When Are the Best Times to Save on Various Car Care Services?

Article summary

• Time your auto shop visits during slow periods like the beginning of the year, late summer or weekday mornings to find limited-time promotions.
• Take advantage of National Car Care Months in April and October for special deals on tires, wipers and fluid checks.
• Look out for seasonal specials throughout the year to prepare your car for the weather, including cooling system inspections in the summer, battery replacements in the fall and end-of-year tire discounts.

Got low tread on your tires, a mileage-related service almost due on the car, or maybe a minor problem that you’ve been putting off getting fixed? It would be great if you could find a repair shop that was offering a special discount on the work right when you need it. But how do you know when such deals will happen? Read on to learn about seasonal discounts on certain automotive services and how to make sure you get them.

An efficient auto repair shop

It’s in an auto shop’s best interests to keep its mechanics busy, and that can affect prices. During slow periods, some shops may offer limited-time promotions to compete with others for your business. If you’re looking for special deals, it helps to know that their slow periods often occur at the beginning of each year and then again in late summer. On a weekly scale, weekday mornings (excluding Mondays) usually have the fewest customers.

Maintenance versus repair

Even though most people have the correct assumption that it’s cheaper to keep a car well-maintained than to wait until it needs to be repaired, many of the 30 million roadside events responded to by AAA in 2025 could have been prevented with regular service and maintenance. In an effort to reduce roadside events, AAA encourages members to take advantage of exclusive deals on vehicle service and maintenance at AAA-owned Car Care Centers and AAA Approved Auto Repair facilities. Members get a 10% discount on repair labor (up to $75) at each location and a free multi-point vehicle inspection with any paid service.

Take advantage of Car Care months

Many automotive shops recognize April and October as car care months and use the time to run special promotions on products and services like tires, wiper replacements and fluid checks. AAA teams up with NAPA Auto Parts and other industry partners each October to recognize National Car Care Month, making it a great time to bring your car in for trustworthy, high-quality automotive service as you prepare for colder temperatures. If our pros find anything during a free maintenance inspection (with paid service) that needs attention, we can fix it before it gets worse.  

Seasonal deals worth your attention

Maintenance and repair shops often have promotions throughout the year that align with drivers’ seasonal service needs. Here’s a list of what you can expect:

• April is Spring Car Care Month, when shops focus on correcting any problems that occurred during winter and preparing your car for spring with services such as tire rotations, new wiper blades and fluid flushes. Many places offer discounted pricing on brakes, and it can also be the best time to buy tires.
• Summer is when shops offer special cooling system inspections and air-conditioning recharges.
• October is Fall Car Care Month, when repair shops feature deals to winterize your car, including wiper inspections, cabin heater checks, brake inspections and special pricing on batteries. AAA makes it easy to replace your car battery and even has genuine AAA-branded car batteries at participating NAPA Auto Parts stores nationwide.
• Late December is when you can find end-of-year deals on tires and on major services. Look for special discounts related to holiday travel or winterizing.

Connect with AAA and save on car service

Sales and promotions are no good to you if you don’t know about them. Here are a few ways you can stay informed about savings opportunities from AAA:

• Download the AAA Mobile app to see the latest deals from AAA and our partners. We’ve even got a user’s guide that makes the app a breeze to navigate.
• Go online and link your email address to your AAA account, and you’ll get discount notifications delivered to your inbox.
• Visit AAA Discounts’ AAA-owned Car Care Centers web page to see the latest savings and member benefits available.
• Check to see discounts and benefits for AAA Members at the AAA Discounts AAA Approved Auto Repair web page.

Seasonal discounts can help you save on the services your car needs most, especially when you plan ahead and schedule maintenance before small issues turn into costly repairs. Keep an eye out for limited-time promotions, compare options and book service early so you can lock in savings and drive with confidence all year.