Ruffled Substratum: Long Live Backyard Mechanics

Most of the time cheap bastards like me could not afford a vehicle service in places like Proton, who charge obscene amount of RM$$$ on menial services. It is just too bad becasue I find the level of mechanic competency of the latest batch of mechanics very ept and knowledgable in troubleshooting certain mechanical and chassis problems. (The mechanics in Juru Autocity gets my vote). However since my car is *ahem* , more than 10 years old, I have been going to my trusted BackYard MechanicTM AH CHOY for as long as I can remember. Most importantly, he charges real cheap. (Behind Esso station opposite E&O Hotel). His workshop is tattered with old mechanical relics (refer to pics below) and visiting him is like traveling back to time where being a mechanic is one of the most revered professions. I still remembered when I bought my first car, a 1969 Mazda 626 from my aunt way back in 1996. That piece of contraption gets itself stalled in every conceivable road situations, ranging from distributor failure to massive oil seal leaks. I finally got rid of that sorry excuse for a car in 1999 and got myself a second hand Nissan Sunny 130Y. Not a very shabby car but there are of course glaring defects from imminent gearbox failure to faulty wirings. I sold off the car to a lawyer in Kulim and received a healthy bounty in 2001. Within months, I've again opted for a SECOND-HAND vehicle..(Don't I ever learn??), that is my current mode of transportation, the 1995 Proton Satria 1.3. Let's just say I was a fool to believe that I could be amongst the elite car modding community (another politically correct sentence for "Ah Beng-fying") by buying a Satria and start modding it just like those cars I saw in the "Kereta" magazines.

Boy, I was wrong.

Not only I was shunned by the so-called elite car modders crowd, I ended up as a bar-room joke for those pricks. Granted, modding a car takes alot of time and money but it is not all about looking cool but also the need for powerful engines as a bragging rights. I gave up and restored by car into its original state (READ: Taking off the accessories and tuning parts) but given the fact that I have already bolted the bodykits on the car, I've decided to stick with it. For one full year, I shunned my trusty mechanic, Ah Choy who laboriously serviced my car, from the ill-fated Mazda to the current Satria. I was tempted by the car modding community to go to places like "Maxpower", "Jimmy Razo" and among others and all I can say is a 1.3 will always be a 1.3 no matter how you tune it. (With the exception that you decide to go for a 'brain' implant' on the car by installing either a 4G93T or VR4 engines.) On top of that the tuning and tweaking of my car seemed to generate adverse effects on the car and causing more nuisance than satisfaction. One moment I could have shock absorber failure due to the lowering of the springs, air intake inconsistency, and many more nonsense you can stuff into a Chow Sing Chi movie. Therefore, I marched embarrassingly backed to Ah Choy for his usual service and car support ritual.

Since then my car performed as per manufacturer requirement for 4 years now and although there are few niggering issues, I have no complaints. He is indeed from the old-school of mechanics but at least I can sleep well knowing that my car is in good hands. But I need to remember that Ah Choy is very old, in his 60s. He might not be there for my car one day. Therefore, with this, take good care of yourself and most importantly I salute you for the care you have given to my car.

May you live a longer life as many cars needs you.