Your car started making a funny noise. You tell yourself, “It can wait.”

The brakes are squeaking. “As soon as the lockdown is over.”

Smoke from that bad muffler seems to come up into the cabin from under the car. “It’s not so bad.”

The oil change is how many miles overdue? “It’s not that important.”

You can always find excuses for not bringing the car, truck or SUV in for repairs or maintenance. But that work should probably be done now, not later. If the excuses for not doing the work now include not wanting to go out to an auto repair shop with COVID-19 in its resurgence stage, there is a solution.

Most quality auto repair shops are offering sanitary pick-up and drop-off service. No, they don’t pick you up; they pick up your car, truck or SUV. They drive it to the shop and perform whatever service is required. Then they drive it back to you, repaired, maintained and sanitary. Providing the key when they pick-up the vehicle, and receiving the key when they drop-off the vehicle: that’s the extent of your physical role in the process.

With so much in flux these days, schedules are broken. We’re not moving through our lives to the same patterns as before. Things aren’t getting done the way they were before. This includes the regularity of maintenance and repairs to our cars, trucks and SUVs. 

It’s incumbent on us to ensure that our vehicles still receive the maintenance and repairs they require. Our vehicles don’t know that there is a pandemic loose in the world today. In fact, a more sporadic use of our vehicles may have an effect on how they are responding to conditions related to coronavirus. 

Have that oil changed on schedule. Oil is the lifeblood of your car, truck or SUV engine. Timely oil changes are inexpensive insurance to give your vehicle’s engine a long and happy life.

Other problems can have a contagious effect. In particular, the steering and suspension parts have symbiotic relationships. If one part is sick, others will soon show symptoms of their own. A small problem left unresolved can balloon into a costly repair bill when you finally get around to having the steering and suspension fixed.

Whatever the issue, timely repair and maintenance will reduce the cost of operating your vehicle in the long run. They will help to support the resale value of your car, truck or SUV in the process.