New service could help owners of used cars in New York diagnose maintenance needs

Many owners are considering holding onto used cars in New York, and even recent buyers don’t want to see their cars off the road because of a breakdown.

A service like DriverSide may help people who want to keep their cars in good shape, but may not have a strong mechanical background. Similarly to some medical websites, owners can input symptoms of car trouble into the database, or begin by choosing what they see, hear or smell.

For some of the repairs, how-to videos may help new owners solve the problem themselves, or the site can provide an estimated cost to fix the problem.

“A hundred dollars spent in proactive car care can save drivers thousands in repair costs down the road,” said Jad Dunning, DriverSide.com CEO.

Whether or not a driver checks out websites like DriverSide, maintaining a used car in New York can save money and frustration. According to a Kelton Research survey, only one in six car owners performs some basic maintenance on their vehicles.