Never Pay For Car Maintenance Again
How much could you save if I said that you’d never pay for car maintenance again? No, you don’t have to do it yourself, either. You probably think I’m crazy. But it’s true. And it’s saved my family a lot of money.
When my husband and I were living off of $17,000 a year, that every-three-month-trip to the mechanic for the routine maintenance was absolute torture. I was afraid that they would tell me that I needed a $1,000 car repair, or that it was going to cost more than the $50 I had in my bank account.
I even tried skipping routine maintenance to try to save the $50, but it only wound up costing me more when my car wouldn’t work properly because I didn’t keep up on maintenance. It was all a nightmare. It felt like I couldn’t win in either situation.
I read on Pinterest that this woman never paid for oil changes and tire rotations for her family’s cars. I laughed and thought the same thing you’re probably thinking right now… yeah, right.
She directed me to Bestmark, and (without being too dramatic) my life was changed.
Not only do I earn $200 or more every month from Bestmark, but I also never have to pay for oil changes for 2 cars. In fact, I even get PAID to get my car’s oil changed!
What is Bestmark?
Bestmark is a secret shopping company that acts as a third party between clients and shoppers. You can find secret shopping jobs and apply for them on their site very easily.
I love to complete the Internet Inquiries or Sales Call shops that don’t require leaving my house. But my all-time favorite has to be the oil changes. I haven’t paid for an oil change for my two cars since I started using Bestmark in April. And I have no intention of starting to again!
How does it work?
You first need to sign up for Bestmark (which has many other secret shopping opportunities as well). Once you’ve signed up, you need to be approved. For me, it only took a few hours. But they say that it can take up to 3 business days. They want to make sure that you’re a real person and that you’re not trying to add 6 different profiles from the same house to complete the same job 6 times (apparently, this has happened to them before!)
Once you’re approved (yay!), you can see what “shops” are available in your area. Depending on how far you want to travel, you can choose from 3 – 100 miles away from your zip code. For these oil change shops, you’ll likely want to stay within 10 miles or so from you. It becomes less worthwhile the further away you get from your house.
You’ll see shops called “service shops.” These are the ones that you’re looking for. Some shops will be specific about the model car that you need, but others won’t. Just read the instructions to the shop carefully before signing up. Canceling a test is frowned upon and winds up as a mark on your record as a shopper.
Make sure that you can complete the test on the date or dates available for the secret shop. They won’t pay you if you are scheduled for a test on Friday that you completed on Monday.
Once you’ve found the shop that fits your criteria, you can schedule it for yourself. If there’s a problem, they’ll email you. If not, congratulations! You’re on your way to making $25 and getting a free oil change!
Pro tips for your “shop:”
- Make sure that you follow the rules.
- Record everything that you do: times, who you spoke with, where you sat while you’re car was worked on, the amenities available to you, etc. Everything that they want you to notice, make sure that you take notice!
- Take notes on your phone to avoid looking too obvious that you’re watching everyone around you.
- Save your receipts!!
- Remember not to mention that you’re “getting this for free,” that you’re “getting paid for this,” and especially don’t tell anyone that you’re a secret shopper.
You can use Bestmark to make a really nice side hustle using many other different shopper opportunities other than just oil changes. But this has to be my favorite Bestmark perk!
No matter how tight money is, never skip out on car maintenance. Would you rather pay for routine maintenance, or for a big repair? I’d much rather pay for maintenance (even if it was out of pocket!) than for a big repair because my car’s engine block fell out because I hadn’t done an oil change in 8 years.
If you’re ever struggling to pay for car maintenance, give Bestmark a try for your next car repair! With Bestmark, you’ll never pay for car maintenance again. I’ve been using it for more than 4 months and have made more than $1,000 including 4 (yes, FOUR) completely free oil changes.
andy says
thanks for the advise Caroline
andy recently posted…Best Golf GPS Watch in 2017 – Reviews and Buying Guide