What to do when the car breaks

For most people a breakdown is a bad day. For a driver it is lost income. Every day the car is off the road is a day you are not earning, and the repair bill still has to be paid.

It will happen to you at some point. The drivers who come through it best are not the lucky ones. They are the ones who already know what they will do.

The first hour: get safe, then get help

1. Get off the road if you can. Hazards on. If you have a passenger, end the trip properly in the app and make sure they are safe.
2. If you are on the side of a busy road, get out on the passenger side and stand away from the car.
3. Call your roadside assistance. Check now, not on the day, whether your insurance or car arrangement includes it, and save the number in your phone.
4. Take photos of where you are and what happened. They help with insurance and with the workshop.
5. Tell Detour. If you are in a Detour car, we need to know straight away so we can help with the next steps.

The first day: get a real quote

Before you say yes to any repair, get the quote in writing. Ask what is urgent and what can wait. A good mechanic will tell you what you must fix to drive safely today and what you can plan for next month.

• Get two quotes if the bill is big and the car can wait a day.
• Ask for the old parts back. It keeps everyone honest.
• Ask how long the job will take. Days off the road cost you as much as the part.

Paying the bill without making next month worse

This is where drivers get hurt. The car must be fixed now, the money is not there, and someone offers you a quick loan that costs far more than the repair.

Work through it in this order:

1. Your own 'week that goes wrong' money, if you have some put away.
2. Check what your insurance or warranty covers before you pay anything yourself.
3. Ask the workshop if you can pay part now and the rest when you collect.
4. If you still need to borrow, borrow only what the repair needs, from someone who tells you the full cost in rands and when it ends.

Here is an example. Say your car needs a R1 800 repair and you have R800 put away. In that example you need to borrow R1 000, not R2 000 just because it was offered. Before you say yes, ask for the full amount you will pay back, in rands, and the date it ends. Then look at next week: can it carry that repayment and your fixed costs? If it cannot, the loan will only move the problem to next week.

Be careful of anyone who offers more than you asked for, who wants your bank card or PIN, or who cannot write the cost down for you. A fair lender is happy to show you every number before you sign.

Getting back on the road

When the car is back, do not try to make up a lost week in two days. Tired driving is how a breakdown becomes an accident. Go back to your normal hours and let the week sort itself out.

Then look at what you can do so the next one hurts less. A service on time. Tyres checked before they are bald. A little money put away each good week.

If breakdowns keep happening

If your car is in the workshop every few weeks, the repair bills are telling you something. Sometimes the cheapest thing is a different arrangement.

Subscribe to Drive is one option. You pay one weekly amount for a newer car with insurance, tracking and maintenance already in it, so a service or a worn tyre is not a surprise bill. It is not for everyone, and you do not own the car at the end, but it is worth comparing against what your current car really costs you.