Getting your car repaired after an accident can feel like a huge headache, but it may actually be a blessing in disguise. Now that your car is already in the shop, this is the perfect time to do additional maintenance that you may have been putting off, since you might be able to get a discount for giving so much business to the mechanic. Here are some good optional repairs to add to your list.

Get Your Fluids Flushed And Replaced

Sure, you may take your car in for the factory recommended oil changes and coolant flushes every few months, but can you remember the last time you got your power steering fluid flushed and replaced? What about your brake lines—when were they last cleaned?

Every fluid line in your car is subject to degradation over time due to air, water, and dirt getting into the lines. This causes the car to work harder just to move fluid from one place to another and reduces the effectiveness of the fluid overall. Unmaintained lines can develop leaks due to air and water adding pressure, as well. In some cases, problems with fluid quality can result in thousands of dollars in damage, such as when old transmission fluid leaks out and stops properly lubricating the gears.

If you have all of your fluid lines checked, flushed, and filled with fresh liquid, you might be surprised how well your car responds when you drive away from the mechanic's shop. Your steering wheel will turn easier, your brakes will slow your car more readily, and you'll feel like you have much better control over your vehicle.

Upgrade Your Bushings To Polyurethane

This tip is mostly for people who are driving older or classic cars. Bushings are little hollow spacers that serve to guide shafts and rods in your engine and keep everything exactly as far apart as it needs to be. Over time, friction and heat can wear away the bushings in older cars, which makes your rods less precise and increases wear on your engine. In serious cases, a poorly maintained bushing can wear down enough for the engine to throw a rod.

Polyurethane bushings are incredibly durable when it comes to forces involved in driving a car. While racers and sports car owners may need to change them eventually, the typical driver will wear out the entire car before having to worry about polyurethane bushings getting worn down. If your car doesn't have them, they make an excellent long term investment for protecting your engine.

Have Your Emissions System Checked

Of all the potential causes of a check engine light to come on, the most common by far is a failure within the emissions system. This system uses evaporation to purge impurities from your car's exhaust before it's sent out of the tailpipe. Important parts of this system are the O2 sensor and the catalytic converter.

In an ideal world, it would be recommended to simply replace the whole system while your car is in the shop. This can be expensive, however, since catalytic converters are one of the priciest car parts. Still, you should have your system examined by a professional to ensure that it's not going to fail any time soon. Have the wires from your O2 sensor to your car's computer examined, as a problem with these will give you a false sensor failure reading. You should also ask if the emissions system in your car can be manually cleaned, as well.

The best time to get all of your repairs done is when your car is already going to be in the shop. After an accident, talk to your mechanic about some of these repairs and ask for his or her recommendations for additional maintenance. Instead of just handling normally, your car could come back to you driving better than ever. Click here to read more about what maintenance your car may need.