Car repairs - lump sum or spread out?

[Chicago]

I dropped $460 on car repairs this morning to get my brakes and vent blower motor fixed. I'm planning on filing next month so do I divide that cost by 12 and add that to my monthly budget schedule that I've already calculated with other routine maintenance like oil changes and such?

Luckily July was a five-paycheck month so I had some extra money to pay for it. Definitely something that would have gone on a CC before but it's nice that it's paid for and I don't have to worry about it. Plus, it adds to my expenses which seems odd to be happy about

[lrprn]

so do I divide that cost by 12 and add that to my monthly budget schedule that I've already calculated with other routine maintenance like oil changes and such?

Did you already figure car repairs into your monthly car maintenance and repairs budget? If you did, did you figure in enough? And if you didn't figure in car repairs, then ask your lawyer how much the trustee will accept for monthly car repairs if you add the figures in now. This is especially important if you are going to be filing Ch 13.

[JasonK94Z]

I didn't think to add in money for car repairs. Not trying to argue against it, but how can they justify doing this? Its not like I can see the future and what repairs will be needed. I did budget in my oil changes though. Car repairs, wow. I need to go back and take a longer look at things then. If I add anymore, I'm gonna be in the negative for my monthly budget. What will they say about that?

[twuoo]

How do you figure out car maintenance expenses? I've got a 6 y/o vehicle that I have a feeling is going to be coming due for some serious work soon. I had to drop over $800 on brakes and rotors at the beginning of the year already. So I'm sure it's just a ticking time bomb of other 'stuff'. I'm not terribly mechanically inclined either

[SinkingFast]

I didn't think to add in money for car repairs. Not trying to argue against it, but how can they justify doing this? Its not like I can see the future and what repairs will be needed. I did budget in my oil changes though. Car repairs, wow. I need to go back and take a longer look at things then. If I add anymore, I'm gonna be in the negative for my monthly budget. What will they say about that?

You most definitely can include car repairs/maintenance.

Just go back thru your repair receipts, or checkbook, or CC Statements. Add up the total cost of repairs and divide by however many months it's been.

We'd gone thru replacing brakes on 3 cars. Water pumps in 2. Routine oil changes. EGR and Oxygen sensor on one. I can't remember what all. And we knew we were gonna need new tires on 2. I priced out the tires and added that in as well.

Including gasoline, our attny filed our Transportation Expense, Line 8 of Schedule J, at $380/month.

[Chicago]

How could you not include car repairs? I don't have a car payment and my van has 216,000 miles on it (it's a Toyota :-) - go figure) so of course I'm going to include that. With oil changes and maintenance I usually put at least $700 a year into it, not to mention gas at $3.60 a gallon - gotta love Chicago - which comes to about $240 a month. I just wasn't sure of what number to divide repairs by - 12 or 6. Thanks!

[Chicago]

Sorry, forgot to add that I'm going to do Chapter 7.