How to Get Free Car Maintenance and Repair Work

If you own a car, you own a long list of necessary maintenance and potentially expensive repairs, especially if your goal is to keep an old car going for as long as possible. The average car maintenance and repair costs run around 10 cents a mile—or close to $1,500 a year if you drive an average of 15,000 miles. And surprise repairs can be a lot worse than that—like a new transmission (typically more than $5,000) or a new head gasket (around $2,000).

If you know your way around a vehicle, you can save some money by doing your own repairs. But if you’re not the DIY type, there's still some hope: You might be able to get free (or very low-cost) maintenance and repair work done on your car—if you know where to look.

Check for recalls and warranties

Your first stop should be a thorough investigation into your car’s warranty, if it has one, and potential recalls. A manufacturer’s warranty on a car typically transfers to a new owner, so your vehicle might still be covered even if you neglected to check on that when buying it. And certified pre-owned cars also usually come with some sort of limited warranty, so you might have options there.

Recalls can be easily overlooked when buying a used car, and they only address specific problems. But if one of those specific problems is your problem, finding out there’s one on your make and model can get it repaired at no cost to you, so it’s worth checking.

Pep Boys & Autozone

You can actually get small maintenance tasks done at no cost at a lot of Pep Boys and Autozone locations, including windshield wiper replacement, free “check engine” reports, free electrical testing and battery charging, and free alignment checks.

To be fair, these are clearly “loss leader” services designed to get you in the store in the hopes that if they find problems, you’ll just pay them to do the work. But these are legitimately free maintenance services that can save you a little money—and possibly alert you to a big repair bill that you’ll have to deal with in the near future, so you can start making plans.

Many local mechanics will also perform these checks and maintenance tasks for free (for the same reasons), so it's worth it to call around and see if that’s an option.

Goodwill repairs

Dealers and mechanics occasionally do what are known as “goodwill” repairs. These are repairs or other maintenance work that are no longer covered by a warranty or other official agreement that are still done without cost to you. Goodwill repairs are entirely at the discretion of the dealer or mechanic, so there is never any guarantee of getting one. On the other hand, it doesn’t hurt to ask. If your vehicle is just outside the warranty range, or if you have a long relationship with your mechanic, it’s possible they’ll be willing to do some goodwill work for you.

Trade schools

If there’s an automotive trade or vocational program near you, it’s possible that it’s looking for cars for students to work on as part of their learning process—at no cost to you. There’s no guarantee a program in your area will be looking for cars to repair, but it’s worth a phone call to find out. You can find local auto mechanic programs here to do some research and see if any in your area need practice vehicles.

Assistance programs

If you can’t find a mechanic or program that provides free car repairs, you might be able to make those repairs free by getting financial assistance. There might be local programs that help people pay for car repairs, and here are a few national resources to check out:

• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) sometimes offers vehicle repair support, depending on current funding and the state you live in.

• ModestNeeds.org offers Self-Sufficiency Grants, including grants for car repairs. There’s an application process and eligibility is based on need.

• Veterans’ programs. There are many financial assistance programs providing grants and loans to military veterans, and many include car repair costs. Operation Homefront also offers explicit car repair assistance to veterans.

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