Winter has hit the doors. It’s the best time of the year to take out your snowmobiles and glide through the snowy trails. But wait- are you worried that your snowmobile will need maintenance and want to know what the average snowmobile maintenance cost is? Don’t worry. I have recently worked on my snowmobile to prepare it for adventures ahead and can provide you with a close estimate of the total cost.
Maintaining my snowmobile costs me around $350 this year. On average, maintaining your snowmobile will cost anywhere between $250 – $500, depending on your model, age, performance, riding style, type, and many other factors. You can greatly reduce maintenance costs if you can service the snowmobile on your own.
Using the provided information, you can get a cost breakup of how much cost you’ll need to get your snowmobile on the trail.
Let’s get started.
Maintain A Maintenance Log
First things first. Maintaining a maintenance log won’t cost you a dime but will save you precious dollars. Keeping the record will guide you on which parts of your snowmobile need consideration. Whether you are performing maintenance checks yourself or hiring a mechanic to do it for you, you can emphasize each point and get in-depth services. Maintaining the maintenance log will influence your snowmobile’s health and impact your yearly average maintenance cost.
Check The Battery
Whether the engine is okay or not, you can’t run your snowmobile if the battery isn’t working correctly. Sometimes your battery is fine, but its terminals have corrosion that you can get fixed or replaced at a small fraction of the money. But if the battery is dead and you need to replace it, it will cost you around $150-250, depending on the brand and battery size.
Following the snowmobile’s battery maintenance tips, you can avoid needing a new battery. With appropriate care, that is, by using a battery maintainer and automatic charger, your snowmobile battery can last up to 5 years, saving you up to $1000.
Inspect The Wirings, Plugs, And Filters
Wires, plugs, and filters are minor yet essential parts of a snowmobile. Your snowmobile can not function properly if these aren’t in perfect condition. How would you feel if your snowmobile stopped amidst a snowy trail? Even imagining it is frightful. So, to avoid the hassle, check them all as a part of snowmobile maintenance.
Average snowmobile wires cost between $29- $80. Depending on the type of plugs or number of cylinders your snowmobile has. Spark plugs cost around $16- $100. The snowmobile’s filter greases the internal parts and saves them from overheating. Their maintenance is compulsory to take snowmobiles on the trail. You’ll need to clean or replace the filter if your vehicle’s fuel pump makes loud noises, does not start, or has a component failure. A new filter costs around $10- $70. You may pay between $70- $180, including the labor charges.
Remember Brakes During Maintenance
Snowmobiles have hydraulic disc brakes on the rear tracks to stop them on the trail. Always inspect and test brake lever reserve before riding on your snowmobile. No matter how less you have used them, these brakes require annual maintenance and are tricky to repair, so, if you don’t know how to deal with them, it’s better to get it done by a service provider.
There are different parts in a brake. Opting for complete repair will cost you between $250- $800. If you need a caliper repair, it will cost you up to $130 and $ 35 for a single brake pad. Service charges will cost you between $150-$300, depending on the service provider. We recommend you go to a professional and tried and tested service provider to get your job done.
Light Up The Trail
You can’t ride your snowmobile if its lights aren’t functioning up to the mark. You need bright and sharp lights to lighten up the trail on dark winter nights, or else you can get lost or face an accident. The light cost greatly varies depending if you use a hydrogen or xenon bulb, as they are $20 or $100, respectively. Price will also fluctuate depending you need a bulb or assembly depending on your snowmobile’s model.
You Can’t Forget The Engine
The engine is the most important part of your snowmobile. It requires equal care and maintenance. While you take out your snowmobile or use it extensively during the season, remember to use high-quality engine oil. Engine oils greatly influence the engine’s running quality, durability, and cleanliness. If your snowmobiles engine is out of order, you may end up spending more than $2500, depending on the problem.
If you are running on a 4-stroke engine, be sure to get the necessary oil changes at least once every two years, depending on how much you rode the one year.
Physical Fitness Is Necessary
You just can’t ignore the looks. You may want to replace a broken accessory, repaint, or add fancy equipment to your snowmobile to enjoy snowmobiling sessions. Remember, each repair and accessory has a cost.
Keeping and maintaining a snowmobile is expensive. The total expense is a lot more than the average snowmobile maintenance cost. The maintenance cost will vary greatly depending on the snowmobile’s condition and service provider.
If you found this article on the average snowmobile maintenance cost helpful, be sure to check out our other articles on snowmobiles here.
