Repairing Your Vehicle is Becoming More Expensive as Auto mechanic Prices Go Up

Like so many of you reading this, I too am trying to keep my vehicle as long as possible, rather than replacing it. That does have it's drawbacks however, as parts start wearing out more frequently, and that means more trips to the friendly neighborhood mechanic.

The cost to maintain or repair your vehicle is going up according to USA Today .An online service that tracks the quality and prices of mechanics, CarMD, says that prices are starting to rise for the first time in six years, up 10% to an average repair cost of $367.84.

"We're seeing an increase in car repair costs that can be attributed to factors such as a market correction and a higher percentage of more expensive repairs related to the aging vehicle population," says CarMD CEO Ieon C. Chen.

CarMD says its Vehicle Health Index examines more than 161,000 repairs from shops in its network for all of 2012.