I was at Hyundai today, and as I approached a guy at the servicing department he happened to be on the phone with a customer whom he was literally begging to secure permission to change the bearing for the clutch in his car!! How stupid could the customer be? For starters I happened to hear that the part was for Rs 2000, but that’s not the point (if you drive a car you should be able to afford it or you should get a bicycle). What if the moron's clutch gave way in the middle of peak traffic? And eventually it would, which would then cause a kilometer long jam and I could be stuck in it!! Then I would be late for work which is pathetic and for others who are less fortunate, their bosses would give them a nice mouthful. Leave alone the moron who will have bigger problems.
And this is the problem with people in New Delhi. They refuse to allow a word called 'maintenance' into their dictionary. Once they buy their cars the maximum extent they go to for taking care of their car is to avail all free servicings and that’s it. Forget about denting and painting cars in case of scratches or dents, people don't even like getting their cars serviced in periodic intervals. A year old car looks like it’s been through a decade of torture, and I’ am not joking, there are 10 year old cars that look showroom fresh without ever having been re-painted. It’s clearly not that they don't have time otherwise they would be driving better cars which they would care about, I think it’s probably because they want to save money. But guess who looks like the clown at the end? Yes, it’s the moron owner who has to bear a huge cost for all the consequent parts that cocked up because they didn't bother to have a minor part replaced or inspected.
While we are on the subject of maintenance the favorite mending material for all external body parts for cars in New Delhi seems to be duct tape and screws!! Broken taillight? 'No problem, I got duct tape'. Hanging rearview mirror? 'No problem, I got duct tape'. Broken windshield or body panel? 'No problem, I got duct tape'. Dented or hanging bumper? 'No problem, I got a hammer and some screws'. It’s appalling to see new cars in such condition.
Clearly, the owners have no self respect. Because if they did, they would not want to be seen driving around in a half broken contraction which looks like shit. And then they very proudly say "I drive a Honda Civic". Here’s some news, no you don't. What you drive is a piece of contraption. Forget about the aesthetics, it’s not safe to drive around in a broken car. Things can go horribly wrong at high speeds. Cars are designed in a particular way for efficiency and aerodynamics, the moment you mess with it things are bound to go wrong. Also dents and scratches which are not touched up lead to corrosion and rust of the body which makes the car age faster. So if you think you will sell it off and not bother about it, think of the resale value.
On my way back home a lady had caused a traffic jam because her car broke down in the middle of the road, she was literally in tears, I felt bad, but I hope she learnt a valuable lesson today.
Modern cars are close to a 100% reliable (apart from the rare manufacturing defect) and ask for no daily maintenance whatsoever, just periodical servicings and replacement of parts. Look after your car and it will look after you. Spending regularly on periodical servicing and replacement of parts will save you a lot of money in the long run. Plus there is no harm in being seen in a decently maintained car, and you will never be embarrassed in front of the whole world for your car breaking down. It’s a win-win situation really.
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