The Cost of Fixing a Hybrid By Brenda Williams At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

So you bought into all of the advertised benefits of owning a hybrid vehicle. You now feel like your carbon footprint is a little smaller and you have seen the benefits of saving money on gas after driving around your new fuel efficient car. But have you had to fix your hybrid yet? An even better question – how much will it cost to fix a hybrid? This is an issue that many new hybrid owners are now having deal primarily because of two reasons:

1. Hybrid parts are more complex and as a result are much more expensive to purchase.

2. They are more expensive to work on. Mechanics tasked to work on hybrids need special training which then trickles down to the customer in terms of the cost of labor. The mechanics of these vehicles it turns out are incredibly complex.

Hybrid Car Repair – This Isn’t Your Father’s Repair Shop

First and foremost you have at the core design of a hybrid car all the parts and mechanics of a conventional gas powered vehicle. Added to that are all the intricate elements designed to make this a hybrid vehicle. The simple task of moving a hybrid car from the lot into a vehicle shop could create an electrical charge that could actually shock the mechanic. The mechanic entering into the repair of one of these vehicles has to arm himself/herself with the knowledge of things like regenerative brakes, capacitors and a control system that combines electrical and gas propulsion. For mechanics at dealerships and car rental repair shops this is no longer a “pop the hood” situation.

Fixing A Hybrid – Parts, Labor and Apprehension

It’s a common phrase heard in the repair shop, “Hybrid car repair is scary.” What does that mean for the proud owner of one of these vehicles that feels like they’re doing something better for the environment and for their wallets? It means that they should know that before being sold on the aforementioned benefits they should know things like:

• Repair shops have to buy original equipment parts for hybrids and not the more affordable aftermarket stock parts.
• And the hour charge is close to $100 in labor.

Ideally as these cars become more accessible to everyone and are sold and rented more then you will stand a better chance of seeing these costs decrease. Is there anything you can do to protect yourself from these expensive costs? Good insurance, even though it may seem like a costly protection can help offset those costs. Another benefit is that currently, hybrid cars are not ranking up heavy statistics in terms of breaking down. The most important things for hybrid owners and people interested in buying a fuel efficient vehicle know is that dealerships and rental car companies already know that currently they have to budget for higher costs in terms of repairing these new cars. Know what you’re getting into, do your research and get all the facts on your particular hybrid so then when the time comes to actually get that repair, it you’ll be prepared to the cost.

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