLY PAYMENTS REQUIRED. APR: 28.8%. Minimum Finance Charge: $2.00. Terms are subject to change. Learn more >
