730am, last Friday. Untuk pertama kalinya, sebuah kereta baru MyVi separa terbabas ke dalam longkang di tengah salah-satu bulatan besar di XXX. Kemalangan mungkin sahaja baru berlaku tanpa melibatkan sebarang kenderaan lain. Kereta peronda polis telahpun tiba daripada balai yang berdekatan untuk memantau keadaan. Kelihatan seorang lelaki yang masih berkain pelikat di sisi pemandu dan sama-sama melihat keadaan di tempat kejadian.
(suami: Yang, camna you drive boleh jadi lagu ni?)
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Don’t forget to change our car tyres after every two years?
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Don’t forget to change our car tyres after every two years?
(according to my two male colleagues)
Nope, I did it after 5! Yes, 5 long and safe-driving years with my bros’ consent. Like, ah long was saying recently, the tyres are still ok-what in normal condition but knowing how I drive (meaning that I just bulldozed through segala lubang) I better change them la kan.
Ah beng was suggesting Goodyears coz ‘tayar dia lembut’ – whatever that means.
Backtrack - One fine morning last week, I started the engine & rolled down my windows (as per normal practice for getting fresh air) only to find that the window on the driver’s side was stucked halfway down (there were early signs which I had ignored with the hope that it will simply go away – I wish!). I heard the motor roaring but nothing moved. Even with manual help. After messaging/calling all my bros (and a friend) & getting some quotations from them (standard behaviour of proton car, I’m so lucky it happened to me only after 5 years – estimated maximum cost of rm200+, ah nga told me it costed him rm70 just to change the motor alone), I decided to drive to S’ban to get it done – Er, picked up my ah long lah.
Being a normal testosterone-laden male (I like! Esp. when it can save me lotsa dosh) he had to try solving the ‘mechanical problem’ himself. So, at 8am – MAV was standing almost half-naked by the roadside in front of ah long house. He managed to track the problem down to the small component (arm?) which need to be change – Thank God, nothing wrong with the motor.
Alas, there’s only so much he can do – off we went to his friend, a real mechanic, to finish up the repair job. He (the mechanic) only charged me rm10 for service – with some other stuff/tweaking done, while the replacement component (regulator) costed me rm45.
Now I know why the Proton drivers in front of me at the toll booth prefer to open their their door either to swipe the TnG card or the pay the toll charges. All this while, I thought they did it because their power window is damaged. Nope, that’s not the case. Coz now that I, myself had recently repaired my window – the act of rolling down the window seems very precarious indeed! It’s been 5 days, I never roll down that window even once!
Now, back to the tyres. I’d already arranged for ah long to be with me next week for the momentous tyre-changing session. Well, might as well saved myself a trip & do it all in one go. I’d already survey the price – promotional pamphlet, started at rm79. I thought going to the shop with a male person might save me from unnecessary spending esp. when my experience taught me if I know no better, a small matter of checking the engine oil etc. might be blown out of proportion into changing the engine oil and the whole enchiladas. I don’t know what and how it happened at the shop but with his ‘help’, I ended up as the proud owner of Bridgestones’s tyres! In case it skip your notice, that’s the official F1 tyres ok! Which of course ballooned up the cost. Ka-ching big time!!! Of course, he need not to remind me that MAV ran on local engine (borrowing upon Japanese technology) while standing on that costly tyres. Some more, I’ve learn my lessons – effort to kononnya test-drive MAV’s daya pecutan immediately after servicing had made me in the past rm150 poorer (after discount tu)! I need to keep on chanting to myself while driving home this raya – keep to the speed limit or else be rm300 poorer! (maximum immediate penalty for speeding (guilty Your Honour, but then why drive slowly when the coast is clear?), double-line overtaking, ignoring red light etc.) Honestly, I see no difference in between pre and post tyre-changed drives (except now I feel more confident to you-know-lar..). Ah long kept on saying, “Ha, kau rasa tak bezanya?” everytime we hitted lubangs on the road.
Regarding that hand-brake red light which had been on for the past 10 months – nope, nothing wrong with the wires or switch. This is what the mechanic had to say - Just check your brake oil la. Duh! In the past, I have had my two bros tinkering with the inside and outside of MAV in trying to trace the problem. Ah long had even checked the brake oil only that it was the wrong one (clutch oil)! Heheheheh….you see, not all males know everything about car ok!
Hm, you think I’m that bad when it comes to changing car tyres – trust me, you ain’t hear this before – my ah lan (eldest sis) had recently replaced her Kancil with a brand-new Vios. She had fully paid the Kancil after 7 years. And she never changed the full tyre-set either!!
Facts:
1.Switch-crossing the tyres after every 10,000km. Together with balancing (‘on wheel’ for older car) and alignment.
2.Alignment test – on a stretch of straight road, lepaskan steering & see la whether the car goes straight or not.
