If you own a car, you own a long list of necessary maintenance and potentially expensive repairs, especially if your goal is to keep an old car going for as long as possible. The average car maintenance and repair costs run around 10 cents a mileor close to $1,500 a year if you drive an average of 15,000 miles. And surprise repairs can be a lot worse than thatlike a new transmission (typically more than $5,000) or a new head gasket (around $2,000).If you know your way around a vehicle, you can save some money by doing your own repairs. But if youre not the DIY type, there's still some hope: You might be able to get free (or very low-cost) maintenance and repair work done on your carif you know where to look.Check for recalls and warrantiesYour first stop should be a thorough investigation into your cars warranty, if it has one, and potential recalls. A manufacturers warranty on a car typically transfers to a new owner, so your vehicle might still be covered even if you neglected to check on that when buying it. And certified pre-owned cars also usually come with some sort of limited warranty, so you might have options there.Recalls can be easily overlooked when buying a used car, and they only address specific problems. But if one of those specific problems is your problem, finding out theres one on your make and model can get it repaired at no cost to you, so its worth checking.Pep Boys & AutozoneYou can actually get small maintenance tasks done at no cost at a lot of Pep Boys and Autozone locations, including windshield wiper replacement, free check engine reports, free electrical testing and battery charging, and free alignment checks.To be fair, these are clearly loss leader services designed to get you in the store in the hopes that if they find problems, youll just pay them to do the work. But these are legitimately free maintenance services that can save you a little moneyand possibly alert you to a big repair bill that youll have to deal with in the near future, so you can start making plans.Many local mechanics will also perform these checks and maintenance tasks for free (for the same reasons), so it's worth it to call around and see if thats an option.Goodwill repairsDealers and mechanics occasionally do what are known as goodwill repairs. These are repairs or other maintenance work that are no longer covered by a warranty or other official agreement that are still done without cost to you. Goodwill repairs are entirely at the discretion of the dealer or mechanic, so there is never any guarantee of getting one. On the other hand, it doesnt hurt to ask. If your vehicle is just outside the warranty range, or if you have a long relationship with your mechanic, its possible theyll be willing to do some goodwill work for you.Trade schoolsIf theres an automotive trade or vocational program near you, its possible that its looking for cars for students to work on as part of their learning processat no cost to you. Theres no guarantee a program in your area will be looking for cars to repair, but its worth a phone call to find out. You can find local auto mechanic programs here to do some research and see if any in your area need practice vehicles.Assistance programsIf you cant find a mechanic or program that provides free car repairs, you might be able to make those repairs free by getting financial assistance. There might be local programs that help people pay for car repairs, and here are a few national resources to check out:Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) sometimes offers vehicle repair support, depending on current funding and the state you live in.ModestNeeds.org offers Self-Sufficiency Grants, including grants for car repairs. Theres an application process and eligibility is based on need.Veterans programs. There are many financial assistance programs providing grants and loans to military veterans, and many include car repair costs. Operation Homefront also offers explicit car repair assistance to veterans.