3.Maximum speed limit for Federal trunk roads down from 90kmph to only 80kmph during this raya’s Ops Sikap.
Nope, I did it after 5! Yes, 5 long and safe-driving years with my bros’ consent. Like, ah long was saying recently, the tyres are still ok-what in normal condition but knowing how I drive (meaning that I just bulldozed through segala lubang) I better change them la kan.
Ah beng was suggesting Goodyears coz ‘tayar dia lembut’ – whatever that means.
Backtrack - One fine morning last week, I started the engine & rolled down my windows (as per normal practice for getting fresh air) only to find that the window on the driver’s side was stucked halfway down (there were early signs which I had ignored with the hope that it will simply go away – I wish!). I heard the motor roaring but nothing moved. Even with manual help. After messaging/calling all my bros (and a friend) & getting some quotations from them (standard behaviour of proton car, I’m so lucky it happened to me only after 5 years – estimated maximum cost of rm200+, ah nga told me it costed him rm70 just to change the motor alone), I decided to drive to S’ban to get it done – Er, picked up my ah long lah.
Being a normal testosterone-laden male (I like! Esp. when it can save me lotsa dosh) he had to try solving the ‘mechanical problem’ himself. So, at 8am – MAV was standing almost half-naked by the roadside in front of ah long house. He managed to track the problem down to the small component (arm?) which need to be change – Thank God, nothing wrong with the motor.
Alas, there’s only so much he can do – off we went to his friend, a real mechanic, to finish up the repair job. He (the mechanic) only charged me rm10 for service – with some other stuff/tweaking done, while the replacement component (regulator) costed me rm45.
Now I know why the Proton drivers in front of me at the toll booth prefer to open their their door either to swipe the TnG card or the pay the toll charges. All this while, I thought they did it because their power window is damaged. Nope, that’s not the case. Coz now that I, myself had recently repaired my window – the act of rolling down the window seems very precarious indeed! It’s been 5 days, I never roll down that window even once!
Now, back to the tyres. I’d already arranged for ah long to be with me next week for the momentous tyre-changing session. Well, might as well saved myself a trip & do it all in one go. I’d already survey the price – promotional pamphlet, started at rm79. I thought going to the shop with a male person might save me from unnecessary spending esp. when my experience taught me if I know no better, a small matter of checking the engine oil etc. might be blown out of proportion into changing the engine oil and the whole enchiladas. I don’t know what and how it happened at the shop but with his ‘help’, I ended up as the proud owner of Bridgestones’s tyres! In case it skip your notice, that’s the official F1 tyres ok! Which of course ballooned up the cost. Ka-ching big time!!! Of course, he need not to remind me that MAV ran on local engine (borrowing upon Japanese technology) while standing on that costly tyres. Some more, I’ve learn my lessons – effort to kononnya test-drive MAV’s daya pecutan immediately after servicing had made me in the past rm150 poorer (after discount tu)! I need to keep on chanting to myself while driving home this raya – keep to the speed limit or else be rm300 poorer! (maximum immediate penalty for speeding (guilty Your Honour, but then why drive slowly when the coast is clear?), double-line overtaking, ignoring red light etc.) Honestly, I see no difference in between pre and post tyre-changed drives (except now I feel more confident to you-know-lar..). Ah long kept on saying, “Ha, kau rasa tak bezanya?” everytime we hitted lubangs on the road.
Regarding that hand-brake red light which had been on for the past 10 months – nope, nothing wrong with the wires or switch. This is what the mechanic had to say - Just check your brake oil la. Duh! In the past, I have had my two bros tinkering with the inside and outside of MAV in trying to trace the problem. Ah long had even checked the brake oil only that it was the wrong one (clutch oil)! Heheheheh….you see, not all males know everything about car ok!
Hm, you think I’m that bad when it comes to changing car tyres – trust me, you ain’t hear this before – my ah lan (eldest sis) had recently replaced her Kancil with a brand-new Vios. She had fully paid the Kancil after 7 years. And she never changed the full tyre-set either!!
Facts:
1.Switch-crossing the tyres after every 10,000km. Together with balancing (‘on wheel’ for older car) and alignment.
2.Alignment test – on a stretch of straight road, lepaskan steering & see la whether the car goes straight or not.
3.Maximum speed limit for Federal trunk roads down from 90kmph to only 80kmph during this raya’s Ops Sikap.
2 comments:
me like u lah... everytime want to change the tyre or go to mechanic, mesti nak bawak orang lain sama. dulu sanggup tunggu lik kelate semata2 nak servis kereta or nak tukar tayar. hehe! so dependant on others, kan?
selamat hari raya! drive safely raya ni.
dlt,
Memang kita pompuan ni dilahirkan tanpa gene-engine-mechanic kot...mcm mana belajar pun sure lupa - nama spareparts pun confuse! Ish, kena cari suami la gamaknya coz takkan nak harap abang2 je ye tak? Heheheh...
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